The Futureheads announce first Sunderland gig in six years

It’s been announced that the four-piece will play the new Pop Recs in High Street West on Thursday, April 18 for an intimate plugged-in gig.

The band were originally going to stage the gig for friends and family, but decided to make a very limited amount of tickets available for sale.

Comprised of Ross Millard, Barry Hyde, David ‘Jaff’ Craig and Dave Hyde, the band haven’t released any new music since their fifth album, Rant, in 2012, but next week’s gig will be the first in a clutch of live dates including a headline tour to support a new record.

Ross said: “We’ve been away for a while but it’s great to have the album nearly finished and be playing live again. There’s nowhere we’d rather have played our first show back than Pop Recs to be honest, especially in the new building on High Street West.”

Pop Recs, at the bottom of High Street West, is part of regeneration works ongoing at the original Binns site after the buildings were gifted to Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust (TWBPT) who have begun the restoration thanks to a grant from Historic England.

As works continue at the buildings, culture hub Pop Recs is still operating at Stockton Road also.

Dave Harper, who founded Pop Recs with fellow band members from Frankie & the Heartstrings, said: “The Futureheads have been part of my life in one way or another for 20 years. As mates, as tour pals and in my ears. They were and are a game changer of a band who, like all great bands, have come through so much adversity and yet have the guts to return stronger than ever.

“It’s six years since they’ve played a plugged-in show and to bring that show to Pop Recs in a building we are trying to bring back to life says a lot about how they feel about Sunderland.”

The Futureheads were formed in 2000 after meeting at Sunderland College, taking their inspiration from post-punk, new wave and pop acts such as XTC, Wire and Gang Of Four.

After building a reputation locally, their self-titled debut album, released in 2004, just missed the UK Top 10, and they enjoyed their biggest hit the following year with their version of the Kate Bush song Hounds Of Love.

The Futureheads racked up five albums and numerous hit singles in the years before taking a break. During their hiatus, Barry and Jaff have been teaching, Dave became one half of the duo Hyde & Beast, while Ross joined fellow Sunderland band Frankie & The Heartstrings and curates the Summer Streets festival, as well as working as a graphic designer.

Barry also released a solo album, Malody, a critically-acclaimed record in which he chronicled his personal experiences with mental health.

•Tickets for The Futureheads at Pop Recs in High Street West are available from www.musicglue.com and are expected to sell out fast.