It feels like we’ve been blessed with a lot of live music recently, with everything from grassroots to touring bands filling rooms in Sunderland in recent months.
The Big Moon brought their Mercury Prize-nominated act to Independent in September, while we also saw Andy Bell’s Glok rock up at Pop Recs in early October.
Here are some of our recent highlights:
Shannon Pearl @ Independent
Witch-pop pioneer Shannon Pearl brought her weird but wonderful theatrics to Independent, with support from Jenny Lascelles and Eve Cole. Shannon enchanted the crowd with her coven of instrumentalists, showcasing an eclectic sound with everything from electronica to pagan chanting—mad.
Vandebilt @ Pop Recs
Sunderland house-party band Vandebilt are seasoned sessioners renowned for their jovial live shows and dance rock thumpers. The high ceilings of Pop Recs were vibrating with low bass and gorgeous harmonies as Joe and the gang worked their way through track’s from 2022’s ‘the House that Vandebilt’ as well as some new’uns. Will we see this lot again in 2023?
Frankie Dobson @ Independent
Boro boy Frankie Dobson, formerly of The Thieves, has picked up where he left off before going solo with a packed and sweaty Sunderland debut on 28 October. Supported by Red Remedy, Lilac Lane, and Urban Times, Frankie is abundant in indie bangers and it’s no surprise why everyone in Teesside is expecting him to be the next big thing.
Firestations @ The Ship Isis
Fresh from shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of their Thick Terrain tour, Firestations brought their sunken and serene guitar pop tracks to The Ship Isis in early November, with a warm reception from the Sunday crowd. Firestations have an accomplished warm and dreamy sound that will no doubt bring them back to the North East again if you missed out.
Martin Stephenson and the Daintees @ Pop Recs
North East legends the Daintees killed it at Glastonbury this year, and so we were overdue a homecoming show in Sunderland’s Pop Recs. The band were happy to dig out some of the hits as well as show off new tunes, and most of their dates being festival appearances it was nice to see a night dedicated solely to them.
No doubt we’ll have plenty to review next time from Waves festival, but if you fancy reviewing a gig for Gan On then drop us at email at areet@ganon.co.uk or give us a shout on social media!