It’s hard to imagine the Sunderland music scene without The Bunker. Offering rooms to practice and record by day and putting on gigs by night, The Bunker has been located at 29 Stockton Road since 1981 and has been a major proponent of local music. And the Bunker Group 35 is a collective of OG Bunker members and punk rock fans who still put on gigs.
The year is 1980. It’s been seven years since SAFC won the FA Cup, Thatcherism is on the rise and Queen Elizabeth II is in the 28th year of her reign. The punk scene in the UK is as popular as ever, with rogue bands like Ramones and everyone wanting a Nancy to their Sid. Young punk musicians in Sunderland were broke, unemployed, and had zero resources to afford high-quality equipment to record. With the lack of space to even practise their tunes, it wasn’t really necessary.
A few young lads who played in punk bands came together to form the Sunderland Music Collective (SMC). In 1981 they were able to get a lease from the council at 60 Borough Road, Hendon (later moved to Green Terrace and eventually Stockton Road), and thus The Bunker came to life.
The first gig was played in September 1982, featuring exclusively local bands: Side Effects and Patrick’s. The local press was keen on spreading the word about a new collective and musical venue. Within a few months of hosting gigs, the community began to grow, with hundreds of people now getting involved.
It was a place of expression and a safe space for those who loved punk music and other genres, but never heard them live. The early years of The Bunker are associated with anarcho-punk ideals, which were held by these politically aware young musicians. One of the main “responsible adults” who helped The Bunker come to life was Andy Gibson, then a social worker. Andy was in charge of dealing with the bureaucracy of The Bunker like licenses, and then remained a prominent figure in the original scene until his death.
The Bunker 35 is currently made up of those who were involved in forming the Bunker over 40 years ago. They are determined to preserve the history of the Bunker and cultivate more young people to get involved in local music. Now a few years older, punks rockers Andy and Marnie Burden and Alan and Jill Christie are still as energetic and passionate as always, bringing their love for music and freedom to the table. Since founding the group in 2017, they have set up photo and video exhibitions, live gigs, and done a few interviews.
The local music scene was in many ways pioneered by the young artists at The Bunker. It continues to live on, and though many people may be lost along the rocky roads of life, the memories and history are preserved not just in the hearts of members but also in online photo archives and gigs. Setting up a live event after four decades allows so many to reminisce and travel back in time to gloomy Sunderland in a venue on Stockton Road.
Keep up with The Bunker 35 on Facebook!