Alex Kapranos yells it's good to be home as Franz Ferdinand rock the Fire Station

Last time Franz Ferdinand played Sunderland it was in front of a couple of hundred people who shoehorned themselves into the makeshift original Pop Recs in the ramshackle old Tourist Information Office in Fawcett Street, then one of the few places you could catch a band of that calibre in the city.

Franz Ferdinand turned up the heat at The Fire Stationplaceholder image
Franz Ferdinand turned up the heat at The Fire Station | Sunderland Echo

Eleven years later, as lead singer Alex Kapranos singer leapt through the air at the Fire Station in front of a sold-out crowd it was a rousing symbol of just how far the city’s live music landscape has come in that time.

Today we have, arguably world-class, venues,like the Fire Station as well as passionate pioneers like Pop Recs, which started as a pop up, now a community and cultural asset in its new home. And, the greatest testament of all, we’re now a globally-recognised Music City, one of only two in the UK.

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Last night was a glorious return for the Scottish indie rockers who wanted to help Sunderland celebrate its new found status in style.

Alex’s theatrical swagger onto stage was somewhat of a homecoming for the charismatic frontman whose family moved to Roker when he was a few months old before departing Wearside for north of the border.

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Lead singer Alex once lived in Roker | Sunderland Echo

This gig was a one-off, just for us, with the band hopping on buses bound for Glastonbury soon after curtain down, and it helped kick off a Year of Music in the city along with fellow one-time Mackem Adele (formerly Emeli) Sandé performing last Saturday.

As Alex had the packed house in the palm of his oh-so-stylish hand, his love for his once home town, his Sandancer family among the crowd, was palpably infectious.

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“Gooood evening Sunderland. My God, you have no idea how good that makes me feel to say. It’s wonderful to be back home in the North East,” he told the crowd in his trademark Scottish lilt, with a hint of Mackem coming through.

What followed was an hour and a half of unadulterated indie rock glam and groove.

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The gig sold out soon after going on sale | Sunderland Echo

They’re an incredibly-tight band, their catchy riffs on hits like Take Me Out, No You Girls, Walk Away, Ulysses and Do You Want To sounding as fresh today as they did on their release. Just pure class.

We were also treated to the pounding drums of new tracks like Night or Day and the revamped sharpness of Build It Up among others.

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The Fire Station and its state-of-art lighting and sound have proved a real asset to the city and it was just the perfect place to see and feel the pulsating energy of a band like this who really know their stuff on stage. And boy can Alex jump - he’s like some kind of pop rock gazelle.

We were gutted to see them leave and wished we were off to leap around in the mud with them at Glastonbury.

Come home again soon, Lads.

Year of Music

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Sunderland Year of Music | Submitted

Part of the Music City initiative’s five-year strategy to boost the area’s musical economy, the Year of Music began on World Music Day on the 21st June 2025 and will run through to June 2026.

The year-long celebration of the city’s musical heritage and talent will encompass a huge range of events, from gigs and festivals to educational workshops and community activities.

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Joining the roster of established festivals like Summer Streets, Sunderland Music City’s Music Office will create and test new events based on feedback from the music sector and Sunderland residents, with the goal of showcasing underrepresented genres and connecting people with new music.

A true community undertaking, local musicians, promoters, and fans will be encouraged to host their own Year of Music events, which will be included on and promoted through the event’s dedicated website.

Throughout the year, the Music Office, which was set up especially for the Music City status, will explore new financial models for festivals and events, aiming to uncover novel and sustainable options that will support Sunderland’s music scene long into the future and create new opportunities for local musicians and professionals.

The event follows in the footsteps of Sunderland’s fellow Music City, Aarhus in Denmark, which ran its own Year of Music in 2022.

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The event was a resounding success, serving to strengthen cohesion in the region’s music industry and creating a framework for further development.

The Music Office will also partner with local communities to incorporate activities from other art forms, such as theatre, dance, and the visual arts, as well as heritage, health and wellbeing, food, and education.

Sunderland’s Year of Music is one of many actions outlined in the Pride and Potential: A Music Strategy for Sunderland 2025–2030 strategy.

Targeting specific areas, including music tourism, education, professional development, and accessibility, the plan will guide work to make tangible improvements to the local music scene and drive economic and cultural growth.

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