This year’s packed line up included comedy performances from Tim Healy, Metroland comedy, the cast of Gerry and Sewell from their recent West End run and many more. The show saw a variety of musical performances from Ernie and Imogen and the Knife, Lewis Capaldi, the trusts own patron - the 1975s Matty Healy, and even Sting as a surprise to the audience in the later show.
From Sting’s performance of the classic, ‘Message in a bottle’, to Tim Healy’s comedy skit of builders working on the long-anticipated Tyne bridge construction, the show had an incredible display of talent from all creative aspects, and all from the North East.
After having seen fans walking about in The 1975 T-shirts all night, Matty Healy and friends took to the stage towards the end of the show and performed a set consisting of four songs performed alongside friends including John Waugh, Jamie Squire and Boston band Tiny Habits. Healy performed a rendition of ‘Carolina in My Mind’ by James Taylor and ‘There She Goes’ by the La’s. Following an acoustic version of ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’ from the 1975’s album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, Lewis Capaldi was welcomed to the stage. The Glasgow-born artist’s performance of ‘Someone You Loved’ had the whole arena singing along to the hit song. Allowing Healy to close the show concluded with The 1975’s own song, ‘About You’ performed for the first time by the frontman himself alone.
The biannual show was an impressive display of the incredible talent throughout the North East that the charity helps to support and we look forward to seeing the charity’s work develop and the show back again in 2028.