SRHS: Independent’s 18th Birthday ‘The Avengers’

INDEPENDENT LIVE PRESENTS

STOCKTON ROAD HIT SQUAD: THE AVENGERS

18 years of Independent on Holmeside will be celebrated on August 17th with a huge fundraising gig for Sunderland music institution The Bunker.

**Tickets are priced at £10 in advance with a limited number of pay as you feel tickets available, please only take one of these if you need one. You can secure one for free and then donate on the door. If you’re able to, feel free to pick a higher priced ticket to give an extra donation to our friends at The Bunker, 100% of ticket sale income is heading their way.**

Independent Sunderland is proud to celebrate its 18th birthday with a milestone gig in partnership with the city’s own musical fundraising troupe, Stockton Road Hit Squad. The supershow on Saturday August 17th features many of the region’s most exciting music makers paying tribute to their favourite rock and pop acts for a charitable cause.

Holmeside’s premier music venue Independent, and associated music promoter Independent Live, has been supporting grassroots music in the North East for almost two decades, bringing hundreds upon hundreds of bands and DJs from all over the world to the city.

At the heart of grassroots music in Sunderland is The Bunker: a rehearsal, recording, and performance space for artists, and a community support hub for growing performers and those in need.

The music project, championed by longtime Director Kenny Sanger, has a rich 40-year legacy in Sunderland’s music scene, hosting historic punk bands The Clash, The Toy Dolls, and Leatherface, with contemporary successes The Futureheads, Field Music, and The Lake Poets all calling The Bunker their home at one point or another. It is an institution in every sense of the word.

The Bunker’s self-proclaimed house band – Stockton Road Hit Squad – was born out of the supportive DIY music scene in Sunderland and the tight-knit community of artists nurtured by this local music hub. So far in 2024 the Hit Squad has raised and donated over £2,500 for local charities, solely through playing music.

With essential roof repairs estimated in the region of £30k, The Bunker needs support to secure the future of the region’s most historic music project. This fundraising effort is to ensure the next generation of music makers continue to benefit from this supportive and collaborative creative environment.

The landmark gig at Independent sees the infamous Stockton Road Hit Squad draft in support from the wider region’s most notorious live acts to assemble The Avengers. The lineup currently remains secret, but includes artists who recently topped the bill at Ouseburn’s Narc Fest and favourites from over the years at Independent, in addition to resident Hit Squad players.