Tyneside

Amongst a packed schedule across the US, Asia and Europe, with summer dates in the UK including headlining at the Isle of Wight Festival and Latitude, he'll be heading to Tyneside for one night in October for a gala performance at the Baltic to help raise more funds, with tickets at £10,000 a table.

His concept album turned musical, The Last Ship, was inspired by the Tyneside shipyards of his childhood.

He wants to sing more widely about the innovative spirit he sees in the North East, telling me: "Geordies are not strangers to innovation, the steam turbine and the locomotive were developed on Tyneside. Britain's success was largely built on these inventions."

The Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter grew up in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and tells me he is "very proud" of his Tyneside roots.

In 2023, North Tyneside Council honoured the cultural impact of his work and his connection to the region, granting him the Freedom of the Borough.