XFACTOR winner James Arthur has been added to the line-up of the biggest pop show ever staged in the North East.

The North East Live event at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light will feature 10 of the country’s best-known pop acts, with Teesside-born James joining fellow North Easterners Amelia Lily and Little Mix on the bill.

Also playing will be JLS, The Wanted, Rita Ora, Lawson, Conor Maynard, Stooshe and Union J.

James said: “I’m really looking forward to North East Live, playing to such a big home crowd will be amazing.”

The singer-songwriter from Saltburn won the ninth series of The X factor in December. His debut single Impossible was released after the final and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, selling more than a million copies in its first week of release.

Tickets for North East Live went on sale yesterday, with the event already proving popular with music fans in the region.

Queues starting forming outside the Stadium of Light box office at around 4.30am and ticket hotlines and websites also experienced heavy early demand.

Sunderland AFC’s commercial director Gary Hutchinson said: “We’ve seen huge early demand for tickets, which is fantastic. Again and again the North East public prove that there’s a real appetite for live music in our region, which is fantastic.

“The family-friendly pricing and top-class line-up certainly makes this a not-to-be-missed show.”

North East Live is the third big concert at the Stadium of Light this summer, with American rock act Bon Jovi and R&B superstar Rihanna also playing.

The five-hour music extravaganza, designed to suit music fans of all ages, takes place on June 22. Tickets are priced from £25 to £65.

Tickets are on sale from www.aeglive. co.uk, www.axs.com, 0844 824 4824, www.seetickets.com, 0871 230 1097, www.ticketmaster.co.uk, 0844 477 5775 and the Stadium of Light ticket office.

Youngsters under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18 for the show. Disabled people are asked to call 0191 551 5004 or email ticket.office @safc.com to purchase tickets for the wheelchair platform.

Hospitality packages are also available on 0871 911 1555.

A total of 12 concerts have been held at the stadium since 2009, including big names such as Bruce Springsteen and Take That. They attracted audiences of around 650,000 and injected an estimated £42m into the local economy in increased hotel bookings and spending.