Mint Newcastle

This Sunday marks the last of the free concerts in Bents Park in South Shields for 2022, as part of the South Tyneside Festival.

If you’re in the area do pop along. The events are well organised, with everything covered down to £3 deckchairs for hire; you get to bring your own food and drink if you wish, which makes it truly a free event, and they get some big names along – including Will Young for this year’s first gig. So what’s not to like?!

I’ve been to two so far and particularly enjoyed the last one, as the performances by The South (consisting of former members of The Beautiful South) followed by Ella Henderson were both fantastic. But I have to confess that possibly the highlight of the day for me was at The New Sundial pub opposite afterwards listening (and singing and dancing along to) a South Shields covers band called Rivelino.

Wow! What a fun, energetic, talented and entertaining bunch of musicians! They played for hours and everyone had an absolute blast, themselves included!

So, I’ll be back in Bents Park this Sunday – ostensibly for the headliners The Fizz and Shalimar, but principally to see Rivelino again – as this time they’ll be on the festival stage. I’m sure they’ll go down a storm. In fact I expect to see more than a few Rivelino T shirts in the crowd, as they appear to be local heroes – and justifiably so.

How they have got their hands on my spotify play list, including classics by the likes of Kings of Leon and Stereophonics, I don’t know. All I can say is that they have excellent taste in music, and they do more than justice to the songs that they play.

The lead singer is so charismatic that it’s impossible not to get caught up in the atmosphere. The rest of the band are equally great, and it’s so refreshing to see a young female drummer amongst them.

There’s going to be a great party going on in Bents Park this Sunday, starting at 1.45 when Rivelino step on stage, and I’m in. But is it too much to ask them to do a set at the The New Sundial afterwards too….?