Inside Public Record, a joyful celebration of the sound of Sunderland: 'We're all in it together'

When people from outside of the North East region think of Sunderland, they might think of shipyards, coal pits, Nissan, Pyrex, Brexit. But Sunderland is a city that is changing. There is building work everywhere here. New bridges, roads, hospitals, the heavily anticipated Crown Works Studios (led by production company Fulwell 73), and a new cultural quarter, where the recently opened Fire Station venue now sits proudly beside the Sunderland Empire and will host Public Record – an exciting new show made in collaboration with the National Theatre.

I can feel that the spirit of the place is also shifting. People here will always be proud of our industrial roots. But, partially down to an unsuccessful bid for City of Culture 2021, a real sense of cultural community is taking hold in Sunderland. And exemplary independent venues like Pop Recs are thriving on this momentum.

Emily Lim – director of the National Theatre’s Public Acts programme and our new production Public Record – and Dan Canham, co-director and choreographer of Public Record, first came up to Sunderland 18 months ago.

They made it their business to meet practically everyone in the city who is working as an artist, musician, promoter, venue owner, facilitator, community worker, to get a thorough picture of Sunderland through the eyes of the people who do things here.

When I met them I was immediately impressed. They knew about the place. They were developing context for things rapidly. And they seemed to understand the dynamics of a city where DIY culture is strong and where people make their own opportunities. We hit it off with shared values around things like access and inclusivity in the arts. They visited the free music and arts festival I organise every summer along the Sunderland coast, Summer Streets.

They invited me to collaborate with them on what would be a big community show as part of the National Theatre Public Acts programme. Public Record was born. Expect music, dancing, karaoke, DJs and a knockout house band.

The concept for the show is that our community is being brought together to make an album, an everlasting record of the city. It’ll sound like us, because it’s being made by us. Over 100 cast members are involved – a mixture of professionals and the community, all feeding in to telling this big old story of the city.

The Fire Station venue will be transformed into a deconstructed recording studio, with a live band set up like they would be to make a record. I’ve been able to recruit fellow Mackems Peter and David Brewis from Field Music for this, alongside Sarah Hayes, a wonderful folk musician from the region.

Over the course of 12 tracks, we’ll go on a journey across the city, and through time, taking in births, deaths and marriages – as well as delving into memories of where we used to dance. We will be stopping off to celebrate some of the great things happening here right now.

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It’s an enormous music and dance feast – with moments of huge percussion, piano improvisations, tender a cappella singing, 3am raving and a big old karaoke blowout.

Dance Jam (a Sunderland street dance crew), the Young Musicians Project, the Sunderland Nigerian Families group, performance artist Sophie Lisa Beresford, my bandmate in The Futureheads, Barry Hyde, DJ’s Bykonz & Banko, and Sunderland youth work legend Dave Murray complete the on-stage line up.

It has been a privilege to write music and songs for a show that is being so lovingly rehearsed and performed by a largely community cast.

We’re even recording the show and making a vinyl pressing that will sit in the archive of the British Library and Sunderland Museum. It all feels really special, like we’re all in it together, and none of us can wait to open.

Public Record – presented by Sunderland Culture, Sunderland Empire and National Theatre – is taking place at The Fire Station, Sunderland from 25-27 April.

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