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Musician John Wilkins plays an acoustic guitar and sings into a microphone. John is wearing a grey hooded top. His eyes are closed , he has grey hair. Four images of musician Andy Fraser. One image shows him playing acoustic guitar, the second shows him playing bass, image three shows him playing a blues harp. He is smiling in image four. Musician Ruby Kelly plays an acoustic guitar and sings into a microphone. She is wearing a black t-shirt and a black dress. Her orange tinged blonde hair is shoulder length.

Music

Songs from This City

31 May 2025

1:00pm

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Quick summary

Price
£5
Running time
2 hours 30 minutes
Venue
  • Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

Additional information

Access information

Event description

Following three very successful previous events, harmonica player Jim Bullock will again be joining Sunderland singer-songwriters John Wilkins and Andy J Fraser for an afternoon of Songs from This City.

John has recorded three albums of his material, most recently King of the Past with fellow “Odd Cowboy” Jimmy Smith. Switching easily from achingly poignant to dark and spikey, John’s songs are not so much about our city but of and from, and his finger-style guitar is sublime.

Andy J Fraser is Sunderland musician and singer-songwriter. Andy’s song-writing is inspired by the changing cultural fabric of Sunderland.  Andy’s musical compositions and instrumental style are heavily influenced by American traditions from finger-picking country folk and blues to those of the Appalachian Mountains, as well as British Country Folk. At the core of Andy’s songs are powerful, original lyrics.

Andy’s new album, Rustbelt Town, creates a musical journey travelling from Wearside and the Northeast to the USA and back again, exploring Sunderland’s past, present and future. Andy will be performing with his band, The Tunstallachia Upland Boys, who performed their inaugural gig to critical acclaim at the Tyneside Americana Blues festival in January.

Andy will be supported by Welsh singer/songwriter Ruby Kelly who speaks brutally honest tales of her own life and the world around her. The 21-year-old produces vigorous folk ballads that win over a room full of people like magic. After the success of her 2023 single Hometown, Ruby continues to produce music into 2024 with her latest single The Roots being described as “poetry in-between the words and music” by Adam Walton, BBC Radio Wales. Ruby is rapidly gaining a lot of attention and admiration as a writer and performer. This is a coup. Catch her while you can.

 

Music in a museum? Of course!

Because the past is always with us – not as Heritage or something valuable to be filed away but as evidence of lives and experience that resonate with us here and now.  Songs can do that, and we have a great history of songwriting in the north – east. Songs From This City will present just a glimpse of where it is now.

Musician John Wilkins plays an acoustic guitar and sings into a microphone. John is wearing a grey hooded top. His eyes are closed , he has grey hair.
Zoom picture 1 of 3
Four images of musician Andy Fraser. One image shows him playing acoustic guitar, the second shows him playing bass, image three shows him playing a blues harp. He is smiling in image four.
Zoom picture 2 of 3
Musician Ruby Kelly plays an acoustic guitar and sings into a microphone. She is wearing a black t-shirt and a black dress. Her orange tinged blonde hair is shoulder length.
Zoom picture 3 of 3