What gigs are happening across Sunderland this December? Live music from Independent, Fire Station and more

For every arena gig, there are hundreds of acts who dream of reaching that point, and it is venues in cities such as Sunderland which allow these artists to hone their craft.

There are plenty of opportunities to see the next Sam Fender, Field Music or Futureheads across the rest of 2021, and plenty of these gigs are happening at Holmeside’s Independent.

The local venue hosted the main stage of Sunderland’s Waves Festival at the start of November and plenty of local artists are continuing to see the venue as a place to perform.

The biggest news in the scene comes from the opening of Sunderland’s newest venue, The Fire Station on High Street West. It opens its doors in December with a selection of top acts on 10 December with Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening being accompanied by The Lake Poets, who are famous locally for singing the theme for Netflix’s Sunderland Til I Die series.

Tickets are still available for the venue’s opening night.

Local acts continue to grace the new stage throughout December including the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Smoove and Turrell joined by Mica Paris in the venue’s opening nights.

Local Mercury Prize nominees Field Music are also hosting a large opening party for the venue on 17 December. Legends of the local music scene Frankie Francis, Barry Hyde and more set to join up and coming artists in a celebration of the new venue.