So, Jan and I went along to the Monument Festival, which was in Herrington Park, just opposite the iconic Penshaw Monument, a landmark which sits high above Sunderland and is visible from all around the area.
The venue had hosted the Kubix! Festival the previous week which featured boy bands and was unfortunately on a very rainy evening, and the site was apparently very muddy. We were lucky in that the evening was dry, and the muddy ground had dried up. Winner!
The publicity told us: “Monument Festival is a brand-new music festival that replaces Kubix Rock! The same great day you know and love, just under a brand-new name giving it it’s own identity! A packed day of rock, indie and alternative music, and much more, is heading to Herrington Park……. With a host of brilliant bands and amazing artists, across two stages, this will be one of THE festivals of the Summer in the North East.”
We went along for the evening performance to see the Coral, Jake Bugg, and the Kooks. Unfortunately, for some reason (I think it may have been the mud from the previous week) the Kooks did not show up and we saw the Coral, Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape, and Jake Bugg, in that order. Still, it was an entertaining and interesting evening. The event had two stages, each in its own tent, and we were in the main stage for the evening.
First up was The Coral, a band I have seen several times; firstly, supporting The Who at the Royal Albert Hall, and then supporting Radiohead (I think) at Manchester Cricket Ground. They have some great songs all performed with a strong Liverpool twang. Songs I recognised included “Pass It On”, “In the Morning” and the final track “Dreaming of You”. All quite 60s oriented, yet with their own style. Lots of fun and a great starter for the evening.
The Coral Setlist: Bill McCai; Pass It On; Simon Diamond; Faceless Angel; Lover discovered; Watch You Disappear; People Are Strange; That’s Where She Belongs; Jacqueline; In the Morning; Holy Revelation; Dreaming of You
Next up was Shaun Ryder and Black Grape, the band that Shaun Ryder formed after the breakup of Happy Mondays. We were not familiar with any of their songs which sort of mash rap with Shaun’s inimitable style. Quite enjoyable for a first visit to the Black Grape world.
Black Grape Setlist: (something like) In the Name of the Father; Tramazi Parti; Nine Lives; Pimp Wars; Yeah Yeah Brother; Set the Grass on Fire; Reverend Black Grape; Dirt; A Big Day in the North; Milk; Kelly’s Heroes
Finally, the new headliner was none other than Jake Bugg, someone I have seen several times before; headlining at Newcastle Academy when he was a young and upcoming artist, supporting someone in Hyde Park (either The Rolling Stones or The Who) and a couple of other times.
He is a solo artist with a clutch of great songs, an acoustic guitar and the charisma and power to engage with any crowd, anywhere. My favourite song, and his best known, which came towards the end of the set is “Lightning Bolt”. Listen to it; it’s very catchy and an excellent singalong (which everyone did).
A very enjoyable evening, if not quite what was expected in terms of the lineup, in a local festival near a local landmark. Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site.
Jake Bug Setlist: (something like) Simple as This; Trouble Town; Messed Up Kids; Zombieland; Seen It All ; Broken; Taste It; All Kinds of People; Two Fingers; Lightning Bolt; What Doesn’t Kill You; Simple Pleasures; All I Need
Two bands that I have never seen before. However, on checking (on this blog) I discovered that I saw 
From the tour proportion material: “With the force of a Boston wrecking ball, EXTREME swing between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry. This dynamic affirms the iconic multiplatinum Beantown quartet—Gary Cherone (vocals), Nuno Bettencourt (guitar), Pat Badger (bass), and Kevin Figueiredo (drums) – as one of rock’s most unpredictable, undeniable, and unbreakable groups whose songs course through the very fabric of popular culture.“
“They’re the rare band whose music has appeared in an actual cult series a la Bill & Ted as well as the Netflix juggernaut “Stranger Things.” They’ve sold 10 million records, topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, packed major venues on multiple continents, memorably performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in London, and regularly average over 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, their dynamic approach hits harder than ever on their 2023 full-length offering, Six.”
Notwithstanding that excellent buildup of Extreme this was very much a double headliner concert. It is one of the very few occasions where I have seen the venue absolutely heaving for the “support act”. 
Extreme. This is exactly the most appropriate name for this band. Everything about them was extreme! Very loud. Hard rock. Amazing vocals. Excellent screaming screeching guitar solos. Again, like Living Colour, Extreme mash up a selection of styles: heavy rock, ballads, rap and funk. Anyone who went along expecting all their music to be in a similar vein to their best known track “More Than Words” would have got a great big shock. For that particular song the singer Gary Cherone and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt sat on small stools centre stage and had all the crowd singing along.
Much crowd cheering, first finger and little finger salutes, singing along and general craziness. This band were much, much better than I expected. I recognised a few songs particularly the aforementioned “More Than Words” and their other well-known track “Get the Funk Out”. This band wear their influences on their sleeve, playing segments of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “Fat Bottomed Girls”. “Cupid’s Dead” was preceded by a short segment of Johnny Nash’s “Cupid”. At the end Gary Cherone clambered up onto the balcony to shake hands with fans upstairs. Marvellous. Great fun.
Elaine really enjoyed it. I think I may be converting her to heavy metal. Jan also enjoyed the show. Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs, to Jan for accompanying us and Chris for manoeuvring the blog site.
Setlist: It (‘s a Monster); Decadence Dance; #REBEL; Rest in Peace; Hip Today; Teacher’s Pet / Flesh ‘n’ Blood / Wind Me Up / Kid Ego; We Will Rock You; Play With Me; Other Side of the Rainbow; Tragic Comic; Hole Hearted; Cupid’s Dead; Thicker than Blood; Hurricane; Midnight Express; Am I Ever Gonna Change; More Than Words; Fat Bottomed Girls / Banshee; Take Us Alive / That’s All Right; Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee; Get the Funk Out.
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