Wednesday 5th March | Pop Recs, Sunderland | 1-5pm 

Are you a sole trader or business owner based in the Sunderland area? This amazing opportunity is open to all ages and experiences but is very limited capacity.

Bernard Butler is one of the most celebrated names in the UK music industry. As a songwriter, producer and guitarist he has received many accolades including chart success, BRIT Awards and the Mercury Prize. He also runs his own record label and studio space. 

In 1989 he formed Suede releasing the Mercury winning debut “Suede”. The era-defining “Dog Man Star” was followed by his collaboration with David McAlmont on the anthem ”Yes". Two solo albums on Creation yielded a Brit nomination before  producing seminal releases by The Libertines, Tricky, Black Kids, Kate Nash, James Morrison, Texas, Mark Eitzel, Paloma Faith and Duffy - spawning her Grammy and Brit Award winning debut Rockferry. He has played guitar for Pet Shop Boys, Bryan Ferry, Roy Orbison, Bert Jansch, The Libertines, Neneh Cherry, Robert Plant and Ben Watt. Butler is Patron to the Bert Jansch Foundation and Generator and lectures in songwriting for the Abbey Road Institute. In 2022 a  collaboration with Jessie Buckley "For All Our Days That Tear The Heart" resulted in the shortlist to the 2022 Mercury Prize. He is currently touring as a solo artist in support of his latest release “Good Grief” on his own 355 Recordings.

The session is part of Growth Lab Sunderland, a new event series designed to inspire and empower Sunderland-based business owners and leaders with ambition to grow. It is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and delivered by a unique consortium of delivery partners in Sunderland working together to stimulate entrepreneurial ambition across the city

During the session there will also be an opportunity to write and arrange music with the chart-topping industry professional.

Applications close on Wednesday 22nd February 2025.