Sunderland spray-can artist creates Taylor Swift mural at Wembley ahead of London concerts

A Sunderland artist's stunning mural of Taylor Swift has been installed at a prime Wembley location ahead of the superstar singer's London Eras Tour concerts.

Frank Styles - a well-known spray-can artist - has seen his portrait, transplanted from a Monkwearmouth garage to pride of place on the Spanish Steps in Wembley. The steps have temporarily been renamed the "Swiftie Steps" while the star is in residence.

The steps connect Wembley Stadium and the Wembley Arena and are now adorned by the astonishing artwork, named Auras. It was compiled digitally from more than 30 separate digital paintings.

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Below the steps is a second mural - Ready For It, painted by MurWalls & HUMOR - while there is also a "Taylor trail" set to launch in London to mark the record-breaking tour hitting the capital. Notable locations on the trail include the West End, Soho, Bond Street, Camden Market, Highgate, Hampstead Heath, Vauxhall, Shoreditch, Hackney, Brixton and Kentish Town.

Fans will be able to access the trail through QR codes at participating venues and on the Visit London website, which has created a guide to the many events taking place across the city including brunches, singalongs and quizzes.

Artist Frank Styles posted on Facebook saying: "What's happened is I've painted a picture of Taylor Swift on the side of a garage in Monkwearmouth and last night [Wednesday] it's been installed on the Spanish Steps at Wembley Stadium alongside several Swifty easter eggs to make a multi perspective anamorphic artwork going up the steps.

"Canny mad day I've been photographed with the Mayor of London. Unfortunately Taylor was busy, but I hope she likes the piece!"

Taylor Swift kicked off the UK leg of her mammoth, billion-dollar Eras Tour earlier this month at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh where she delivered three dazzling shows. She later took her show on the road to Liverpool, where she played three nights in a row at Anfield Stadium, followed by one date at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The tour, which takes fans on a journey through the different musical stages of her career, has been a juggernaut.

The 640,000 fans set to attend the Wembley shows are estimated to spend an average of £471 in London according to a report by the Greater London Authority.

The estimated £300 million total boost to London’s economy was calculated using data from UKInbound’s Tourism Statistics for 2018, which showed that each domestic and international tourist to the UK generated about £396 to the UK economy that year, with the individual spent figure then adjusted to bring it in line with inflation.