Mouth of the Tyne Festival fails to find replacement headliner

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will perform on Sunday

Organisers of the Mouth of the Tyne Festival have been unable to find a headline act to replace the Lighthouse Family, who split up last week.

North Tyneside Council, which stages the event from 8-10 July in Tynemouth, said an appropriate performer could not be found at such short notice.

Keane, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Eliza Shaddad, and Newton Faulkner are still set to perform at the Priory.

Front Street and the Metro station will also host free acts and performances.

The festival is one of the region's biggest arts events

The Mouth of the Tyne Festival has been running since 2005 and attracts more than 100,000 people but was cancelled for the past two years because of Covid.

The street performances are always popular with crowds

Steve Bishop, festival director and North Tyneside Council's head of culture, said: "It's been a long time in the making as we've had to wait until the pandemic was under control but we're really looking forward to a great festival packed full of fantastic entertainment for the whole family."

"The setting couldn't be more spectacular with our award-winning coastline as the backdrop to our annual celebration and I know visitors will find lots to enjoy."

Sam Fender wowed the crowds in 2019