Interview: Frankie Francis & Marty Longstaff

Photos by Thomas Jackson

It was announced last month that a citywide partnership led by the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust aims for Wearside to become a globally-recognised music hub, branded Sunderland Music City.

One of the first steps on this journey has been the appointment of two Music Officers who will become the main points of contact for the music community and play leading roles in achieving the ambition to become an internationally-recognised Music City.

Marty Longstaff (AKA The Lake Poets) and Frankie Francis, lead singer of Frankie and the Heartstrings, have both been appointed Sunderland Music City Officers.

We catch up with the pair to find out more…

What are some of your earliest memories of the Sunderland music scene? 
Frankie: The Sunderland music scene shaped me as a person. When I went to college I heard about the local scene, around the same time The Futureheads were just starting to make waves. There was a collective called Beats Happening which did gigs in a few places around the city that I began to attend, it snowballed from there really. I was out a couple of nights most weeks watching bands around the city. I had no interest in seeing big touring bands, only to be a part of what felt like a special group of people putting on gigs and performing.

Marty: The first place I ever saw original music in Sunderland that has stuck with me for life was at Bar 36 on Holmeside, sadly now gone. It was The Futureheads and This Ain’t Vegas on the same bill and I didn’t know what hit me. I was hooked from then on, and like Frankie, I found myself going to the likes of Beats Happening, Ku Club, and every gig that David Littlefair had organised, seeing bands I’d never heard of from Barcelona, Paris, and god knows where playing to enthusiastic and like-minded people on my doorstep. I felt part of a community, and it was so exciting.

How has the city influenced you as an artist? 
Frankie: Hugely. I think there is a punk ethos of DIY that runs through all Sunderland bands. A feeling of I want to do or achieve this idea despite the landscape. Over the years I’m glad to say that landscape has dramatically improved and there is a lot more accessibility. But I love this city. It’s never been ‘in fashion’ so we don’t follow trends or themes. If you’ve never been in fashion, how can you be unfashionable?

Marty: As an artist I’m heavily influenced by what’s around me, what I’ve experienced, local history, and the tales I’ve been told by friends, family, and people I’ve encountered over the years. We have such a huge and interesting history, and paired with that we’ve always been a bit under the radar and had a DIY ethos, so I draw energy from telling stories that might not have ordinarily got the attention I feel they deserve, and just how we get on with it and make things happen.

How does Sunderland differ to the other music scenes in the North-East?
Frankie: I’ve always found Sunderland to be diverse in genre but always supportive. I think this is where it may differ, and it’s becoming increasingly more connected. I don’t think of Sunderland to be in competition with any other North East city. We have a strong identity. I don’t think we are vastly different to other music ecosystems regionally. I just know more people here.

Marty: I’ve been lucky enough to have dipped in and out of lots of different music communities in the North East, and each one I’ve found supportive, friendly, and enjoyable, but I think Sunderland maybe stands apart by being so readily accessible and so supportive. I’m obviously biassed because it’s the one closest to me, but we really do look out for each other, and I like that a lot because that’s how it should be.

What have been some of the highlights over the years?
Frankie: Those early gigs for sure. But then stuff at old Independent like Caribou, Bonobo. One big weekend was great because they did a cool fringe festival too in the city. Countless stadium shows at Stadium Of Light, i.e. Beyonce, Springsteen, Coldplay. Doing stuff like single launches and anniversary gigs for our music too was always special in Sunderland be it at Pop Recs, Independent, upstairs at Pure, to open air festivals.

Marty: As a punter I thought Split Festival was outstanding. It was the highlight of the year for me, and I got to play it with The Lake Poets and B>E>A>K a few times and I have vivid, fond memories. Everyone mucking in, everyone giving it a good go, everyone having fun. It was amazing. That ethos has continued with Summer Streets. Being the first act to play at The Fire Station was an honour, and playing at halftime on Boxing Day to a full Stadium Of Light was a fever dream. So many good memories as a punter and artist in Sunderland it’s hard to whittle them down.

And the not-so-good stuff? 
Frankie: I suppose we all meet a bad promoter once. You don’t make the same mistake twice; I’d like to think there are enough good people around now to not let this kind of thing happen as much as it once did.

Marty: Seeing friends and venues go through hard times during COVID was tough. The economic fragility was made clear, and we couldn’t really do anything during lockdown to help. I wasn’t really into doing the online-stream gig thing. I thrive on the live experience.

Give us an overview of the Sunderland music currently. Which venues, events and artists should people check out?
Frankie: It’s a huge list, bigger than I even anticipated when we set out on an initial audit as part of my new role. Find them all soon on musiccity.uk. Briefly speaking – Independent, Pop Recs and Peacock are great spaces close to my heart. Artists on the way through to keep an eye on … BigFatBig, Chat, Lots of Hands, Chloe & The Brainwaves, Tobias Hodgson

Marty: There’s just so many! It’s incredible. Artist-wise off the top of my head; Lottie Willis, Lily Mac, Isabel Maria, Eve Cole, Sorley, Dead Wet Things, as well as the ones Frankie mentioned, and many more. I’ve worked with so many talented young people during my years in education with We Make Culture and The Sunderland Music Hub, and that’s only scratching the surface. Venue wise I love 17Nineteen, Arts Centre Washington, The Ship Isis, Independent, The Museum Vaults, Diego’s, Carnival House, Pop Recs, The Peacock, The Fire Station, and the rest. They’re all class and offer such varied programming it’s a great time to be a music lover in the city.

Tell us about Sunderland Music City. How will it benefit the artists who live in the city? 
Frankie: When I toured globally regularly, I was often asked how great it was to live in Sunderland, the city that has given the world so many amazing bands and musicians, I’d often have to stop and recalibrate for a second. I guess when you are so busy working hard on your own music you forget just how great the people have been before you and the path they have flattened for you. There is already an international perception that we are a music city. I’d love it if, as people, we wore that tag as a badge of civic pride within it too.

Marty: I’ve been shouting about Sunderland for over a decade now with various hats on so why not shout about it some more and hopefully get a few eyes from elsewhere fixed on the great things that are happening in the city. With that will come a multitude of opportunities and connections for artists creating music now, and hopefully that will inspire the next generation to give it a good go and feel confident in their creativity. We’re as valid as anywhere else, we’ve just got to see that, and I think we do now.

What will your role as Sunderland Music City Officers entail?
Frankie: Initially meeting as many people as possible already working in Sunderland’s vast music industry. Then we publish an initial audit to tell everyone just what is happening now in Sunderland, loads. I want to start to deliver stuff immediately, we are working towards better links with authorities and connecting people, we are looking at spaces and places and the ability to make exciting things happen soon. Lots to get on with.

Marty: Meeting and connecting people making music in the city with things that may be of benefit to them, obvious or perhaps as-of-yet unconsidered. Looking for opportunities for young people to perform, record, play live, and get a music education. Getting different sectors in the city engaged and as enthusiastic as we are about the music happening already in the city, and its future potential. Breaking down barriers to access and helping create a safe environment in which to participate and thrive.

What are your ambitions for the future of the Sunderland music scene?
Frankie: For Sunderland’s rich and vibrant music to be celebrated and appreciated by everyone in the city and for that to be recognised in status internationally. I want someone to be able to do and learn all the skills and develop as a musician in Sunderland. Fall in love with music, make music, rehearse, perform, record, make a music video, get a deal, get a publishing deal, have something manufactured…..and more in Sunderland.

Marty: I want every person of any walk of life and of any age to be able to live a happy, healthy, creative life in Sunderland, and if they want to take that further and go outside of the city then they’ll be equipped with the necessary skills to do that and thrive. I want everyone to see the benefits of music and be encouraged and emboldened to follow their passion and be successful on their own terms. We are a Music City, and we always have been.