Christmas hit campaign for Lake Poets
A HIT documentary offering an inside glimpse into Sunderland AFC and its fanbase could spur a Wearside singer-songwriter to a Christmas number one.
Sunderland Till I Die premiered on Netflix last week and has caught the attention of football fans around the country.
Filmmakers Fulwell73 were granted exclusive access to the Black Cats’ turbulent season in the Championship and ultimate relegation to England’s third tier.
Their documentary has already earned critical acclaim for shining a light on the club, its fans and the Wearside community.
And the song that perfectly sets the tone for the series in its opening scene could rocket to number one in the charts.
Singer-songwriter Marty Longstaff – AKA Lake Poets – released Shipyard in 2015. But the track Marty wrote about his grandfather and native city has been given fresh attention since it soundtracked Sunderland Till I Die’s opening sequence.
Viewers were so impressed by Shipyards that they flocked to buy it online.
As of Sunday, Shipyards had climbed to forth in the iTunes chart. There is a campaign to encourage Black Cats fans and Sunderland Till I Die viewers to propel the track to Christmas number one.
On Sunday, Marty tweeted: “Easily one of the best days of my life. Huge thanks for all the love & lovely words about Shipyards. Chuffed you all love the Fulwell73 documentary. SunderlandAFC are by far the greatest team the world has ever seen & the people of the city are even better !!”
Marty has said the song is about his late grandfather, who worked in shipbuilding, and the values he shared with the city of Sunderland.
He said: “Shipyards is a song from my debut album (2015) I wrote about my late grandad who was a rivet catcher and later a crane driver at Austin & Pickersgill where he worked all his life. He was a lifelong Sunderland fan, and an all round lovely, hard-working, humble, kind and generous man.
“It’s sort of a letter to him, but also to the city and its industrial heritage. I was overwhelmed the song was chosen to be the theme to the documentary.
“The values my grandad had are ones I strive to maintain and I know many in the city do too. The club’s success is tied in with all those hopes and dreams also for many of us, we all just want to do our family, friends, and city proud.”
You can download Shipyards from iTunes.