Are these the North East's biggest Beyoncé fans?

Tickets went on sale at 9am today for the superstar’s Stadium of Light gig on June 28, but scores turned up last night to ensure they got the best views of the singer’s Wearside debut.

This morning’s sale followed an exclusive pre-sale for O2 priority customers, which has sold out its allocation.

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Haley Taylor, 31, and Natalie Tilt, 31, both from Thorney Close, were among the first in the queue, which was housed within the Carling and East stands of the stadium, protecting fans from the elements.

Haley said: “We tried to get some pre-sale tickets, but there were none left. We’ve never queued overnight for tickets for anyone before, but we’ve been fans of hers since Destiny’s Child, so we knew we had to come down and make sure we got our tickets.

“It will be the biggest gig they’ve ever had at the stadium.”

Though fans couldn’t get into the concourse until 5pm yesterday, some had arrived as early as 4.30am that morning.

Bede College pupil Stormie Whitfield, 18, and friend Brooke Watt, 18, from Downhill, waited at the stadium for a full 12 hours before the queue even began.

“We had four pairs of gloves on, layers, thermals, body warmers and sleeping bags,” said Brooke.

“There was no one here when we got here from 4.30am yesterday so we just waited around until we could queue.

“We were determined to get Golden Circle tickets. We’ve never seen her live before, it’s amazing she’s coming to Sunderland.”

There’s been huge hype around last week’s surprise gig announcement, which will see the Crazy in Love singer open the European leg of her Formation world tour in the city.

Mum-of-two Niki Strong, 42, and niece Levi Kell, 18, from Murton, joined the queue, which soon snaked through the concourse.

College student Levi said: “We’re huge Beyoncé fans, we can’t wait to hear her play Single Ladies. We’ve been to other gigs here, Take That and Rihanna, but we’re more excited about Beyoncé.”

Niki said: “We bought sleeping bags, food, a couple of chairs and plenty of coffee to keep us going.”

First in the queue was Lisa Wayne and partner Colin Wayne from Silksworth.

Lisa, 39, said: “We saw her performance at the SuperBowl and we’re hoping she’ll put on a performance like that.”

Sisters Samantha McCourt, 19, and Ashleigh McCourt, 22, from Southwick, say they’re expecting a high-octane performance from the multi-million selling artist.

Ashleigh said: “We’ve never queued for anyone before, but Beyoncé is more than worth it. She’s going to put on a real show.”

Steward Carlo Finlinson said: “Last time we had queues like this was for North East Live. But the vibe is always positive, they’re never any bother.”