MUSIC • COMMUNITY • LEGACY
Dave Harper (1978 – 2021)
FOUNDER OF POP RECS
& PROFESSIONAL DRUMMER
Rewind to 2013. Sunderland indie band Frankie & The Heartstrings opened the first incarnation of Pop Recs on Fawcett Street, Sunderland in the old tourist information centre for a two week pop-up promotion of their second album, The Days Run Away.
The community response was overwhelming, so much so that it remained open morphing into an arts space and community hub. Part record shop, part coffee shop and part venue it would go on to host bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Vaccines, Edwyn Collins and The Cribs, as well as a home for various community groups from knitting group Stitch and Bitch to spoken word and poetry group King Ink.
When faced with closure in 2015, band members Dave Harper and Michael McKnight began a new chapter of Pop Recs moving to a smaller site on Stockton Road where they remained hosting gigs and serving lattes until they were approached in 2018 to relocate to the Grade II listed building, former site of Binns department store, on High Street West in the Sunniside quarter of the city. This was to be a massive undertaking.
The site was being transformed from a derelict shell by the Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust to create a purpose built venue and coffee shop. Dave and Michael were always aware of what Pop Recs meant to the community and worked hard to carry that vision forward despite many obstacles. Lockdown came and went leaving a gaping chasm in the hospitality sector but work carried on to complete the project.
Tragedy struck in August 2021 when Dave Harper sadly died just weeks before the new venue was to be opened. He left behind his wife Ruth and their young son Sonny. Dave was a big part of the community and there was no mistaking his caustic wit and big heart. He left a big hole in Sunderland, with tributes coming in from near and far, but his legacy lives on in Pop Recs.
The doors finally opened in October 2021 in tribute and memory of Dave Harper. Dan Shannon, friend of Dave Harper and founder of Midnight Pizza Crü picked up the reins along with Michael to help realise Dave’s vision.
Pop Recs continues Dave’s legacy and embodies the DIY creative culture of Sunderland bringing people together in an inclusive and safe space. As well as offering a 250 capacity venue for local and touring bands, it plays host to many community projects old and new … From the afore mentioned Stitch and Bitch and King Ink, to The Young Musicians Project, POP flix Community Cinema, Sunniside Nights, art and photography exhibitions, Bare life drawing classes, Lit & Phil, Cool for Cats, Burning Down the House, toddler groups, Washington Mind’s Young People’s Project and Teenage Market and many more.
Sonny’s Coffee and Kitchen (named after Dave’s son) adjoins the venue serving up damn fine coffee and a high quality menu ranging from house baked focaccia sarnies to Turkish eggs and delicious cakes. We’re really proud of it.
Tony Scott (Pop Recs patron) – June 2025
