Page 44 - 358264 LP231909 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (Issue 257)

Anyway, word got round that Tina Turner was doing a Best Of album and she wanted two new tracks for the album. Every conversation you were having in the song writing community they were telling you they were working on a Tina Turner song. Everybody wanted to get on that album. I wasn’t fussed to be honest. One Thursday night I’d been playing football and got a call from Ben. He said “What’s this about Tina Turner?”. I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. It turns out a song that we had written about
Martin from me”. If Tina Turner thinks something I wrote sounds like an Al Green track I’ll take that!”
How does Martin see the Sunderland music scene at the moment.
“I met with Matty (Vant) recently and
it’s been pretty tough for him. When
you’re signed to a major label it can feel claustrophobic, but the moment you’re out of it you realise how much you have to do for yourself. It’s tough. The music scene in Sunderland is really healthy though. I was up there for a special event and you had The Futureheads with Dave Brewis (Field Music) and all these artists just working with each other. Helping each other. When you look at Manchester, they have this music infrastructure which the North East has never had. That’s where a scene comes from and Sunderland seems to have that at the moment. I found out about We Make Culture which is an initiative in the city to get people involved in arts and music. That’s brilliant, I love it.”
Sunderland definitely seems to have a family vibe to it when it comes to the music scene, a vibe hopefully which can be resurrected in the post pandemic northern riviera. It’s a city which is passionate
about being together and representing the city and making things better, if only the football could reflect that.
“My favourite match was the FA Cup replay against Man City, I went with my mates Gordon and Gary who had an apprenticeship with Sunderland at the time.”
Martin was Gary Rowell’s classmate.
“I went through a period though where I just didn’t go to the matches much. I had a consultancy job with the Premier League for a bit and it was about improving the fan experience and taking feedback to clubs. In talking to those fans there’s loads who have taken a bit of time out
and then come back. For me it was when Len Ashurst was manager and then
the relegation. My favourite players for Sunderland were obviously Gary but also some unconventional ones. Tony Towers, does anybody even remember him? Kevin Arnott as well, Don Goodman. I had the
four years earlier and forgotten about
had been kept and it was going on to the album. Typical Brammer style, everyone else is grafting to get on that album and
I do absolutely nothing and get the track. After the run of disappointment things went in our favour. Tina Turner was doing the press interviews and a good friend of mine who was a music journalist asked her about the new track Open Arms. She said it was an old Al Green song. Alan asked
if she was sure because his mate Martin wrote it. She said, “Oh, in that case thank
44 ALOVESUPREME ISSUE257