American roots and country music will be adding to the vibe at Sunderland's new £18m attraction The Fire Station.
The cultural venue, whose £11m auditorium opened its doors in November, has announced an Americana strand to its music offering as part of its introductory Firestarters programme.
This will get under way at the end of January with Teddy Thompson - son of folk-rock pioneers Richard and Linda Thompson - and will follow up with such names as Grammy nominees Gregory Alan Isakov and country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman.
Read more: See inside The Fire Station
The Americana programme will feature music stars from both sides of the Atlantic, ranging from US hot jazz virtuosos The Hot Club of Cowtown to British country duo The Shires - Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes - who have become favourites in America too.
Tickets are on sale now for the concerts, part of the Firestarters season commissioned by Sunderland Music Arts and Culture Trust which aims to revitalise the city’s music scene.
Singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson, who has collaborated with the likes of Martha and Rufus Wainwright, will be the first to take to the Americana stage on January 20 where he will deliver a solo performance showcasing his latest album Heartbreaker Please.
Then on January 27 it will be the turn of The Shires followed by Gregory Alan Isakov on March 3; folk artist This Is The Kit on March 10 and The Hot Club of Cowtown on April 20.
Beth Nielsen Chapman - the Nashville-based star who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016 - will wrap up the Americana programme when she stops off in Sunderlan d from her All Around The World Tour on April 22.
And her fans will be in for a treat with a set which will include some of her biggest songwriting hits as well as tracks her latest album Hearts Of Glass.
For ticket details or more information about the six-month Firestarters season of live music, dance, comedy and theatre see here.
