The Futureheads - Christmas Family Show

The Futureheads are back at The Fire Station on Saturday 19 December, their Christmas family show returning to the venue as a matinee. It's a festive set of favourites, and since it's a family matinee, it's one you can bring the kids along to.

For those who only know them from the radio, it's worth remembering where they come from. The band formed here in Sunderland back in 2000, starting out in Barry's garage with Jaff on bass and vocals, Barry Hyde and Ross Millard on guitar, and Peter Brewis on drums. They spent 2001 touring squats and youth centres across Central Europe before Brewis was replaced by David Hyde. Their first single, Nul Book Standard, led to their self-titled debut on 679 Recordings in 2004, followed by The Second Album in 2005 and News and Tributes in 2006.

They eventually split with 679 in late 2006, citing frustration with the major-label system, and launched their own label, Nul Records. That led to This Is Not The World, recorded in 2007 with producer Youth at his Space Mountain studio in Andalusia. A hiatus followed their 2012 a cappella album Rant, and they returned in 2019 with new material and a promise to keep playing the older songs, including Decent Days And Nights and their UK top 10 cover of Kate Bush's Hounds Of Love.

The show is in the Auditorium at The Fire Station on High Street West, SR1 3HA. It starts at 14:00, with doors open from 13:30, so it's a proper afternoon thing rather than a late one. Tickets start from £19, with under-18s at £14.