Matadors in Sunderland

I grew up in a small town by the name of Seaham Harbour, on the north-east coast of England, about five miles south of Sunderland. As a young lad, the majority of my toy purchasing activities took place in Joseph's Toy Shop in Sunderland.

Joseph's was destroyed during WW2, when a bomb struck the nearby railway station, causing a train to smash through the front of the shop.  Fortunately, it was rebuilt, meaning that me and my dumb little friends could buy action figures.

Last Sunday, Matadors played a gig in Sunderland with Deep Sleep from the USA, The Down & Outs and Jimmy Islip, in celebration of all-round nice chap Dan Shannon's birthday. I love going back to Sunderland for any reason, even more so to play a gig there (I'd only ever done it twice).

Imagine my amazement on arrival at Plugged Inn, at number 29 Holmeside in Sunderland, when I realised that this was the very site of the aforementioned Joseph's Toy Shop! I was once separated from my mother in the very same building, probably as a result of my feverishly browsing the Technical Lego selection. Mam still fondly recalls discovering me sitting on the step outside the shop, crying my eyes out, pants drenched in urine.

Good times.

Here is a video clip of Matadors playing the track "Armley" in the window of Plugged Inn aka Joseph's Toy Shop...