In 2018, Netflix released its behind the scenes, warts and all, insight into Sunderland Association Football Club. Even if this documentary about the hardships of an ex-Premier League giant didn’t bother you, the soundtrack to the show probably would have caught your attention.
‘Shipyards’, a single from Sunderland-born singer-songwriter The Lake Poets, suddenly rocketed into the charts and this local lad was a taking point throughout the North East.
Martin Longstaff, the man behind The Lake Poets, has now become a household name throughout Sunderland and his music has spread not just through the North East, but also across the country too. It’s not all down to the ‘Sunderland Till I Die’ documentary though as Longstaff’s success comes from this ability to write and play incredibly infectious and powerful songs.
Crediting his influences as Carole King, Van Morrison, Damien Rice and Neil Young, to name a few, Longstaff’s music is beautiful and meaningful all at once.
Now, The Lake Poets will be playing Sunderland’s The Peacock on Saturday 21st December, a venue that has recently been taken over by North East artists Barry Hyde and Dan Donnelly.
In 2015, The Lake Poets’ debut album was released after Longstaff spent time in Blackbird Studios in Nashville and in 2017 a ‘Live from the Sage’ EP was released followed by single ‘Lonely in the City’ the following year. Although The Lake Poets have been fairly quiet on the releasing front, recently Longstaff confirmed he’s been writing new music – so you can expect new music very soon, maybe even in time for The Peacock gig.
The Lake Poets isn’t Longstaff’s only project, however. The multi-instrumentalist is also involved with two bands, White Legs and Beak, meaning he can constantly adapt his sound to whatever surroundings he finds himself in.
Local and National radio stations have also picked up on The Lake Poets’ music with BBC’s Lauren Laverne describing it as ‘stunningly heart-breaking music’. He’s featured on various stations across the daytime too including BBC Radio 2, Radio X and BBC 6 Music.
This is a great opportunity to see the Wearside outfit play a hometown show in an intimate venue. And with it being so close to Christmas, it’s sure to be a merry olde evening.
The Lake Poets will take to Sunderland’s The Peacock on Saturday 21st December.
Tickets, priced at £14.85 in advance, are available from dice.fm.
