City to join international music network

Sunderland is the second city in the UK to join the network after Manchester

A city has become only the second in the UK to be part of an international music network.

Sunderland's successful bid to join the Music Cities Network marked the start of "an amazing journey", organisers said.

It will work alongside other members, including Manchester, Berlin and Sydney, to grow its music sector and support cultural, social and economic development.

Musician Frankie Francis, who is part of the project, said: "I'm probably as equally as proud of this status as I was just signing my first record deal."

He called it "the first point of what should be an amazing journey for Sunderland's identity moving forward".

"We are part of a gang now, we are part of their club and we get to collaborate with them, we get to learn from them, we get to share, to lobby together."

The network was established in 2016 and gives members access to collaborative opportunities, resources and advocacy.

Members include Aalborg, Aarhus, Bergen, Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Gothenburg, Groningen, Hamburg, Manchester, Reykjavik, Sydney, Valencia and Vilnius.

The successful bid was announced at an event in Sunderland

Francis - lead singer of Frankie and the Heartstrings - said the status recognised Sunderland's musical heritage but also what was currently happening in its music scene.

"Sunderland for years was known for its shipbuilding and coal mining and while we should celebrate that and never forget it, we need to think of new identities for our city and this will hopefully be one of them."

At an event announcing the successful bid at the city's Fire Station venue, Barry Hyde from The Futureheads said it was "amazing for the city".

"Sunderland has always been on the map but I think this solidifies it," he said.

"When I was coming into the music industry 30 years ago there wasn't much but now there's going to be loads for the city's young musicians."

Lena Ingwersen from the Music Cities Network said Sunderland had an "exciting future ahead"

Managing director of the Music Cities Network Lena Ingwersen said: "Sunderland is an amazing addition to the Music Cities Network - it has a proud and storied heritage of music, and an exciting future ahead.

"For us, the mindset of people is paramount, and the Sunderland Music City team's energy, insight and enthusiasm are outstanding."

'Year of music'

Being part of the network will increase collaboration between Sunderland and other members, such as Berlin and Sydney

A strategy which organisers hope will "try to make Sunderland a better place because of music" has also been launched.

It will focus on nurturing local talent, enhancing musical education through mentorship, developing existing music venues and establishing new ones.

A number of initiatives, including The Sunderland Year of Music, have also been announced.

Kicking off in June, it will celebrate the city's musical heritage and create new events to highlight under-represented genres.

Sunderland City Council leader Michael Mordey said Music City built on the "already fantastic and exciting redevelopment of Sunderland as a whole".