South Tyneside’s stellar line-up for its popular summer Sunday Concerts has been given another boost, with news of a range of additional performers.
The free concerts at Bents Park are one of the most eagerly anticipated events at the annual This Is South Tyneside Festival, organised by South Tyneside Council.
And now there are more names added to the bill for two of the four shows, which includes a homegrown musical hero, one of the members of the UK’s biggest girl band and a group who were finalists in a tv reality show.
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Girl band Liberty X and Scooch, featuring South Shields’ David Ducasse alongside bandmate Natalie Powers, are now joining the already packed programme.
They will be appearing alongside headliner Shayne Ward, The Future is Queer and Shelley Stevens.
For the final concert, on Sunday 3 August, Girls Aloud vocalist Nadine Coyle has been added to the line-up. She will be singing a number of Girls Aloud classics along with her solo material.
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Nadine will be joined by Bjorn Again and Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir to ensure that the last show goes with a bang.
This year’s Sunday Concerts are also a showcase for local talent and will open this year on Sunday 13 July with the inaugural NEXT! Big Thing.
The 13 July event is being headlined by solo artist Sonny Tennet. He has been featured on BBC national radio, was a contestant on this year’s American Idol and has had more than 50 million global streams.
Sonny will be supported by Cortney Dixon, who has recently announced her first appearance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, Patrick Gosling, Drum Young as well as acts from The NEXT! Big Thing.
The NEXT! Big Thing (North East EXtraordinary Talent programme) – which has been made possible thanks to funding from the North East Combined Authority Priority Events Programme – runs throughout June, with musicians from across the North East showcasing their skills as part of the Live Music programme at Sandhaven’s Amphitheatre.
And from these June performances some of the musicians will be selected to be part of the line-up at each of the four consecutive Sunday Concerts.
On Sunday 27 July visitors to the park can enjoy a performance by British musician Nik Kershaw, along with Katrina, formerly of Katrina and the Waves and the Understudies.
Councillor Judith Taylor, Lead Member for Culture, Leisure and the Visitor Economy at South Tyneside Council said the new names consolidates what is already a very strong line-up.
“The fact that we now have Nadine Coyle, Liberty X and Scooch added to the Sunday Concerts is fantastic,” she said.
“We already had an incredibly strong and diverse range of musical talent on board and now that has been strengthened even further with this new announcement.
“The fact that this year we’re also giving a massive platform for local talent will ensure this is going to be one of our best festivals yet.”
