EP22 | Sunderland Music City | Shipyards, Sounds and Scampi Fries | Local Heroes Podcast

In this episode of Local Heroes, Chris and Dan are joined by two of Sunderland’s most committed cultural champions, Frankie Francis (Frankie and The Heartstrings, SAFC matchday commentator) and Marty Longstaff (The Lake Poets), the duo driving the bold vision behind Sunderland Music City.

What begins as a deep dive into grassroots creativity and community-led regeneration soon rolls into the finer points of cable-coiling etiquette, reflections on life behind the mic at the Stadium of Light, and a passionate defence of cheese moments and scampi fries. There’s plenty of laughter, insight, and Wearside pride, including: Marty’s Greggs Roulette: a personal policy of never ordering the same thing twice which once landed him a peach Melba and salami crisps.

Frankie’s journey from indie frontman to the voice of SAFC, and how calling a Dan Ballard goal almost pushed him over the edge (in a good way). The birthday cake gift of Colin the Caterpillar’s arse, only to discover it was Kevin - the B&M brother. From repurposed shipping containers to a citywide cultural strategy, this episode is a love letter to a place that’s never tried to be trendy, and is all the better for it. Hit play. Bring snacks. Maybe check the label before biting the tail off your caterpillar cake.

People of Sunderland, turn up the volume, this one's for you.