Mike Waller Trenchers pianist and beloved fixture at Whitley Bay’s Spanish City Dome has died, with tributes flooding in from diners who built lasting memories around his music. Spanish City announced his passing on their Facebook page on Thursday, describing it as ‘a very heavy heart’ moment for everyone connected to the venue.
Mike was the resident pianist at Trenchers, the fish and chip restaurant inside the Spanish City Dome, where his playing became as much a part of the experience as the food itself. Guests arriving for lunch or an evening meal would find him at the keys, trademark striped jacket on, providing what Trenchers themselves called ‘the perfect lunchtime soundtrack’ just weeks before his death.
A career at the keys stretching back decades
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mike Waller worked as a pianist at The Grand Hotel, Tynemouth and the Spanish City Dome from April 1972 to October 2018, a span that covers nearly half a century of live music in North Tyneside. That is not a side gig; that is a vocation. Alongside his time at the piano, he worked as a schoolteacher at North Tyneside Council from September 1984 to April 2015.
The report describing him as a ‘retired music teacher’ fits squarely with that dual career: decades in front of both classrooms and dining rooms, shaping how people in this corner of the Northeast experienced music. Both roles left a mark.
Mike Waller Trenchers tribute from Spanish City
Spanish City did not hold back in their tribute. ‘Since we opened, Mike has been a much-loved part of Trenchers and the Dome, filling Spanish City with his music and bringing warmth and a little extra magic to so many evenings,’ they wrote. Their post continued: ‘We’re incredibly grateful for all the music, memories and happy moments he gave us over the years. He will be missed very, very much.’
The response from the public was immediate. One customer wrote: ‘We used to time our visits to hear him and bring family and friends to hear him when they visited.’ Another described how Mike’s playing had become woven into their family’s Christmas routine: ‘We loved hearing him play and my 2 little boys especially loved listening to him on Christmas Eve. His music became part of a little Christmas tradition for us.’
Those comments land because they are specific. People did not just enjoy Mike as background noise, they planned around him. They factored him into special occasions, into visits with relatives, into the kind of evenings that get talked about afterwards. That is a different level of impact from simply being good at what you do.
Trenchers and the Spanish City Dome
Trenchers’ Whitley Bay location has long been regarded as one of the most distinctive fish and chip restaurants in the region. Sitting inside the Spanish City Dome, the setting is hard to beat, and for years, Mike Waller’s piano playing was as central to the atmosphere as the architecture or the food. His death leaves a gap at the Dome that will be felt on every service.
Spanish City closed their tribute with a note that captured the feeling of everyone who knew him: ‘We know the music “up there” just got a little better, Mike.’ For the diners who planned their visits around hearing him play, that is exactly right. Mike Waller worked as a pianist at Spanish City Dome from April 1972 to October 2018, a run that speaks for itself. Whitley Bay is quieter for his absence.