Paul Heaton has left money behind the bars of five pubs ahead of his gig at the Mouth of Tyne Festival.
The 61-year-old singer was a member of the Beautiful South and the Housemartins. He will headline the event at Tynemouth Castle and Priory on Saturday and will be joined by a special guest.
Ahead of his performance, Paul has decided to help local residents during the cost of living crisis. He has left cash behind the bars of five pubs in Tynemouth so they can "have a drink on him".
The money has been left at The Cumberland Arms, The Turks Head, The Priory, Platform 2 and Barca.
The move was announced on social media. A message on his Facebook page said: "Tynemouth, we haven’t forgotten you!
"As a small amount of help during the cost of greed crisis, Paul is leaving some money behind the bar at a few local pubs near to Tynemouth Priory and Castle so that some of you can have a drink on him tomorrow (until the money runs out, or the bar runs dry!).
"The pubs involved will be The Cumberland Arms (17 Front St), The Turks Head (41 Font St), The Priory (Front St), Platform 2 (Platform 2, Tynemouth) and Barca (4 The Arcade)."
Paul pursued a solo career when the Beautiful South disbanded in 2007 and produced three albums.
In 2014, he released a collaboration with former Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott.
He has now recorded four more albums with her. Their most recent - N.K-Pop - was released in October last year.
It is not the first time Paul has performed at the Mouth of Tyne Festival. He previously took to the stage with Jacqui Abbott in 2018.
