4 July 2018

Stars from the hit American musical drama Nashville will take to the stage at this year’s SummerTyne Americana Festival at Sage Gateshead. UK actor and musician Sam Palladio plays Gunnar Scott in the award-winning series, which follows the lives and tragedies of rising and fading country music stars in Nashville. He will be joined on Stage One stage on Sunday 22 July at 7.30pm by his good friends Striking Matches, who have contributed no less than nine songs to the Nashville series, which sparked a ratings surge, not to mention huge critical acclaim for the fresh and exciting duo. Completing the Bluebird style line-up is bright young Nashville star Sarah Darling who co-wrote the song Anchor from her hugely well received Dream Country album with Sam Palladio and has also contributed songs to the series. This year’s Festival, which kicks off on Friday 20 July, will include a mix of legendary Americana heavyweights, cross-over artists and breakthrough talent from both sides of the Atlantic. Graham Nash, Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant, Steve Earle and Iris Dement are among the headliners. Tamsin Austin, Director of Performance Programme at Sage Gateshead, said: “Striking Matches are a dynamite live act and audiences have always loved seeing them at Sage Gateshead and will really enjoy the chance to see them again alongside Sam and Sarah Darling, who are all great friends. “Sarah Darling is a rising star with Sage and SummerTyne audiences and received a fantastic response from audiences when she supported The Shires in 2017 and at her own gig earlier this year.” Sam grew up in the southwest of England and got his acting and musical big break playing the role of soulful, country songwriter Gunnar in ABC drama Nashville, created by Academy award-winning writer Callie Kouri and executive music producers T Bone Burnett and Buddy Miller. Sam found himself immersed in the worlds of Americana, folk and country and was able to make music with some of the finest musicians and songwriters in the world. He had found the perfect platform for the dual career he always dreamed of. His other television and film credits include Channel 4’s ‘Humans’, BBC’s ‘Episodes’ with Matt Leblanc, ‘Runner Runner’ starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck and Lucasfilms’ animated musical ‘Strange Magic’. Sam’s blend of modern Americana is influenced by the folk and rock sounds of the 1960s and ‘70s and classic storytellers like James Taylor and Paul Simon. SummerTyne Americana Festival attracts visitors from across the world for a sizzling celebration of Americana music in and around the spectacular setting of Sage Gateshead, on the south bank of the river Tyne. SummerTyne is a must for all music fans, bringing together established and new artists from America, Australia and the UK. Visit www.summertyne.co.uk or call Ticket Office on +44191 443 4661.