Geordie singer songwriter Andrew Cushin will break off from recording his eagerly anticipated new album with Noel Gallagher to play a special Carabao Cup final gig in Newcastle in Sunday.
But admits the moment he puts his guitar down, he will be more nervous about Newcastle United's Wembley encounter with Manchester United. Cushin's rise in the music world comes at a moment in time in which the Magpies are again flying high.
Cushin is following in the footsteps of giants with his new album being produced at legendary Welsh recording studios Rockfield where Oasis recorded (What's The Story) Morning Glory? and Queen recorded Bohemian Rhapsody. For now though it is very much about entertaining a crowd of around 1,500 at Northumbria Domain ahead of Wembley.
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Cushin, who has 293,465 listens on Spotify for You Don't Belong, told Chronicle Live: "It's going to be rowdy on Sunday! "But it'll be really good, I do always try to have my Newcastle United flag on the keyboard and we've even had Wor Flags involved at gigs.
"I'll be like any other fan after the gig and once the game kicks off, 100%. I am away recording my first album at the minute and I will be leaving on Sunday morning from Rockfield!
"I have already told the producer that if Newcastle win the cup you won't see me back at Rockfield for about three weeks! "I will just be on the session for a few weeks, it would be unbelievable.
"Winning the cup would be amazing for this city. "Everybody can see what the new owners and Eddie Howe has done already, they have unified the whole city again. "It's something that I haven't seen in my lifetime so it is a brand new experience, winning the cup would cap off an amazing 18 months.
"Win or lose on Sunday, it'll be a great day. "It's been a real achievement just to reach the Carabao Cup final so soon, we can be immensely proud so far.
"Look we haven't been to a cup final since 1999 - the year I was born. "So I've never seen the Toon in a final, this is just an amazing time to be a Newcastle fan.
"Hopefully, I will be able to gear up 1,500 or so Geordies who are sat there ready to watch the match. "It's all good and I'm just looking forward to it."
It was Kevin Keegan who said in the 90s that being in charge of Newcastle was like riding a huge "black and white tiger" and asked when he first became aware of the club's looming presence in the city, the Where's My Family Gone singer reflected: "I first started going to the matches as a kid with my fatha! "It would have been around 2007.
"I will never forget, getting on the bus and seeing all the Toon tops and scarves, then getting to the ground for the first time. "I was always mesmerised by how many people there were at the stadium.
"That was being a kid but those are the emotions that stick with you throughout your whole life. "I was at St James' Park when it was looking really dire (Ashley era) and we were constantly fighting relegation, there were still a shed load turning up. "But the atmosphere wasn't the same.
"Now when I go it is bouncing and it takes me to the time I first went to St James' Park before it got dire. "We get so much stick for saying it but the loyalty for sticking with the team that our fans have showed they deserve success.
"There's no team in England with support like we've got."
Newcastle feels like a city that's alive again with United succeeding on the field again, the music scene thriving with Sam Fender hoovering up awards left, right and centre and Cushin very much on the upward trajectory. Cushin reflected: "I hope the city is on the up again. "The football team is doing incredibly well and then on top of that Sam Fender has done immensely well and hopefully I'm on my way up too.
"It could be a good time for the city. "There's no reason why Newcastle can't be like Manchester in the 90s when we are watching the best football and producing the best music, why not?
"We've had the best nightlife for years anyway and the city is such a beautiful place, it all goes a long way."
During the 90s that Oasis put together a clutch of era-defining classics at the same Rockfield studios that Cushin is frequenting in his black and white shirt on a daily basis. His first album is eagerly anticipated and when asked if it would be like getting a first England cap, Cushin said: "That's it! "We're away doing our debut record.
"We have been at Rockfield where Oasis recorded (What's The Story) Morning Glory? and Bohemian Rhapsody was done.
"Some amazing and iconic records in the world were done here. "It was a really special place to go and record the first half of the album.
"It should be done by mid-March. "We are still working on release date, we are planning more gigs and touring Europe.
"It's definitely an exciting time. "But what more of a special way to finish recording a debut album than Newcastle winning the League Cup?
"It goes hand in hand and it's perfect timing. "The album will be finished potentially days after Newcastle win the cup."
Once the final is done and dusted, Cushin's new album will be dropping quickly in the aftermath, and at Rockfield he knows he is standing on the shoulder of giants said: "It's fitting really, you have two studios at Rockfield, the one where Oasis recorded and the one where Queen recorded.
"We have been recording in the Oasis. "The piano is still there and the wall which Noel Gallagher sat on and played Wonderwall, it's still there.
"Noel started a great deal of this by helping with the songs and helping get a record deal together. "It's quite fitting to be recording in the studio he recorded his album in."
Cushin will be playing to an excited audience at Domain with a fan park at Northumbria University but the event has now sold out.
Lead promoter for the event, Anthony Thompson, commented: "The city has been buzzing since the takeover, and it's been a pleasure to watch Newcastle go from strength to strength. "As Newcastle advanced further in the cup, we began toying with the idea of implementing a Fanzone.
"Now that we've made the final, we can finally put all of our plans into action and deliver a live music event / football screening that the entire city can be proud of.
"We're overjoyed to have hotly tipped Geordie Andrew Cushin and the hilarious Gavin Webster on board to keep us entertained. That's at least until the modern day entertainers take to the field in their first final since 1999! Howay the lads!"
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