NARC. #181 March 2022

ISSUE181

MARCH22

FREE

RELIABLYINFORMED

NORTH EAST WOMEN IN SOUL MUSIC THUNDERCAT KATE FOX TUSK NORTH PEGGY SEEGER

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PREVIEWS 4 HIGHLIGHTS Our pick of some of the best events in March

6 MARCH PREVIEWS ISSUE181

MARCH22

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RELIABLYINFORMED

32 NORTH EAST WOMEN IN SOUL MUSIC Hope Lynes speaks to those involved with new music collective NEWISM about the region’s neo-soul scene and the importance of supportive networks It only took 23 months, but Covid finally got me...nearly two years since I started washing my shopping in the driveway like a loon, I caught big bad Omicron this month. Thankfully, aside from a couple of afternoons in bed and some weird brain fog, I have escaped relatively unscathed. I’m still yet to regain my sense of taste rather irritatingly, and yes – I’ve heard all the jokes about my music taste, thank you.

In other news, February has seen the final bits of work completed by our lovely NARC. Academy participants, who have spent the last six months learning the ins and outs of independent journalism and broadcast from our talented team. It’s been an absolute joy watching Lizzie Lovejoy, Jake Anderson, Evie Lake and Hope Lynes further their skills and begin their careers and we’re really proud to have played even a small part in that. Thankfully, they’re sticking around to continue to contribute to the magazine, and we’ll be premiering a series of short documentaries they’ve created later this year. More info on that soon!

Aside from coughing and spluttering, this month I’ve also been busy putting together a digital brochure (think of it as a mini-NARC.!) for multi-venue festival Stockton Calling, which kicks off on Saturday 16th April. It’s one of my favourite events, not least because NARC. runs the Green Room stage, but also because it’s reliably chock full of amazing bands and artists, and this year’s line-up is truly exceptional. Dig around online for the lovingly created brochure (and grab yourselves a ticket, of course!). More in-depth info to come next month.

Gigs aplenty courtesy of NXTGN, This is the Kit, The Chats, Orlando Weeks, Fatherson, Club Paradise, Supersuckers and loads more; plus comedy from Bobby Mair, Reginald D Hunter and Felt Nowt’s Tyne To Stand Up showcase of female comedians; theatre courtesy of Red Ellen, Black Is The Color Of My Voice, Overflow, Wor Bella and Eng-er-land; arty diversions at National Glass Centre, Auckland Project and more

INTERVIEWS 25 HERSTORY 26 KATE FOX 27 THUNDERCAT 28 TYNE VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL 29 NORTHERN TAPE SERIES 31 ONE MILLION MOTORS 34 ELEVATOR FESTIVAL 35 TUSK NORTH 37 LOST VOICE GUY 38 BUBAMARA 39 LUCY FARRELL 40 40 WOMEN & GIRLS 43 DANA GAVANSKI 44 WE ARE THE MONSTERS 45 PEGGY SEEGER 46 EMERGE + SEE 48 ONLOOKER 49 BBC RADIO 3 AFTER DARK FESTIVAL LISTINGS 50 LISTINGS The best of the rest…

Editor Claire Dupree info@narcmedia.com Website David Saunders narcmagazineonline@gmail.com Creative El Roboto Advertising Claire Dupree info@narcmedia.com Stay social, connect with us NARC.magazine @narc_magazine @narcmagazine NARCmagazineTV

Cover Image Amelia Read Live Photography Iam Burn / Thomas Jackson Contributors Jake Anderson / Tom Astley / Paul Broadhead / Paul Brown / Mark Corcoran-Lettice / Laura Doyle / Lee Fisher / Lee Hammond / Françoise Harvey / James Hattersley / Eugenie Johnson / Evie Lake / Lizzie Lovejoy / Ben Lowes-Smith / Jamie Lunnon / Hope Lynes / Jay Moussa-Mann / Kate Murphy / Robert Nichols / Evie Nicholson / Michael O’Neill / Ikenna Offor / Sara Jane Perovic / Helen Redfern / Damian Robinson / Elodie A Roy / Mera Royle / Dominic Stephenson / Adelle Sutheran / Luke Waller / Robin Webb / Ali Welford / Maria Winter / Cameron Wright

VISIT US ONLINE WWW.NARCMAGAZINE.COM NARC. Magazine, Tel: 07748 907 914 Email: info@narcmedia.com Web: www.narcmagazine.com Published monthly by NARC. Media. Printed by Reach Printing Services, Middlesbrough. Distributed by CSGN All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publishers. The opinions expressed in NARC. belong to the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of NARC. or its staff. NARC. welcomes ideas and contributions but can assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations

REVIEWS 53 LIVE REVIEWS Reports from Caribou, Richard Dawson, Heal & Harrow, IDLES, The Bug Club, Grove, deathcrash, Lyras and loads more

56 TRACKS Reviews of releases by North East artists including Salsola, The Doubtful Bottle, Aces & Sinners, Jack Fox, Sam Nix, Tia Leoni, Jack Mylchreest, Ruth Lyon, Frankie Archer and more

58 DEMOS Featuring Tristan Lott, Gone Tomorrow, ModelCat, Mishka Mistry and Twayn

59 ALBUMS New releases from Jenny Hval, Swami John Reis, Freakons, Pictish Trail, Placebo, Bodega, Midlake, Camp Cope, Houseplants, a-tota-so and more

62 MIXTAPE Luke Scott from Sound Inc talks about some of his favourite tunes

Next Issue Out 30th March

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PREVIEWS THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A COLOURFUL BLEND OF HEAVY ROCK, SACCHARIN POP AND WEIRD AND WONDERFUL SOUNDS, PLUS CHORTLESOME COMEDY, HARD-HITTING THEATRE AND THOUGHTPROVOKING ART. ENJOY!

MUSIC

ART & LIT

FRIDAY 4 IMPERIAL WAX

Marmalade

UNTIL 8 APRIL THROUGH TIME WE TUMBLE BUT TALES REMAIN This new exhibition by Dianne Bowell focuses on the mythic, folkloric and fantastic, with works calling to mind imaginary childhoods laced with magic, languorous and sensual retellings of familiar tales such as Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and images that have a fascinating and familiar feel, resulting in a visually joyous exhibition.

Python Gallery, Middlesbrough www.pythongallery.co.uk

MUSIC

FRIDAY 4 UNITY FESTIVAL

A free weekend of live music, performance, exhibitions, stories and workshops hosted by Skimstone Arts. Expect music from Kurdish composer Rzgar Hama Rauf, West African band Asasaa Ensemble plus loads more entertainment across the Ouseburn Valley, Byker and Ballast Hills Park. Until Sunday 6th March.

Various Venues, Newcastle www.skimstone.org.uk

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COMEDY

Expressive garage rock and post-punk from the surviving members of the last (and longest) running iteration of The Fall. The band also perform at Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough on Saturday 5th March.

Support comes from experimental new wave band The Symptoms in North Shields and Klammer, Pellethead and Cazimi in Middlesbrough.

The Engine Room, North Shields www.imperialwax.co.uk

STAGE

MONDAY 7 NATHAN CATON

Praised as a confident and charismatic comedian, Nathan Caton’s laid back show, Let’s Talk About Vex, covers topics as diverse as race, politics, his passion for scented candles and the trials and tribulations of spending lockdown with his girlfriend.

The Stand, Newcastle www.thestand.co.uk

ART & LIT

Loch Na Keal, Isle of Mull with Sea Eagle Coming Over. 2021, Oil on board

SATURDAY 5

FRIDAY 11

KATTAM KATTI

PAUL HENERY Northumberland-based artist Paul

Inspired by the Indian Uttarayan kite festival, Pagrav Dance bring all the fun, energy, creativity and colour of the world famous event to life. Four dancers interact with four musicians, playing a specially written score, depicting dramatic tales of the lows, loves and losses of the joyous and competitive festival.

Dance City, Newcastle www.dancecity.co.uk

Henery’s work focuses on the landscape and wildlife of the Wild North, using painting to communicate a depth of feeling and concern about our natural world, exploring themes including biodiversity, sustainability, the climate crisis and Northern landscapes and conservation. Runs until Saturday 23rd April.

Gallagher & Turner, Newcastle www.gallagherandturner.co.uk

WHATS ON

MARCH HIGHLIGHTS STAGE

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KNOT

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

LABYRINTHINE OCEANS

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FRIDAY 11 In this one-act comedy, usually quiet couple Jack and Jill throw a party, but their lives are changed forever. As we emerge from a period when some of us have spent too much time with the ones we love, Knot asks what happens when the world opens up. Also on Saturday 12th March.

The Exchange, North Shields www.attheexchange.info

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SATURDAY 12

SATURDAY 19 Melodic country pop meets lo-fi DIY indie as South Shields’ District Attorney perform their first show for two years. Expect catchy and melodic sounds, including their brand new single Mountaineer, a subtle yet grandiose pleasure. Support comes from atmospheric artist Kristos Kabiotis and lush songwriter This Little Bird.

The Ship Isis, Sunderland www.facebook.com/districtattorneyband

FRIDAY 25

BBC RADIO 3 NEW MUSIC SUGAR ROULETTE SHOWCASE Brand new Middlesbrough/Saltburn-based A late night gig of cutting-edge avant-garde music and sound art by leading artists in the North East, including Alison Cotton, Contrazontal, Graeme Hopper and David de la Haye, curated by Radio 3’s New Music Show and broadcast live from The Fire Station.

The Fire Station, Sunderland www.thefirestation.org.uk

MUSIC

quartet Sugar Roulette celebrate the release of their debut single Tranquillity Lane, which is a tuneful indie-flavoured slice of escapist pop.

The rest of the band’s output takes in aggressive rock and punky vibes, making for a nicely varied live show.

Base Camp, Middlesbrough www.facebook.com/sugarroulette

COMEDY

FRIDAY 25 DUNCAN OAKLEY

SATURDAY 26 We Make Culture’s Young Musician’s Project have become a proper hit factory of late, introducing highly accomplished songwriters and musicians to the Sunderland scene.

Labyrinthine Oceans were formed at YMP and their grungy sound is laced with funk-driven, dreamy rock ‘n’ roll. They’re supported by local teen indie rock trio Violet.

The Bunker, Sunderland www.facebook.com/labyrinthineoceans

SUNDAY 27 ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM

Boasting accolades as enticing as a Mercury Prize-nominated album, album of the year honours aplenty, not to mention being called the “eighth greatest female musician of all time” by Prog magazine, Rosalie Cunningham’s delightful blend of classic psych rock, prog and folk is distilled in her brand new album, Two Piece Puzzle, released in February.

The Georgian Theatre, Stockton www.rosaliecunningham.com

STAGE

The art school dropout and songwriter brings his infectious mix of musical comedy and stand-up to Bishop Auckland. Renowned for having an eye and ear for the silly, rude and downright irritating occurrences of life, his show is marvellously musical and rib-ticklingly hilarious. Support comes from Kate McCabe and Brennan Reece.

Bishop Auckland Town Hall www.hilaritybites.co.uk

FRIDAY 18 CARO Kicking off their brand new music

showcase club night Circuit, Independent present Leeds-based alt. rock trio Caro, who have drawn comparisons with the likes of Morrissey, PJ Harvey and, er, Alan Bennett. Support comes from Sunderland’s finest pop rockers Post Rome, whose recent single Mr. Memory Man is a thrilling slab of catchy rock.

Independent, Sunderland www.carotheband.com

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FRIDAY 25 PAINTING LINES

This rock weekender (also taking place on Saturday 26th March) is raising money for the family of music lover Jo Dodd, a stalwart of the Newcastle music scene who sadly passed away in February. Performers over the weekend will include LoGoz, Midnight Chic, Tired of Fighting, Nomad Anthem, James Hattersley (One Million Motors) and Michael Jax (Death to Indie).

Little Buildings, Newcastle www.facebook.com/paintinglinesfestival

TUESDAY 29 GERRY & SEWELL

A unique adaptation of Jonathan Tulloch’s novel The Season Ticket, physically strong Gerry and small and crafty Sewell are broke, playing truant and in love with Newcastle United.

Expect puppetry, live music and a pure belter tale of epic proportions.

Runs until Sunday 10th April.

Laurel’s, Whitley Bay www.laurelswhitley.co.uk

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PREVIEWS

MUSIC

ANDY BELL SPACE STATION @ POP RECS LTD.

Words: Michael O’Neill Where do you start with a musician with as unique a track record as Andy Bell’s? Here’s a brief overview: in the early 90s he co-helmed Ride, one of the almighty titans of shoegaze, whose essential LPs Nowhere and Going Blank

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Again perfectly melded sugar-coated melodies and jaw-droppingly innovative sonics, and (much like contemporaries My Bloody Valentine and Lush) pushed the boundaries of possibility for guitar music. When Ride grounded to a halt, he then jumped ship to play bass in a Mancunian outfit you may be familiar with (clue: the one with the brothers).

With all this stadium-ready cacophony in mind, it’s safe to say that Andy Bell Space Station is an altogether different proposition. Inspired by a lockdown residency performing lo-fi solo sets (fittingly, at a coffee shop with the same name), Space Station finds Andy taking the backing tracks from his various musical worlds,

deconstructing them and using the power of improvisation to take them to bold new frontiers. He likens the experience to being somewhat like a “DJ set with live guitar”, and in the phenomenal new iteration of Sunderland’s almighty Pop Recs Ltd., his gig on Thursday 3rd March going to be one hell of a unique experience.

Support on the night comes from fast-rising young indie rock artist Tom A Smith.

Andy Bell Space Station and Tom A Smith play Pop Recs Ltd., Sunderland on Thursday 3rd March. www.andybell.bandcamp.com

PREVIEWS

OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS

Overflow by Tom Andrew

STAGE

ALEXANDER WHITLEY: OVERFLOW @ DANCE CITY

Words: Jamie Lunnon In a world in which human motions and behaviour are the most valuable raw material for the modern economy, what happens to our sense of identity and humanity? Digital creator Alexander Whitley addresses this question at Newcastle’s Dance City on Saturday 26th March in his audio-visual dance exhibition on the rapid development of data flows.

The profit-driven data-logging of our physical forms by big tech companies is transforming the flesh and pulse of our bodily movements into algorithms and data flows. Whitley looks to capture this transformation via sound, light, costume and dance.

Using facial recognition, Ana Rajcevic creates personalised skull-like masks for the dancers in a ‘creepy and cool’ representation of the digitalisation of human features. The blending of human and digital is also explored by the Children of the Light, whose kinetic light installation sways with the dancers “like another character added to the scene”.

Whilst dystopian, Whitley’s choreography is future-looking, not negationist or paranoid: “although there are negatives, there is still

potential for good”. Whitley aims to keep the creative space open-ended, exploring the tension between what is lost and gained by digital development. Dance is an elusive, fluid medium suitably representing the cryptic undercurrents of big data collection and its unknown yet profound implications on our minds and bodies.

This exhibition is relevant post Covid-19 and looking forward to an empty, waiting ‘metaverse’ and Whitley promises to dramatize this space of uncertainty and opportunity with skill and originality.

Alexander Whitley: Overflow is at Dance City, Newcastle on Saturday 26th March. www.alexanderwhitley.com

Here for Gigs March Highlights Friday 4 March Emma-Jean Thackray plus Maria Chiara Argiro Sage Two Friday 18 March Binker Golding Quintet Sage Two Thursday 24 March Callaghan Sage Two Friday 25 March Rachel McShane & The Cartographers Sage Two

Saturday 26 March Gretchen Peters Sage Two Sunday 27 March From The Glasshouse #4 Piano Day Special feat Simeon Walker, Benjamin Fitzgerald and IMOGEN Sage Two Friday 1 April Ulrich Schnauss plus support Richard Norris Sage Two

Head to sagegateshead.com/whatson for our full gig listings. @Sage_Gateshead

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PREVIEWS

MUSIC

THE CHATS @ BOILER SHOP

Words: Hope Lynes The Chats bring their outrageously hilarious pub rock to Newcastle’s Boiler Shop on Saturday 25th March. The Aussie punks’ tunes are simple yet addictive, and to some degree incredibly hard to explain. Expect lyrics about getting the clap, going for pub grub and taking your ‘smoko’ break on the graft. The humour is working class, full of Australian slang and unapologetically fun, creating a listening experience which veers between creative genius and easy-going rock ‘n’ roll.

The trio, who notoriously “love beer”, formed in a bong shed, and describe themselves as pioneering the ‘shed rock’ genre. They don’t hold back with their unruly style, and they’re supported at the Newcastle show by fellow rebellious rockers Chubby And The Gang, who beautifully blend modern punk with preppy pop beats. Perth rock band Dennis Cometti also support, an Aussie trio whose style is punky and DIY. This event has been rescheduled a couple of

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times, with many gig goers having held tickets since 2020 to watch the band tour their High Risk Behaviour album, which debuted in March 2020. Following recent sell-outs in other UK cities, act fast to experience a Saturday night of exciting and entertaining Aussie punk.

The Chats, Chubby And The Gang and Dennis Cometti play Boiler Shop, Newcastle on Saturday 25th March. www.thechatslovebeer.com

COMEDY

BOBBY MAIR @ THE FORUM NORTHALLERTON/THE WITHAM

Words: Eugenie Johnson Did you know that the ancestors of cockroaches date from about 300-350 million years ago? No? Well, that’s not important right now anyway. What is important is the fact that London-based Canadian comedian Bobby Mair has a brand new show and it just so

The Chats by Matt Walter happens to be called Cockroach. You might know Mair from his appearances on Netflix’s Feel Good and as host of reality-horror show Killer Camp, as well as his numerous appearances on shows like Guessable, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (where he battled to be most profitable against fellow comedian Jamali Maddix).

Mair visited The Witham in the summer of 2021 as part of a work-in-progress day and he’s now returning to the North East with shows at The Forum in Northallerton on Friday 11th and at The Witham on Saturday 12th March, courtesy of promoters Funny Way To Be. Cockroach is described as “dark, gut-wrenching stand-up” and promises to continue to show off how Mair is unafraid to delve into the risqué; in the past he has frequently performed sets that definitely aren’t for the faint-hearted. Yet he manages to pull it off as a lovable rogue, pulling the audience in with his wit and charm. So, will Cockroach actually contain jokes about cockroaches?

You’d have to go to find out. But it will contain laughs. A lot of them.

Bobby Mair is at The Forum, Northallerton on Friday 11th and The Witham, Barnard Castle on Saturday 12th March. www.bobbymair.net

PREVIEWS

Image by Will Gorman

MUSIC

CLUB PARADISE @ INDEPENDENT

Words: Jake Anderson Ask anyone in Tyne & Wear who the most exciting artists currently are, and (aside from the ubiquitous Sam Fender) not far from the top will be North Shields’ Club Paradise. Also close to the top of my uncited, imaginary list will be Sunderland’s Plastic Glass and Newcastle’s The

Timewasters...so imagine the sheer thrill of seeing all three artists on one line-up, at Sunderland’s Independent on Friday 25th March!

Club Paradise are known for their infectious indie rock bangers, which flex a clear influence from glam rock on tracks like the boisterous Teenagers and their newest single Friends Online. The band played at Independent during their Waves Festival last November, and they clearly made quite an impression. Plastic Glass are an Independent staple; their indie rock brings in an almost punk influence, with brash tracks such as Come Clean and the anthemic

spring/summer season 2022 KATTAM KATTI PAGRAV DANCE COMPANY

HOLI FESTIVAL OF COLOURS

Dance City - 7:30pm

Join GemArts for Holi Festival of Colours, hosted in partnership with BALTIC. Celebrate colour and the Holi tradition through artist workshops, Henna stations, dance, music and food.

Taking place throughout the building, you can enjoy exhibition tours and join contemporary artists exploring rangoli. The artists will create a large-scale, evolving rangoli and you are invited to make your own rangoli to take home.

The event will culminate in a colourful explosion, where you can throw colourful pigment and celebrate the oncoming of spring

Saturday 5th March

Kattam Katti (meaning Cutting Through in English) is an exquisite piece of modern dance theatre rooted in the Indian Kathak dance tradition. The show transports its audience to Uttarayan, the worldfamous kite festival that takes place in Gujarat, North India. Tales of competition, danger, excitement and unity are vividly brought to life in a joyous, colourful and uplifting performance.

Tickets: £13.50, £8.00 students, £11.00 concession dancecity.co.uk

Saturday 19th March BALTIC - 12-4pm

Tickets: FREE, no booking required

Let Me Know – songs that you and the rest of the crowd will be shouting along to.

The Timewasters, meanwhile, feature grunge-inspired guitar riffs, with an emphasis on storytelling lyrics, such as the politicallyfuelled Dear My Government and the sombre California, which come complete with alternative rock soundscapes.

Club Paradise, Plastic Glass and The Timewasters play Independent, Sunderland on Friday 25th March. www.thisisclubparadise.com

RIVERSIDE RAGAS: RIVERSIDE RAGAS: DIVERGENCE ROOPA PANESAR Friday 29th April AND SHAHBAZ Sage Gateshead - 8pm HUSSAIN Exploring South Asian classical music in change, progress, transition and influence with a bold diversity of ideas, approaches and experiences.

A Double Bill featuring: Giuliano Modarelli (guitar) and Kitha Balakirishnan (violin) Tickets: £6 - £12 plus concessions sagegateshead.com or call 0191 443 4661

ARUN GHOSH

Saturday 30th April The Globe - 8pm

Saturday 21st May

Sage Gateshead - 8pm Considered one of Europe’s finest Sitarists, Roopa Panesar has been performing and touring internationally for over a decade receiving accolades from audiences and peers alike for her outstanding ability and quality of music.

Accompanied by Shahbaz Hussain, a thrilling and versatile player, regarded as the leading tabla virtuoso of his generation.

Tickets: £6 - £12 plus concessions sagegateshead.com or call 0191 443 4661

Award-winning clarinettist Arun Ghosh returns to Newcastle, performing music from brand new album Seclused in Light, and celebrating UNESCO International Jazz Day. Tickets for venue: £15.00 advance | Tickets for livestream: £7.50, £15.00, £20.00 theglobenewcastle.bar

www.gemarts.org

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PREVIEWS

Florence Odumosu by Peter Dibdin

STAGE

BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY VOICE @ CUSTOMS HOUSE Words: Helen Redfern Most of us will know of Nina Simone as the remarkable American jazz singer who brought us I Put A Spell On You, Feeling Good and numerous other hits. She was a superstar diva of her time. Written and directed by Apphia Campbell, Black Is The Color Of My Voice, is

inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and the production returns to the region on Thursday 10th March at The Customs House in South Shields.

Having written Black Is The Color Of My Voice in 2013, Apphia Campbell is now touring her critically acclaimed play, direct from rave reviews and sell-out performances in Shanghai, New York, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the West End. The production takes place in a hotel room.

Nina Simone, played by Florence Odumosu, is alone, contemplating her life following the untimely death of her father. She’s seeking redemption as she reflects on her journey from

her childhood as a young piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church through to becoming a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.

Featuring many of her most iconic songs are performed live, the show explores all the love, joy, tragedy and racism Nina experiences along the way. She’s a survivor, she’s had to be: determined, courageous, vulnerable, ultimately human.

Black Is The Color Of My Voice is at Customs House, South Shields on Thursday 10th March. www.customshouse.co.uk

with special guests

BOILER SHOP, NEWCASTLE B O I L E R S H O P . N E T A

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PREVIEWS

BC Camplight by Elyssa Iona

MUSIC

BC CAMPLIGHT @ THE CLUNY

Words: Mera Royle Looking after our mental health is so important in turbulent times, which we’ve all experienced our fair share of over the last couple years. Someone who knows all too well about life’s hardships is talented Philadelphia-born, Manchester-based, musician BC Camplight, who uses his music to express his tribulations; and he’s certainly not a guy who’s had it easy. His life has been shaped by experiences of loss and personal struggles, and he was even deported from the UK in 2015, estranged from his home, girlfriend and dog. But he possesses the extraordinary ability to turn these difficult times and dark emotions into stunningly beautiful, riveting and somewhat comical musical works.

His show at The Cluny on Wednesday 23rd March is set to support his 2020 album, Shortly After Takeoff, which he wrote in response to his experience of deportation and the loss of his dad shortly after. The album demonstrates eclectic inspirations and is defined by disorienting rhythms, hushed vocals and beautiful harmonies, which share with the listener this deep, dark time in his life. As BC Camplight himself says: “It’s important to stress that this isn’t a redemption story. I’m a guy who maybe lives a little hard and I’m in the thick of some heavy stuff. But as a result, I think I’ve made my best record.”

Joining him at The Cluny will be drummer Adam Dawson and guitarist Francesca Pidgeon (who some might know in her art rock guise as Dilettante) and who also feature on the album.

BC Camplight performs at The Cluny, Newcastle on Wednesday 23rd March. www.bccamplight.co.uk

COMEDY

PAUL CURRIE @ THE STAND

Words: Helen Redfern Mental health is not talked about enough and not talked about properly. In the world, in society, and certainly not in comedy. That’s the baseline for comedian Paul Currie who has suffered from mental health issues from the age of five.

The sister show to his 2021 Edinburgh Fringe sell out show, Paul Currie’s latest work in progress, The Chorus Of Ghosts Living In My Skull Keep Telling Me To Take A Shit In The Fruit Salad, heads to Newcastle’s Stand on Thursday 3rd March and dives right into depression, anxiety and intrusive thoughts – and the inner musical workings of the average ironing board. It’s far from mainstream, definitely absurdist. It’s Paul Currie’s way of confronting the issues he has faced throughout his life through the medium of clowning and comedy.

He’s open about his struggles and the many nervous breakdowns he has gone through, because he desperately wants to smash the stigma around mental health (or at least crack it!) in this totally random one person comedy show.

Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of laughs.

Mental health is a serious subject, yes, but not in the hands of Mr Paul Currie, whose stand-up show contains just the right blend of the ridiculous, the inspiring and the hilarious.

He may well move you to tears.

Paul Currie is at The Stand, Newcastle on Thursday 3rd March. www.mrpaulcurrie.com

STAGE

ENG-ER-LAND @ BASE CAMP/LAUREL’S

Words: Robert Nichols What promises to be an exhilarating and extremely current new play exploring the connection between football and national identity visits the region this month. Written and performed by Hannah Kumari, ENG-ER-LAND blends storytelling, dance and music with 90s nostalgia and tackles head on themes of racism, identity politics, lad culture and working-class masculinity, with productions at Middlesbrough’s Base Camp (Friday 4th-Saturday 5th) and Laurel’s Whitley Bay (Saturday 5th-Sunday 6th March).

Hannah’s very personal story follows her own experience of racism as a football fan and her struggles to be accepted into a historically white, male, working class world. Hannah says: “I wrote ENG-ER-LAND in June 2020 in the wake of the BLM protests and seeing supposed football fans acting in a very aggressive and anti-social way. It made me sad and angry that we are still in this position, and I felt compelled to reflect on my own experiences at football matches as a mixed raced teenager growing up in the 90s, and now as a woman. The play is also an exploration of my mixed-race identity, and the idea of Englishness – what does it mean to be English and who gets to define that? I wanted to write a play that was fun and uplifting, whilst also confronting big issues.”

ENG-ER-LAND is performed at Base Camp, Middlesbrough on Friday 4th-Saturday 5th and Laurel’s Whitley Bay on Saturday 5th-Sunday 6th March. www.wolab.co.uk/eng-er-land

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PREVIEWS

Villagers by Rich Gilligan

STAGE

SPEAKEASY @ DANCE CITY

Words: Eugenie Johnson In the classic German tale, Faust makes a pact with the devil after becoming dissatisfied with his life, trading in his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The legend has been the basis for numerous works of art and performance, undergoing countless reinterpretations since it first appeared half a millennium ago. Southpaw Dance Company have also taken on the task of re-framing the classic, transporting the story to the Roaring Twenties.

In Speakeasy, which comes to Dance City in Newcastle on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th March, they invite the audience into what initially seems like a normal prohibition-era bar.

Except this bar just happens to be owned by the devil and Mephistopheles recast as a charming barman. The old and new are consistently juxtaposed throughout, with big band favourites like Count Basie sitting alongside Clint Mansell on the soundtrack, while some of the UK’s best Bboys combine their breakdancing flair with segments of the Charleston and the Lindyhop. Acclaimed digital creator Frieder Weiss and Matthias Härtlig also help bring the show to life, using stereoscopic cameras and interactive programming language to create the illusion of performers appearing as shadowy demons or allow them to dance through fiery rain. If you think you’ve seen every version of Faust, Southpaw’s spectacle might just change your mind.

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Southpaw Dance Company present Speakeasy at Dance City, Newcastle on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th March, and later returning to the region at The Fire Station, Sunderland on Friday 8th April. www.southpawdancecompany.co.uk

MUSIC

VILLAGERS @ WYLAM BREWERY

Words: Maria Winter Conor O’Brien and his band of Villagers prepare to present their thought-provoking arrangements at Wylam Brewery in Newcastle on Sunday 6th March.

Having released their fifth album Fever Dreams in 2021 to much acclaim, Conor explains he saw the album’s production as a way of bringing the real and surreal together. The value and necessity of human connection is at the heart of the album, and is explored through dream-like melodies and expressive lyricism to create an aura of tranquillity.

Fever Dreams reached the Top 20 in the UK Charts, garnering praise from across the board, with The Sunday Times Culture describing the album as “A thing of beauty”, which goes some way to representing both the album’s intention and execution. Villagers are known for their atmospheric creation of serenity and mystery, and Fever Dreams successfully encapsulates just that, with added elements of virtuosity and surprise.

Villagers play Wylam Brewery, Newcastle on Sunday 6th March. www.wearevillagers.com

MUSIC

FATHERSON @ NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY

Words: James F Hattersley Many of us can say we spent the last two years indoors, in fear and in sweatpants. Thankfully, Glaswegian alt. rock three-piece Fatherson have spent their time wisely and crafted a brand spanking new album entitled Normal Fears, which is now ready to be unleashed onto the unsuspecting public. Fatherson are due to appear at Northumbria University on Friday 18th March for what is sure to be a cathartic and cleansing evening of alt. rock that is as powerful as it is tender.

Fans of Biffy Clyro and fellow Glasgow brethren Twin Atlantic will find some of the best elements of each in Fatherson’s music. However, it would cheapen the band’s efforts to just lump them in with other Scottish alt. rock heroes – truthfully I can see a world with them playing on the same bill as local boy Sam Fender and they wouldn’t be out of place in the slightest.

Fatherson haven’t graced the North East since 2019, but the region still echoes with their honest authenticity; each of their songs grow into anthemic thunderstorms that drench the listener and shroud them in charm and uplift.

There won’t be a soul in Newcastle that isn’t revitalised by Fatherson’s warming glow and certainly not a dry eye in the house.

Fatherson play Northumbria University Students’ Union on Friday 18th March. www.fathersonband.com

PREVIEWS

Image by Piran Aston

MUSIC

THE LOUNGE SOCIETY @ TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY/ INDEPENDENT

Words: Evie Nicholson It’s rare for a band barely out of school and with only one EP to cause this much of a stir. Yet somehow The Lounge Society have managed just that. The gritty post-punk of the Yorkshire-born and bred band has already

earned them a steady cult following, and they are set to increase it further with shows at Teesside University (as part of NXTGN alldayer) on Saturday 26th and Sunderland’s Independent on Thursday 31st March.

Combining wry and astute social commentary with electrifying dance beats, The Lounge Society inject a refreshing energy into the post-punk tradition, teleporting it into the twenty-first century. Citing influences ranging from the Tom-Tom Club and The Fall to Fat White Family, the band are the latest to emerge from the so-called West Yorkshire ‘Calder Sound’, responsible for cultivating home-grown zeitgeist bands like The Orielles, Working Men’s Club and W. H. Lung.

Signed to Dan Carey’s revered Speedy Wunderground Label when they were still in school, the band have gone from strength to strength and headlined their first tour last year.

With punching basslines and rolling drums this intoxicating, it’s not difficult to see why.

Socially conscious and unapologetically indignant, The Lounge Society offer both a cathartic release for today’s anarchic world and proffer a youthful catalyst for change. Even better, they manage to do all this whilst still being incredibly good fun.

The Lounge Society play Teesside University on Saturday 26th and Independent, Sunderland on Thursday 31st March. www.facebook.com/theloungesociety

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PREVIEWS

Emma-Jean Thackray by Joe Magowan

MUSIC

COMEDY

MUSIC

EMMA-JEAN THACKRAY REGINALD D HUNTER @ SPECKY CULT RELEASE VARIOUS VENUES @ SAGE GATESHEAD NEW ALBUM, JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON Words: Eugenie Johnson Across the course of last year’s debut album Yellow, composer, producer, multiinstrumentalist and bandleader Emma-Jean Thackray created a unique blend of spiritual jazz tones and pulsating brass band. It helped to catapult Thackray from being an active member of London’s jazz scene to breaking into the mainstream, led by the controlled chaos of single Say Something. Her ability to appeal to both aficionados and those new to the genre helped her secure Jazz FM’s Jazz Act of the Year as well as being lauded by Gilles Peterson.

Now Thackray and her band are bringing Yellow’s vibrant and textured arrangements across the country, heading to Sage Gateshead on Friday 4th March. As Thackray herself notes, when she plays with her band her music takes on a new lease of life, morphing through improvisational phases into recognisable motifs. A taste of this can be found on her latest EP, Yellower Vol. 1, which shows off their ability to flow with a vibe and keeping things fluid, whether that’s on the luscious, sprawling Golden Green or the extended keyboard passages of Our People. It makes predicting what exactly to expect from Thackray’s show at Sage Gateshead difficult, but you can bank on her bringing the whole breadth of her talent.

Emma-Jean Thackray performs at Sage Gateshead on Friday 4th March. www.emmajeanthackray.com

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Words: Helen Redfern Comedian Reginald D Hunter is done with niceties. He’s convinced there’s no time any more for skirting around the big issues of today.

He’s renowned for being searingly honest and brutally funny, but now he’s shifting it up a gear to a whole new level with his brand new show Bombe Shuffleur, which he brings to Stockton’s ARC on Friday 11th, Gala Theatre in Durham on Saturday 26th and Newcastle’s Stand on Sunday 27th March.

Climate change. Mass unemployment.

Economic pandemics. The rise of global fascism.

Welcome to the world of the Bombe Shuffleur.

Georgia-born Reginald D Hunter moved to the UK from the US over twenty years ago and in that time has carved out a unique place to commentate on the unfolding meltdown of life as we know it. He’s cool and perceptive, unafraid to tackle the most controversial subjects head on in a meticulously thought out fashion. He’s one of the comedy industry’s best-known performers with numerous onstage, TV and radio appearances appealing to a cross-generational fan base.

Three-time Perrier Award nominated, this consummate comedian will draw you in with his unadulterated humour to explore some pretty dangerous and dark places. It won’t be comfortable, it will be challenging; but most of all, it will somehow be very, very funny.

Reginald D Hunter is at ARC, Stockton on Friday 11th, Gala Theatre in Durham on Saturday 26th and The Stand, Newcastle on Sunday 27th March. www.reginalddhunter.com

Words: James F Hattersley When you get the press kit for a band who describe themselves as fictional, alarms bells begin to ring. And yet, when you push through the mythos; what lies beneath is a quality set of acoustic punk songs that are not only catchy, but are building blocks for a much greater piece of artistic expression.

Jumping On The BandWagon is the latest output from North East three-piece Specky Cult, who are a band from a musical entitled Specky Cult, written by a band called Specky Cult. If you’re still with me, the album is the collection of songs that are used throughout the musical and tells the story of four bandmates who travel to London for their big break, only for adventure and shenanigans to ensue. The songs are surprisingly full and create a rich tapestry twang, while copious lyrics are churned out; almost each couplet being as memorable as the last.

It is a testament to the material that it can be packaged up into a streamlined form, given greater exposure and easier accessed by people looking for Specky Cult’s music. Real or not, this is one to look out for.

Specky Cult release Jumping On The BandWagon on 25th March. www.instagram.com/specky_cult_music

PREVIEWS

YIN YIN

MUSIC

YIN YIN/PADDY STEER @ COBALT STUDIOS

Words: Michael O’Neill Almighty promoters Wandering Oak are back at it again with another brilliantly unique line-up at Cobalt Studios on Sunday 13th March.

Providing sonic mastery are YIN YIN, hailing from Maastricht, Netherlands, who have a track record of brilliant releases on Bongo Joe Records. The eclectic quartet grew from an experimental jam session into something of an accidental band (member Yves Lennertz states they simply “[wanted] to just release a tape cassette for our friends”). 150 shows later, the band have settled on a unique concoction of disco, funk, psych and traditional Southeast Asian music. Upcoming release The Age Of Aquarius is an eclectic serving of groove and left-field delight that builds on the dusty wonders of 2019’s The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers.

Support comes from the Mancunian Moondog and master of analogue electronics Paddy Steer, whose wholly unique approach to live performance has to be seen to be believed; he’s a one-man band of psychedelic, eclectic wonder who is no stranger to the Ouseburn. It’s another killer line-up from Wandering Oak, who never fail to deliver gigs that are as unique as they are enthralling. Fantastic stuff as always.

YIN YIN and Paddy Steer play Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Sunday 13th March. www.yinyin.bandcamp.com

STAGE

Y’MAM @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy Critically acclaimed one-man show Y’MAM (Young Man’s Angry Movements) is coming to Northern Stage on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th March. Majid Mehdizadeh (aka actor Luke Jerdy) takes to the stage performing in an autobiographical show outlining his journey to ‘manhood’.

Breaking down his struggles, anxieties, anger and actions, Y’MAM tackles the difficult subject of what it means to be a man and where a person can stand in an unspoken hierarchy of masculinity. In the context of a contemporary society, Majid traces where all of these feelings and responses began in a deeply honest origin story.

Using a combination of spoken word and music, Y’MAM is ultimately a performance about love and appreciation. He invites the audience to be part of his analysis of toxic masculinity and its impact on everyone, as well as using his own story to show the potential to learn and grow.

This show aims to educate and inspire as well as entertain, particularly young men. Majid Mehdizadeh says: “I want to introduce a new kind of manhood, a masculinity that provides the foundations for how men should be and what that might look like. Learning to harness and control anger is a vitally important step on that journey.”

Y’MAM is at Northern Stage, Newcastle on Friday 25th-Saturday 26th March. www.northernstage.co.uk

MUSIC

ORLANDO WEEKS @ THE FIRE STATION

Words: Laura Doyle Since the culmination of indie rockers The Maccabees, ex-frontman Orlando Weeks has proven that slowing down isn’t the only option for a post-ensemble career. The musician has found his feet in his fledgling solo work by simply doing the projects that feel right – whether it be via the original novel/album combo of The Gritterman, or a record that captures the vibes of the time of writing. His latest album, Hop Up, is fresh off the press and ready to boost moods. Such blue sky music seems so alien nowadays, as if every artist has been a bit down in the dumps in recent years – it’s anyone’s guess why that is.

Orlando Weeks seeks to remedy this with music fit for a CBeebies show about love and friendship. Hey You Hop Up gives this album its name and sets the overall tone, with bubbly bluesy vocals and playful melodies, which will be resplendent in the lovely acoustics of Sunderland’s Fire Station when he performs at the venue on Sunday 13th March.

Support comes from multi-disciplinary artist Joviale. Soothing synths mixed with a jazz twang perfectly complement Joviale’s dreamy vocals, to create atmospheric soundscapes which promise an otherworldly experience.

Leave your anxieties at the door, and embrace the change of the seasons with these feel-good sounds.

Orlando Weeks and Joviale play The Fire Station, Sunderland on Sunday 13th March. www.orlandoweeks.co.uk

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PREVIEWS

David de la Haye

ART & LIT

LISTENING TO SUNDERLAND UNDERWATER @ ROKER PODS

Words: Eugenie Johnson Ever wondered what it really sounds like underwater? Unfortunately, even if we tried, we’re only likely to hear muffled noise; our ears aren’t suited for being able to hear what lies beneath the surface. Yet, through using a hydrophone, field recording artist David de la Haye is allowing the chance for curious minds to know what it really sounds like below the rolling waves (and you won’t even have to get wet).

As part of World Water Day on Tuesday 22nd March, de la Haye is transforming the Roker Pods on Sunderland’s sea front into a sound installation offering an auditory exploration of the aquatic world. While being surrounded by the North Sea, the installation showcases unheard recordings from surrounding docklands, rock pools and freshwater zones.

Presented alongside the recordings will be sound responses from local improvising musicians Adam Stapleford, Graeme Wilson

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and Mark Carroll as well as an accompanying film to help give an environmental context to de la Haye’s work. Rounding off the event is a panel discussion with Sunderland University and the UK & Ireland Soundscape Community, allowing people to get even greater insight into the work from leading figures in the fields of sound and ecology. If you’ve ever wondered what sounds really lie beneath, don’t let this opportunity wash over you. www.daviddelahaye.co.uk/world-waterday-2022

STAGE

RED ELLEN @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Laura Doyle History repeats itself. Even me saying that history repeats itself is probably history repeating itself. But the point of reiterating this over and over is to remind everyone that we can never stop learning from the mistakes of the past. And what better way to make a teachable moment than through the creativity of theatre?

From Friday 25th March until Saturday 9th April, Newcastle’s Northern Stage plays host to the premiere run of Red Ellen, Caroline Bird’s

biography of Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson and her lifelong passion for social change. From her activist work campaigning to raise awareness of fascism in the run up to World War Two, to her time as Minister of Education where she successfully advocated for raising the minimum school leaving age and achieved free school meals, ‘Red Ellen’’ cemented her reputation as a pioneer of civil rights and social progress.

She’s certainly most famous for her support and involvement in the Jarrow March, a protest by the residents of her constituency against the poverty and unemployment suffered in the region since the closure of its main industry, a shipyard. The 200-strong crusaders marched the almost 300 miles to London to challenge the government on their failings, and the event has since become iconic in the North East as a symbol of perseverance and justice in the face of institutional failings. Nearly a century on from when she was first voted into Parliament, Ellen Wilkinson’s story has found new resonance in today’s society, and its retelling is as important now as it ever will be.

Red Ellen is at Northern Stage, Newcastle from Friday 25th March until Saturday 9th April. www.northernstage.co.uk

PREVIEWS

Image by Ph. Lebruman

MUSIC

THIS IS THE KIT @ THE FIRE STATION

Words: Laura Doyle Have This Is The Kit reached cult status yet? It’s possible. Kate Stables began this project way back in 2003, and has since managed to garner a great deal of critical acclaim while maintaining a degree of underground status, making every track feel like an undiscovered

gem.

It’s easy to see why they’ve drawn such praise from the likes of Elbow’s Guy Garvey and his 6Music colleagues, because a brief listen to their most recent record, Off Off On, leaves the listener curious to hear more.

Stables’ lighter-than-air vocals backed by gentle folk rock tones make for very easy listening. Delve a little deeper though, and you’re struck by a level of musical complexity and lyrical sophistication that demands inspection. Coming To Get You Nowhere combines musical and visual storytelling with an off-the-cuff MV documenting friends

unsticking their friends’ car, just as the song promises to unstick a melancholy mind.

Banjo-led This Is What You Did carefully interweaves traditional folk elements with rock construction for a Manics-like take on morality.

It’s still not too late to get a headstart on your mates for this talented bunch, as they can finally tour their 2020 release – dropping in to Sunderland’s Fire Station on Thursday 10th March – and unleash their artistry on a still unsuspecting public.

This Is The Kit play The Fire Station, Sunderland on Thursday 10th March. www.thisisthekit.co.uk

Tue 15 - Sat 26 March 2022

Tickets: £6 – £8, many events FREE

(0191) 232 1232 www.live.org.uk

Live Theatre Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3DQ Follow Live Theatre #ElevatorFestival

Introducing the best new plays by rising talent Live Theatre is operated by North East Theatre Trust Limited, a registered charity number 513771.

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PREVIEWS

Polar States

ART & LIT

THE AUCKLAND PROJECT REOPENS

Words: Claire Dupree The Georgian splendour of Auckland Castle reopens to history, heritage and culture-lovers from Wednesday 23rd March, presenting a wealth of surprising opportunities to interact with the region’s unique history.

Auckland Castle is the seat of the Prince Bishops of Durham, who governed vast swathes of North East England. One of the best-preserved Bishop’s palaces in Europe, the castle lies at the centre of the The Auckland Project, the regeneration charity who have lovingly restored the castle and its surroundings. Also part of the complex is The Spanish Art Gallery, the UK’s first gallery dedicated to the art, history and culture of Spain, and home to Francisco de Zurbarán’s series of Spanish masterpieces Jacob And His Twelve Sons, for over 250 years. The paintings mark the centrepiece of the gallery, which provides visitors with an opportunity to enjoy the largest collection of 16th and 17th Century Spanish artworks outside of London, including work by El Greco, Murillo and Velazquez.

There’s more art on display at the Mining Art Gallery, which depicts life in the coal mines and the inspiring communities which grew around them; highlights of the collection include work by Norman Cornish and Tom McGuinness.

Visitors can get out and about in the grounds too, with a deer park containing 150 acres of historic parkland, a walled garden and the Auckland Tower, a 29 metre tower which provides 360° views across Auckland Park, Bishop Auckland town and the rural landscape beyond. www.aucklandproject.org

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STAGE

WOR BELLA @ VARIOUS VENUES

Words: Jake Anderson Football is heavily rooted in the culture of the North. If you don’t believe it, just walk past The Strawberry on match day. However, a name that many fans of NUFC will not know is Bella Reay. A factory worker during the first World War, Bella raised money for charity on the side by playing football alongside other munitionettes for the Blyth Spartans.

The Alan Shearer of her day, Bella scored a whopping 133 goals in just 30 matches across the nation against other heroes on the home turf. Her story had largely been lost to time, but thanks to playwright and producer Ed Waugh it’ll be brought to life in the play Wor Bella, which tours the region this month.

Ed Waugh has a great track record in uncovering stories of local heroes, having brought tales about world champion boxer Glenn McCrory (in Carrying David) and rowing miner Harry Clasper (aka Hadaway Harry) to the fore in recent years. Wor Bella will be directed

by Russell Floyd, best known for directing The Great Joe Wilson – another of Waugh’s productions about the so-called ‘bard of Tyneside’ – and will star Sunderland’s own Lauren Waine as Bella, best known for her contributions to Northern Stage’s War of the Worlds and Sage Gateshead’s The Great Geordie Songbook.

Wor Bella is performed at Phoenix Theatre, Blyth on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th; Queen’s Hall Arts, Hexham on Monday 28th; Newcastle Theatre Royal Studio on Tuesday

29th and Wednesday 30th; Alnwick Playhouse on Thursday 31st March; Playhouse Whitley Bay on Friday 1st and South Shields’ Westovian Theatre on Saturday 2nd April. www.worbella.co.uk

MUSIC

POLAR STATES @ KU BAR

Words: Jake Anderson Anyone else noticed it’s getting a bit nippier up north? It could have something to do with Liverpudlian indie rockers, Polar States, travelling up on the jet stream to play at Stockton’s KU Bar. Or it could just be because it’s winter, but really, I don’t think we’ll ever know.

The band’s lo-fi DIY sound will ring throughout Stockton on Friday 25th March, bellowing out their energetic bangers such as the bouncy 2020, and their newest single So Much Happened Since You Came – which takes more influence from slacker rock, but still adheres to the band’s signature sound.

First support of the night will be Motel Carnation. These Geordie lads radiate with swagger on stage, blasting their electronic indie collage. It’s perfectly seen with tracks like the hypnotic Baby You’re A Nightmare, which features an earworm of a hook, and the bold but mysterious Déjà vu (Caught Up). Also supporting are Teesside’s Nice Guy, a band who are infamous for their alternative and futuristic sounds, showcasing it on up-beat anthems like Fake Leather and the warm and gentle Shame.

Polar States, Motel Carnation and Nice Guy play KU Bar, Stockton on Friday 25th March. www.polarstates.com

PREVIEWS

MUSIC

SUPERSUCKERS @ THE CLUNY

Words: Lee Fisher Two years ago, as the realities of a potential lockdown started to kick in, Supersuckers (rather surprisingly) showed up at The Cumberland Arms and by all accounts tore Newcastle a new one. And now they’re back for a show at Newcastle’s Cluny on Friday 25th

March, proving that it takes more than a global pandemic to thwart the evil powers of rock ’n’ roll.

Eddie Spaghetti is the sole original member of a band which emerged from Tucson in the late eighties, did the whole sign to Sub Pop/get snapped up by a major/get unceremoniously dropped merry-go-round in the nineties, but the Supersuckers formula has – thankfully – remained pretty constant: a shitkickin’ blend of country, southern rock, punk and Thin Lizzy (with the odd foray into covering hip-hop songs and the like). Sometimes all you need for a

great night out is a load of beer, some cowboy hats and greasy denim and a bunch of riffs that are so perfectly formed they sound both fresh and as old as time. They’ve got a pretty great line in merch too <polishes his Arizona state flag Supersuckers belt buckle>. So let’s see you head to The Cluny to submit to the sacrilegious sounds of The Supersuckers.

Supersuckers play The Cluny, Newcastle on Friday 25th March. www.supersuckers.com

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PREVIEWS

Benjamin Fitzgerald by Krzysztof Furgala

MUSIC

FROM THE GLASSHOUSE @ SAGE GATESHEAD

Words: Tom Astley To celebrate World Piano Day, the fourth of Sage Gateshead’s From The Glasshouse series sees the venue team up with The Brudenell Piano Sessions in Leeds to present a diverse line-up for a pay-what-you-feel afternoon concert on Sunday 27th March. Both From The Glasshouse and Brudenell Piano Sessions champion collaboration and supportive environments for emerging musicians, and this concert will showcase work from three stunning and diverse musicians, Newcastlebased contemporary classical composers Benjamin Fitzgerald and Simeon Walker, alongside singer-songwriter IMOGEN. Fitzgerald’s music is often haunting and delicate, evoking some of the wilderness of the Northumberland countryside; the addition of harp and violin to recent track The Cottage further accentuates the folk connection running through his work. Curator Simeon Walker’s music has an Avril 14th-esque dreaminess to it, revelling in the physicality of the piano, with the sounds of wood and ivory creaking alongside

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the notes themselves. His work is contemplative and full of space, and will illuminate the stage in Hall Two. IMOGEN is another of Newcastle’s exceptional singer-songwriters, with a Portishead-like sound that is as expansive as it is intimate, and her set will offer a solo, pared-down take on her songs.

From The Glasshouse featuring Benjamin Fitzgerald, Simeon Walker and IMOGEN takes place at Sage Gateshead on Sunday 27th March. www.sagegateshead.com

ART & LIT

NORTH OF THE TYNE, UNDER THE STARS @ NEWCASTLE CITY CENTRE

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy In the heart of the North, there will be a chance to celebrate the stories of our region. North Of The Tyne, Under The Stars is a free night-time festival taking place from Thursday 10th-Sunday 13th March which culminates in Newcastle city centre.

The character of The Story-Weaver is the focus

of these events, having travelled through North Shields, Wallsend, Hexham, Blyth, Byker and Fenham throughout February and early March she will be creating tales and mythology of our Northern lands in this community art project.

The Story-Weaver’s final stop will be in Newcastle, where she will cover the city in light and projections, showing off the city’s iconic and historic architecture as it has never been seen before, entwined with beautiful imagery and tales; Newcastle Civic Centre will even be transformed into a zoetrope! With a range of pyrotechnic and audio design works, including Newcastle-based projection artists NOVAK and composer Roma Yagnik, the colours and vibrancy of this festival will call attention back to the diversity, heritage and beauty of the region.

From fables and folk tales, to the contemporary magic that is present in the city today, North Of The Tyne, Under The Stars shares the joys of what it means to be in the North with a magical explosion of light and sound.

North Of The Tyne, Under The Stars takes place in Newcastle City Centre from Thursday 10th-Sunday 13th March. Audiences can also enjoy a neighbourhood event at Abbey Grounds, Hexham and Nun’s Moor Park, Fenham on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th March. www.undernorthtynestars.co.uk

PREVIEWS

MUSIC

RIGHT HERE @ VARIOUS VENUES

Words: Claire Dupree After the success of their maiden outing in August, touring cooperative Right Here have announced their next run of gigs this month.

The touring network, which comprises of Teesside’s Famous Last Words, Sunderland’s Independent Live and Newcastle’s Little Buildings, intends to strengthen the gig going community with their cooperative approach to live programming. Three bands will perform a headline slot in their hometown, rotating the line-up across Little Buildings, Independent and The Green Room, Stockton.

March’s iteration of Right Here features a trio of alt. rock artists who all promise to bring thrilling and raucous live performances to the stage.

Sunderland alt. rockers Kickin’ Lillies have been praised for their catchy rhythms and meaty riffs, while Newcastle’s Shallow (fka Creature) peddle a delightful line in fuzzy vocals and scuzzy, grungy atmospherics. Middlesbrough’s SWEARS will head up the Stockton show with their doomy beats and reverb-fuelled vocals; the band have been increasingly surpassing each live performance they throw themselves into, so expect electrifying performances!

This kind of collaborative approach to programming is being rightly praised for its community spirit and willingness for all involved to succeed; all that’s needed is an engaged, music hungry audience – which is where you step in!

Right Here present SWEARS, Shallow and Kickin’ Lillies at The Green Room, Stockton on Thursday 10th, Little Buildings in Newcastle on Friday 11th and Independent, Sunderland on Saturday 12th March. www.linktr.ee/rightheretour

MUSIC

LYNKS @ THE CLUNY 2 Lynks

ART & LIT

GLASS EXCHANGE @ VARIOUS VENUES

Words: Laura Doyle The iconic Lindisfarne Gospels are getting a brief sojourn to their home region later this year, but it’s never too early to start celebrating one of the North East’s most impressive historical documents. The Christian manuscript, created on Holy Island in the 700s, is the most spectacular surviving example of Anglo Saxon literature, best known for its extravagant illustrations and bejewelled binding. It’s as much a piece of art as it is religious iconography, which Glass Exchange seeks to emphasise with its pan-Tyne-and-Wear project.

Four contemporary artists have been given the opportunity to create their own glass work based on the Lindisfarne Gospels, which will be displayed in Sunderland and Durham in the

months leading up to the Laing Art Gallery Exhibition this September. Ryan Gander’s Sunderland city centre installation of a glass betting shop brings the flux state of the high street to the forefront of our attention; Colonial Ghost by Pascale Marthine Tayou investigates the relationship between colonisation and Christianity through African iconography incorporated into glass cross sculptures; Katie Paterson’s Urn and Hourglass exhibits focus on environmental change; Monster Chetwynd’s work will focus on the lives of St Bede and St Cuthbert, two North East native saints whose impacts on the region can still be felt today.

When history meets art, it often makes for the most enlightening interpretations.

Glass Exchange exhibitions take place at various locations in Sunderland and Durham from Saturday 26th March until Sunday 11th September. www.sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/ glass-exchange

Words: Hope Lynes It’s hard to describe Lynks, partly because they are a mysteriously masked superstar of the queer electro punk scene. Hidden away in Cluny 2 on Sunday 27th March, an insane performance like no other will take place for Lynks’ debut tour, where Newcastle will witness a performance usually disguised in London’s underground cult music scene. There is no disguise, however, about the masked fashion of the star – it’s loud, expressive and fun, and makes the whole ego a piece of artwork.

Lynks’ music is typified by exciting dance beats mixed with spoken word lyrics, which are often tongue in cheek, such as hit song Everyone’s Hot And I’m Not: “Everyone’s a model, they’re all Brazilian, I’m a librarian, from Wigan”.

There’s a stunningly addictive lyrical craft in the ordinariness of the topics, yet a rare eloquence in their performance.

With huge support on Radio 1 from superfan Jack Saunders and cited as ‘one to watch’ by Lauren Laverne, Lynks is a thrilling emerging artist in the pop rock genre, and this will be a unique show from a truly idiosyncratic artist.

Lynks play The Cluny 2, Newcastle on Sunday 27th March. www.lynkslynkslynks.bandcamp.com

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PREVIEWS

slowthai by Crowns & Owls

MUSIC

THE SOUND OF SCIENCE @ GOSFORTH CIVIC THEATRE

Words: Mera Royle Coming to Gosforth Civic Theatre from Thursday 17th-Sunday 20th March is a festival which will challenge all we think we know about science and music. The Sound of Science is set to celebrate the work of 28 musicians, artists and scientists who have come together to shine a spotlight on the role of science within music.

Merging chemistry with composition and biology with beats, the festival’s line-up demonstrates a huge variety of important jazz-based compositions and conversations, including Johnny Hunter’s Pale Blue Dot, an environmental suite to save our planet; Charlie Wilkinson’s Soapbox Science, which promotes women and non-binary scientists; Rebecca Nash Quintet’s Redefining Element 78 draws inspiration from chemistry; Lauren Kinsella’s work explores conservation; Graeme Wilson and Faye MacCalman explore improvisation in music and its relation to the patterns in nature; sound recordist David de la Haye presents a study of his work in ecoacoustics; and there’s

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chaotic systems and the collision of physics in music from Han-earl Park.

The free event is all about finding new, exciting and inspiring ways to learn about science through the viewfinder of music. “From climate change to vaccines, the importance of science to the way we live has never been clearer. Our events shine a spotlight on the role of science within music composition and improvisation, with a view to inspiring audiences new to one or both subjects.” says festival producer, Wesley Stephenson.

The Sound of Science takes place at Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle from Thursday 17th-Sunday 20th March. www.jazznortheast.com

MUSIC

SLOWTHAI @ O2 CITY HALL

Words: Ikenna Offor Notorious for his wild antics, slowthai has long evoked a brazenly sleazy swagger more akin to punk than rap – just ask anyone who has ever seen him tear it up onstage. Peppered with sardonic humour, rambunctious spontaneity and louche insouciance, a slowthai gig is an infectiously subversive romp that sees anarchic bedlam deftly transposed

into a carnivalesque exaltation of cheeky rabble-rousing, and North East fans can experience it for themselves at O2 City Hall on Monday 21st March.

That said, given the arresting displays of vulnerability displayed on both his debut and sophomore efforts, it’s blatantly clear that the Northampton’s very own Tyron Frampton is the farthest thing from a one-trick pony. Take his much-lauded, incendiary debut, 2019’s Nothing Great About Britain – for all the aggro-politicking of the title track, Doorman’s unbridled oomph and Inglorious’s chestthumping bellicosity, there’s Gorgeous’ warmly nostalgic mosaic and Peace Of Mind’s gritty optimism, not to mention the affecting autobiographical anecdotes of Northampton’s Child.

Last year’s TYRON saw Frampton further expand on the spirited duality of its predecessor, this time turning the gaze inward to candidly probe his own flaws and limitations with a mix of defiance and resignation. Unflinchingly caustic yet keenly perceptive, there’s truly never a dull moment with slowthai – whether you prefer head-banging gusto or earnest introspection, he’s got you covered. slowthai plays O2 City Hall, Newcastle on Monday 21st March. www.slowthai.com

PREVIEWS

MUSIC

PONYLAND/ HONEYFLUX/FEED THE ELK @ COBALT STUDIOS Words: Michael O’Neill It is honestly bewildering to see, even in the face of all the disruption of the last couple of years, the North East music community continue to evolve, diversify and thrive. For evidence of this,

look no further than this astoundingly varied line-up on offer at Cobalt on Friday 18th March.

Leading the proceedings is Ponyland: a heady, energetic ride into the world of live samba reggae, Afro-beat and jazz; their debut LP Mora Mora is a wonderfully abrasive and chameleonic wonder, bursting at the seams with personality and character. Next in line is Honeyflux, who have been likened to the love-child of Steely Dan, The War on Drugs and Soundgarden.

Recent release God, Buddha & Me is the work of a talented outfit with a strong command of deep-pocket grooves and brilliant post-rock

melodies. Rounding things off is Feed The Elk, who organisers consider to be the Toon’s “finest new boyband” who mix funk, reggae, punk, dub and rap-metal. From the small threads of evidence I could muster, they offer a phenomenal and diverse mixture of genres in a unique and fresh way.

All in all, it’s a brilliantly eclectic line-up at one of the Toon’s finest venues.

Ponyland, Honeyflux and Feed The Elk play Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Friday 18th March. www.cobaltstudios.co.uk

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PREVIEWS

Blanketman

MUSIC

NXTGN @ TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY SU & WESTGARTH SOCIAL CLUB

Words: Laura Doyle There’s nowhere better in the country to be an emerging artist than here in the North East.

With a multitude of small venues willing to give you the time of day, there are all kinds of opportunities to help you find your audience.

Teesside is about to get another injection with new music alldayer NXTGN, an indie fest from The Kids Are Sold Gold (the people behind the hugely popular Twisterella), which promises to bring the best new acts for your consideration across venues in Middlesbrough on Saturday 26th March.

Included on the line-up are homegrown talents like indie pop girl-gang Komparrison and headliners from Hebden Bridge The Lounge Society, whose punk stylings have already tipped them as ones to watch in the region.

They join an already packed slate, including Hartlepool pop icons Mt. Misery, Hull ambassadors Fever, Scottish rockers Dancing On Tables, alt. indie scamps Blanketman and indie pop Polish war veterans Wotjek the Bear (please do research their namesake if you’re having a bad day), with local tips including the likes of Joe Ramsey, Noprism and ZELA. NXTGN offers so many choices that to list them all would be a herculean task. Thankfully, it is but a crisp twenty quid for over twenty bands across three stages – quite the bargain, especially when it gives the chance to get your foot in the door for the UK’s next generation of talent.

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NXTGN takes place at Teesside University Students’ Union and Westgarth Social Club on Saturday 26th March. www.thekidsaresolidgold.co.uk

COMEDY

TYNE TO STAND UP @ TYNE THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE

Words: Hope Lynes To support Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, comedy collective Felt Nowt welcome a host of female comedians at Tyne Theatre & Opera House to celebrate International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8th March, simultaneously showing solidarity in raising money for a charity which affects women daily.

Amazing talent supporting the cause includes up and coming comics as well as established names including Louise Young, Lauren Pattison, Rachel Jackson, Catherine Young, Katherine Tanney, Anja Atkinson, Hannah Walker, Lauren Stone, Estelle Anderson, Elaine Robertson, Zoe, Sam Mayes, Catherine Scott, Julie Grady Thomas and Kelly Edgar, with the show being hosted by Sammy Dobson.

The serious importance of the cause must be highlighted; Rape Crisis works to provide sexual violence support services to women and girls via counselling, helplines and professional training. It is an incredibly valuable resource, and the support from the comedy industry really emphasises a welcoming and friendly atmosphere that is created from the support network.

Tyne To Stand Up takes place at Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle on Tuesday 8th March. www.feltnowt.co.uk

MUSIC

ENOLA GAY @ HEAD OF STEAM/INDEPENDENT Words: Dominic Stephenson Noise punks Enola Gay will play Newcastle’s Head of Steam and Sunderland’s Independent (on Sunday 6th and Monday 7th March respectively), at the beginning of their maiden UK headline tour which will see them nation-trotting across 29 venues in just over a month.

Formed in late 2019, the Belfast quartet burst onto the circuit with the blistering debut single The Birth Of A Nation in July 2020. Driven by lacerating bass and howling guitar, the rap-inspired vocals placed the Black Lives Matter movement front and centre. By the time of their second release, Sofa Surfing, it was clear Enola Gay are a band that hold no punches; meshing together elements of post-punk, noise rock, rap and industrial sounds in a melting pot of furious noise.

The arrival of their debut EP, Gransha, saw them slice through deep-rooted societal issues head-on, conjuring up murky, thunderous and dense soundscapes. So far, their discography has provided a reliable punch in the face, so this imperative slab of Irish punk shouldn’t be missed when they visit the North East.

Enola Gay play Head of Steam, Newcastle on Sunday 6th and Independent, Sunderland on Monday 7th March. www.enolagay1.bandcamp.com

INTERVIEWS EVENTS

HERSTORY

Ellen Moran, Sky Hawkins and Degna Stone, Radikal Queen

CLAIRE DUPREE DISCOVERS A PROGRAMME OF EVENTS WHICH SEEKS TO CHALLENGE, CONFRONT AND EMPOWER Activism, community and empowerment are the themes encapsulated by Herstory, an event taking place at Newcastle City Library on Wednesday 23rd March hosted by Poetry In The City, an organisation which encourages people and places to tell their stories and creates access to challenging ideas.

As part of an open call, six poets have been commissioned to create new work themed around ‘care with courage’. Herstory brings poets, activists and audiences together to explore the historic and contemporary fight for acceptance and equality through bold new performance, intimate installations and thought-provoking verse.

The Newcastle-based poets commissioned for the event are Ellen Moran, Sky Hawkins and Degna Stone. Degna speaks more about their involvement: “Newcastle Herstory will bring people together as an act of protest and celebration, marking a commitment to the continuation of the work that generations of women had undertaken in the pursuit of equality and safety before us. The performed poems firmly celebrate women; my poems celebrate women like Sophia Duleep Singh and Olive Morris who improved the lives of others through fearless action.”

Audiences are also invited to enjoy an immersive audio play about the Newcastle Witch Trials in 1650 from Hellcat Theatre Company; a movement workshop with What’s That Dance seeks to empower women in response to a screening of their film Dare You: Question The Love Between Girls; and theatre maker, performer and artist Lindsay Nicholson encourages audiences to embrace their inner pirate and smash the patriarchy while learning about famous female pirate, dissident and rebel Anne Bonny. “I wanted to reframe the

NEWCASTLE HERSTORY WILL BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AS AN ACT OF PROTEST AND CELEBRATION

feminist narrative; start with one where women are unapologetically visible, knowingly respected and admired as care takers. But to start that we have to disrupt and create some ‘good’ trouble, we may have to explore our own forms of dissidence and rebellion.” Lindsay explains.

Poet Ellen Moran’s work focuses on themes of protest and acts of everyday resistance which can contribute to change. She worked with Tyneside Women’s Health in Byker to fuel conversations around the intersection of feminist and working-class protest. “We talked about what we perceived as ‘the rules for women’ and then our experiences breaking those rules. We made collage posters to encapsulate our own protests, as well as to try and persuade other women to take a stand in whatever way they were comfortable with.”

A particular highlight of the programme will be JazzWitch, a risqué live performance from poet and activist Radikal Queen which incorporates song and spoken word on the subject of Taboo and what it means to Black, marginalised genders and queer folk. “The evening will be full of the celebration of sensuality, and how individuals and communities can centre and protect their own sexual expression, especially when that freedom is under siege.”

Radikal Queen explains. “[JazzWitch] emphasises the individual’s right to freely celebrate what has been ‘othered’, especially for those with identities that are under assault across various fronts. I specifically chose jazz and blues as the context, because these genres have been historically vilified, ostracised...and then colonised. I want to speak on my behalf, on behalf of those who can relate to me, and on behalf of the Black Ancestors who originated and established music that STILL crosses social, cultural and spiritual boundaries.”

Herstory takes place at Newcastle City Library on Wednesday 23rd March.

www.poetinthecity.co.uk/event/herstory-festivals

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INTERVIEW

ART & LIT

KATE FOX

AHEAD OF THE RELEASE OF HER NEW BOOK, FRANÇOISE HARVEY TALKS NORTHERNNESS, PRIDE AND CULTURAL POWER WITH AUTHOR, STAND-UP POET AND JOURNALIST KATE FOX In Kate Fox’s new book Where There’s Muck There’s Bras: The Lost Stories of the Amazing Women of the North, she describes nearly forgotten swimming star Hilda James taking to the water before a local swimming gala at the age of 76, and astonishing the watching crowd with her speed and strength.

It’s one of the many stories of forgotten Northern women that Fox has gathered together, covering a timeline from Iron Age queen Cartimandua to today’s politicians, and when I read it, it made me cry. Fox beams when I tell her this.

“Hilda James is the guiding spirit of this for me, because her story was so nearly lost to me,” she says. “I read about a swimmer who wasn’t allowed to go to the Olympics. But I nearly couldn’t find her. The only source really is her grandson.”

If the book’s title, Where There’s Muck There’s Bras, is familiar, it’s because it expands on the stage show of the same name (as well as a writer, Fox is also a stand-up poet and a radio journalist). But where in the show Fox was really only able to “skim over a couple of details of people’s lives” the book involved a lot more research.

In fact, she was initially reluctant to write it: “I would say ‘Oh, it’ll have to be a list, and to have lots of facts in’. Then I realised that the publisher didn’t want that to be the case, and the book needed my voice in it.”

It is Fox’s voice keeps the stories flowing and exciting, drawing threads between lives. (In fact, she can’t stop doing that. As we talk she hits on the idea of a stage show where Margaret Cavendish, writer of possibly the first sci-fi book (1666) meets Ngozi Onwurah, the first British Black woman to make a full-length feature film (sci-fi, 1994).)

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MORE THAN ANY OTHER TIME, WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR A SHIFT IN THE BALANCE OF CULTURAL POWER

Though the storytelling is light and witty, Fox agrees “there is this weight of emotion under it”. Pride and joy, but also “anger, and recognition of the unjustified shame that a lot of Northern working class women had put on them. The erasure.” And that erasure isn’t limited to the women being forgotten. In some cases they’re well-known, but their connection to the North has been masked.

Northernness is Fox’s area of expertise – she has a PhD in Northernness, gender and class. In the book, she points out that often Northerners still feel they have to move South to make themselves heard, unless they’re lucky enough to “hit one of the periods when Northernness, or regionality generally, is cool. That’s different to being taken seriously.” So where does she think we are right now? After some thought, she says, “we’re visible and useful... more than any other time, we have the potential for a shift in the balance of cultural power.”

I believe that books like this will go some way towards that shift.

But, Fox points out, there’s more to be done. Her writing barely skims the surface of many of these women’s lives: “What would be an amazing thing, actually, is if people read the book and were like, ‘Oh, I’m so excited by her. I’m going to write her story’.”

Where There’s Muck There’s Bras: The Lost Stories of the Amazing Women of the North by Kate Fox is published by Harper North on Thursday 17th March. Kate Fox will be reading from her book at The Bound, Whitley Bay on Wednesday 16th March.

www.katefox.co.uk

ON OUR E-ZINE, LISTEN TO FRAN HARVEY’S MY WRITING LIFE PODCAST, WHERE SHE TALKS IN MORE DETAIL TO KATE ABOUT HER WRITING PROCESS NARCMAGAZINE.COM

THUNDERCAT

INTERVIEW

CAMERON WRIGHT TALKS TO THE BASS VIRTUOSO ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITY AND REFLECTIVE DEPTH

MUSIC

Image by The1Point8

THE PROCESS OF ART IS THE PROCESS OF EMOTIONS, IT’S HOW WE DISCUSS GRIEF. IT’S HOW WE COMMUNICATE AND HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH OURSELVES. IT’S BEAUTIFUL Arguably the industry’s most revered bass virtuoso, Stephen Lee Bruner, aka the Grammy award-winning Thundercat, embarks on a brand new tour this month which visits Newcastle University Students’ Union on Wednesday 30th March.

Thundercat’s wild improvisation and spontaneous storytelling elevate his gigs, as his songs evolve into their own unique experience each night. “You can definitely feel the energies change from show to show.” He reveals. “It all lies within how people process different ideals, and that sure can be regional. You learn the most about people through seeing them at their happiest or their most broken.”

Touring as a three-piece, Thundercat and his band stretch out their templates, spinning their melodies into nuanced, textured pieces of improvisation which draw from a rich tapestry of jazz and funk influences. Talking about the live experience, Thundercat explains: “Music is a great vehicle for emotion. The thing with musicians is that we might create it, but it’s not ours. It’s finite, it’s just our job to wield it. You just have to feel it out every night, like a stand-up comic would, it’s reading the room and reacting to it.”

With comedy being a quintessential part of Thundercat’s personality, there’s no denying that it bleeds into his music, with silky neo-soul grooves sporting lyrics about cat hair, masturbation and having fun.

“Every great comedian wants to be a musician, and every great musician wants to be a comedian.” Thundercat elaborates: “When you think about the bullets Dave Chappelle or Cardi B take nightly to speak their truth, it’s absurd. Dave showed me the lighthearted and the heaviness of every situation; Chappelle changed my sound like nobody else.”

It Is What It Is, Thundercat’s 2020 release, draws upon both his abstract obsessions and pursuit of humanity and understanding;

flicking between euphoric, hilarious and poignant ruminations on life, death and loneliness. Drawing his anecdotes, themes and heartbreaks from places of honesty and truth has always allowed his releases to feel magnetic, affecting and real. Through the well-documented struggles of his life, there is a deliberate balance between his mischievous, childlike persona and a much more meditated, reflective depth that considers each word, process and emotion.

The need to grieve is a prevalent theme on It Is What It Is, as Thundercat talks candidly across the record about losing his friend, rapper and producer Mac Miller. “I’m no stranger to losing friends to those kind of things, but this was different. Mac wasn’t just my best friend, he was the world’s best friend. The process of art is the process of emotions, it’s how we discuss grief. It’s how we communicate and have a dialogue with ourselves. It’s beautiful. The want to understand yourself outweighs the simplicity of just writing a chorus and a hook.”

It’s apparent that everything that draws people to Thundercat’s music is truly an extension of the man himself. From his giddy humour and aloof references to the considered and earnest humanity, the person behind the music is identical to the person within the music. Oozing with warmth, charm and integrity, the Thundercat experience is as raw and true as any fan could hope for.

Thundercat performs at Newcastle University Students’ Union on Wednesday 30th March.

www.theamazingthundercat.com

READ AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH THUNDERCAT ON OUR WEBSITE NARCMAGAZINE.COM 27

INTERVIEW

FILM

T-B, L-R: Buster Keaton Shorts, Great White Silence, Limbo, Quant

TYNE VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

EVIE LAKE DIVES INTO THE CINEMATIC DELIGHTS ON OFFER AT THE TYNE VALLEY CELEBRATION OF FILM The Tyne Valley Film Festival is returning this year, bringing with it the delights of the rural cinema experience. Boasting 35 screenings in 17 venues across the Tyne Valley over 10 days, the festival will run from Friday 18th-Sunday 27th March.

Bringing rural film clubs, venues and organisations together to champion the film buff community, David Nixon, manager of Forum Cinema Hexham and founder of the festival explains: “After the uncertainty of the past two years, we’re delighted to be relaunching the festival in March. Our mission at the Forum is ‘to create community through film experiences’ and Tyne Valley Film Festival really encompasses that. We are proud to be able to support all of these great film clubs and community organisations to help them bring the best films from around the world directly to rural communities across the region.”

With films spanning 1912 to 2022, Ryton to Haltwhistle, the festival kicks off on Friday 18th with a ‘party screening’ of David Byrne’s American Utopia. The ‘party’ part is freedom of movement, with Hexham’s Forum Cinema playing the movie in its auditorium and bar simultaneously, celebrating both music and cinema.

One of the highlights of the festival leads us to Hexham Abbey, where on Saturday 19th silent classic, The Phantom of the Opera,

WE ARE PROUD TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT ALL OF THESE GREAT FILM CLUBS AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS TO HELP THEM BRING THE BEST FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD DIRECTLY TO RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE REGION 28

will be accompanied by a live organ score from Jonathon Eyre in an immersive and haunting screening within the walls and pews of the gothic edifice.

Homage will be paid to the first female filmmaker, Alice Guy-Blaché, on Sunday 20th as Forum Cinema investigates her work and life, illustrating how vital her work is to the history of cinema.

To mark the 1900th anniversary of the construction of Hadrian’s Wall, on both Sunday 20th and Sunday 27th, the Northumberland National park team at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre will screen the archive film, The Living Wall. The film documents life on the wall in the 1970s in a glimpse of the past and the continuing fascination of a wall that once divided us.

Along a similar vein, Wednesday 23rd will see Forum Cinema screen archive films of Hexham and Tynedale to marvel at the progression, changes and constants of life in the area.

Hexham & District Photography Society will screen the rare Gregory Crewdson film, Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounter, at Forum Cinema Hexham on Wednesday 23rd. Granting access over a decade, the film bears witness to the photographer’s psyche and process, all while revelling in the beauty of his art.

Tyne Valley Film Festival includes so many more wonderful screenings, including French New Wave, shorts, Captain Scott’s South Pole expedition, railway comedies, Saturday Night Fever, Limbo and Bambi. The festival promises an inclusive and collaborative event, with all of the bases of cinema covered. There is something for everyone, from art lovers to motorcycle enthusiasts; children to old souls.

Tyne Valley Film Festival takes place from Friday 18th-Sunday 27th March at various venues across the Tyne Valley.

www.tynevalleyfilmfestival.com

INTERVIEW

MUSIC

T-B, L-R: Vigilance State by Patrick Williams, Badger by Tom Harvey, Holy Braille, John Dole by Johnny Haynes, Faithful Johannes by Victoria Wai, SQUARMS by Benjamin Scott

NORTHERN TAPE

AHEAD OF NORTHERN TAPE’S NEW RELEASE AND A WEEKEND OF LIVE SHOWS, JAKE ANDERSON TALKS TO STEVEN CHELL ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING NICHE GENRES Northern Tape focuses on the electronic scene in the North by releasing split cassettes, as well as hosting occasional events. Their next event takes the form of a multi-venue festival on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th March, which will feature the likes of Gonzo Dog, Potaito, Blamire, Badger, Vigilance State, Bert Verso, John Dole, Faithful Johannes, Tunnel Club and Michael Blakely alongside many others, across three different venues – The Cumberland Arms, Little Buildings and The Tanners Arms.

Northern Tape’s work has benefitted a great number of artists in the region, placing them in front of audiences that perhaps mightn’t have heard of them before. It’s this mentality that was the drive for Steven Chell to start Northern Tape, as he explains: “I’ve always enjoyed championing producers and artists from my local area. I started Northern Electric Festival six years ago with Sim and Tom from Kaneda Records to help build a community and get local electronic acts in front of local audiences. We focussed on small artists, bedroom producers and people looking to network.” The group puts care into each split release. The first cassette, NT001, sold out, with only a few copies of NT002 left. NT003 will be released soon, featuring Badger, SQUARMS, Faithful Johannes and Infinite Arcade, with art by Kate Bradley. Steven comments that the sound of NT003 is typified by “a chaotic blend of dystopic pop and electronic post-punk.”

Further explaining the importance of the NT cassette series, he says: “I wanted to continue that support, but also try and work in something else that I enjoyed. I felt like a cassette series would create cool merch that was not only unique to our community, but would also hopefully help connect people to new audiences as well as build a small legacy for the North East. I think it’s really important to remember that music has value, supporting physical formats is one way to recognise that. It’s not just something for cassette enthusiasts, it’s for anyone.”

Northern Tape is a big advocate for music that perhaps falls outside the mainstream, and is adamant that these alternative and niche genres are needed: “It’s really important to represent the whole

I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT MUSIC HAS VALUE, SUPPORTING PHYSICAL FORMATS IS ONE WAY TO RECOGNISE THAT. IT’S NOT JUST SOMETHING FOR CASSETTE ENTHUSIASTS, IT’S FOR ANYONE spectrum of music and creativity. I’m well aware that if I want to develop this series and make it representative of our region, I need to take my own advice and continue to reach out to niche artists from different backgrounds and hope that they’ll be interested in working with us. I think everyone on our releases so far have really strong musical identities and a unique approach to creating.”

He speaks of several artists he’s particularly in thrall of: “I think the kind of musical exploration ako is conducting at the moment is fascinating from multiple perspectives. I’m a big fan of Faithful Johannes and his blend of playful satire and melancholic pop. We’re working on something else together which we will hopefully be sharing later in the year. Bert Verso has a new release coming up which I’m really excited about too. His music is really fun and danceable, but also super comprehensive and interesting for when you’re in the mood for headphones-on deepdive.”

When asked what fans can expect from Northern Electric Festival 2022 later this year, Steven teases: “a low-key collection of events showcasing the talent on our doorstep. It’s a cool opportunity to hang out with friends, network with local creatives, and support local venues.”

Northern Tape present a weekend of performances at The Cumberland Arms, Little Buildings and The Tanners Arms on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th March. Check their social media for the full line-up.

www.facebook.com/northerntape

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SOUTHPAW DANCE COMPANY

Friday 18 March, 7.30pm & Saturday 19 March, 7.30pm £16.50 | £13 | £8 30

dancecity.co.uk | 0191 261 0505

INTERVIEW

ONE MILLION MOTORS DAMIAN ROBINSON CHATS WITH THE NORTH EAST ALT. PUNKS ABOUT THEIR POLITICAL AND ANGST-FILLED NEW EP

MUSIC

Image by Victoria Wai

WE TRY TO HAVE A HARSH EDGE WHILST TRYING TO ALSO LOOK FOR SOME OF THE REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC If there’s one thing that the socials of Newcastle alt. punk outfit One Million Motors suggest, it’s that they unafraid of saying what they think. Full of political commentary and heart-on-sleeve opinions, it’s fair to say that the quartet don’t only rage against the machine through their music and on-stage performances; they do so in their off-stage lives too.

Following up their 2021 Ramones-meets-Offspring-meetsDropkick Murphy’s intense Poisoned Lungs/You’re Not Viable releases, this month sees the band continue their angst-filled trajectory with the release of their new EP; a heavy, aggressive symphony which forces their rage right to the foreground of their music. And, given the intensity of their EP, their online personas and even their press releases (which pitches the release as “questioning of the current day government as well as the mundane nature of the 9-5 working life”), it seems like One Million Motors are still finding plenty of ammunition to fuel their creativity.

The direct, almost Misfits-like, straight-to-the-point punk mentality of EP highlight They’re Getting Away With This not only brings out huge punk power chords and sneering vocals, but also interesting commentary around who, exactly, are getting away with what? “That was written around October time, well before

‘Partygate’ was in the press, but it’s almost serendipity when I think about the song now and what’s coming out about the government’s behaviour,” says vocalist and rhythm guitarist John O’Hare, who makes up the band alongside bassist and vocalist James Hattersley, guitarist Mick White and drummer Emma Anderson. “I totally believe that our government are getting away with it. We never really planned to become political, or for our music to have that political edge, but we lost somebody due to Covid and when you think of all of the anger that comes from trying to do the right thing and then you hear about what members of the government are up to, it just all comes out. And they are getting away with it. But they shouldn’t be.”

Full of edgy, political, rallies, They’re Getting Away With This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the strong focus of the EP; other highlights such as ACW and Knows What’s Best contribute to a collection of songs which come with a strong thesis as well as heavy guitars and pounding rhythms.

“We think this is our best work to date,” says James “and whilst we’re influenced by the classic punk bands, and more recently by the likes of Bob Vylan and Idles, we try to have a harsh edge whilst trying to also look for some of the reasons to be optimistic and I think that’s also in our music.”

With plans already afoot for another EP or mini album in 2022, it seems like One Million Motors are on a roll, and have plenty more to rage against.

One Million Motors release their new EP on 25th March.

www.onemillionmotors.bandcamp.com

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COVER FEATURE

NORTH EAST WOMEN IN SOUL MUSIC

HOPE LYNES SPEAKS TO THOSE INVOLVED WITH NEW MUSIC COLLECTIVE NEWISM ABOUT THE REGION’S NEO-SOUL SCENE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTIVE NETWORKS IMAGE BY AMELIA READ North East Women In Soul Music (NEWISM) aims to provide a platform for the rising female neo-soul talent emerging in the North East. Founded by Georgia May, Frankie Jobling, Kate Bond and Karla Farrar (aka FALLU), the group has become a space for the North East’s soulful women to support, promote and encourage each other.

The core of NEWISM is in the ‘NE’ premise; the region’s neo-soul scene has come under increasing focus over the last couple of years, thanks in part to artists like Georgia May, whose stunning 2020 album Mood Daze fused elements of R&B, trip-hop and Afrobeat. More recently, Kate Bond’s single Yasmine was picked up

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by Radio 1 DJs thanks to its laidback melody and fearless approach to the heavy-hitting subject matter of toxic relationships and mental health. Kate is emphatic that there is a need for more support of the genre in the North. “We think it’s important that soul music is recognised in the North East. We are often forgotten about because the focus of the industry is on the South, so having a collective where the shows we put on are busy and highly anticipated is so important in showing the industry how much the soul scene pops here.”

“We would love NEWISM to be the start of something that helps get up and coming female artists out there, because there are so

COVER FEATURE

MUSIC

HAVING A COLLECTIVE WHERE THE SHOWS WE PUT ON ARE BUSY AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED IS SO IMPORTANT IN SHOWING THE INDUSTRY HOW MUCH THE SOUL SCENE POPS HERE

L-R Frankie Jobling, Georgia May, Kate Bond, FALLU

many in the North East,” says Frankie Jobling, “if we can act like a platform and start varying who performs at the events, it could be a really big thing. It would eventually be a support system for women in music.”

Frankie’s new single, Where Do You Go When You Go Quiet?, is released this month. Taking influence from classic sounds, while imparting her own contemporary vibe, Frankie’s soulful and sultry voice gives her an instant likeability. “I wrote this song in frustration at wanting to help someone, but them not letting me in, and them feeling like a burden for not wanting to share their problems.” The beautifully melodic track is filled with emotion, as Frankie admits: “All my songs are really confessional, they’re like diary entries, where I’ll go back through my journal and look for little things that I’ve written down and I’ll use them to make songs.”

A healthy respect for the sub-genre’s principle sounds is something that unites all four musicians. Newcastle-based FALLU’s style contains a melting pot of sounds, with elements of funk and R&B fusing with psychedelic vibes and clashing beats. Collective founder Georgia May explains how her influences stem from her childhood: “Growing up I enjoyed listening to India Arie, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and Eryka Badu. My influences and my natural style made me a neo-soul artist. I’m writing again and can’t wait to release more music, play some festivals this year and hope to work more on my own craft to improve my vocals and performance behind the scenes.”

Frankie comments that her inspirations have come from far and wide. “When I was growing up, I listened to all of the old school stuff, a lot of jazz and soul – I’m really heavily influenced by that, with a massive contemporary twist on it.” Proud of blending new and old generation sounds, it’s this fusion that has made the neo-soul scene such an exciting one.

Audiences can witness this burgeoning movement flourish at one of NEWISM’s regular live shows. Their debut show at Hoochie Coochie back in October, which also included Durham songwriter and producer Phibi, was enough to encourage brand new promoter Pippa Morgan (aka PM Music) to want to work with them for her first event as part of Generator’s Create:Live programme. “I first came across NEWISM at their debut show as a collective back in October. I’d gone along to some of the girls’ gigs prior to this and was already super impressed by the standard of talent there was in the North East soul scene. It’s so important that artists (especially female artists!) are celebrated and supported within this genre, so that soul can continue to grow and thrive in the North East.”

PM Music’s NEWISM showcase on Saturday 19th March at Cobalt Studios will feature performances from all the founding members, Georgia May, Frankie Jobling, Kate Bond and FALLU. It’s important to the promoter and performers that NEWISM provides a safe space for musicians and audiences, as well as an encouraging environment for talent to flourish. Frankie’s enthusiasm about their shows is infectious: “It’s like a big party, that is all I can describe it as! The last time we performed there was just so much love in the room, and so much empowering of each other.”

Serving as a great introduction to the region’s neo-soul scene, and providing an important connection between musicians and audiences, FALLU is excited by the group’s potential. “When we first spoke about NEWISM, we honestly never thought it would get this much recognition. We were just four female musicians wanting to play a gig together. NEWISM has definitely brought something to my life that I never thought I’d have. I feel lucky to be a co-founder of such a wonderful, female-lead collective.”

North East Women In Soul Music featuring Georgia May, Frankie Jobling, Kate Bond and FALLU takes place at Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Saturday 19th March.

www.instagram.com/newism___

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INTERVIEW

STAGE

T-B, L-R: Independent Producers, Alison Scurfield, Lucy Nichol

ELEVATOR FESTIVAL EVIE LAKE CHATS WITH TWO PLAYWRIGHTS WHOSE WORK WILL BE PART OF LIVE THEATRE’S ELEVATOR FESTIVAL Live Theatre is set to highlight the dramatical talents of future theatre makers once again in their recurring Elevator Festival, which runs from Tuesday 15th-Saturday 26th March. Championing fresh and local talent has always been at the forefront of Live Theatre’s output, and at the festival’s apex are two new plays commissioned by the theatre.

Intergalactic (Petals and Constellations) by Alison Scurfield is a queer coming-of-age play revolving around an unlikely pair and science class. First presented at one of Live’s Scratch Nights in 2020, Alison’s journey with the story didn’t feel complete: “I’ve done quite a few shorts before and always been happy where I’ve ended them – that’s as far as I wanted to go. But, when I did the scratch of this I knew I wasn’t finished.”

Talking about the opportunity to present her work at Elevator Festival, Alison comments: “It means a lot because Live is so great for new writing. They were the first people to ever programme me and so to be with them again for my first full length is really lovely.

Winning the bursary was a massive help because it allowed me time and space to explore the story.”

Intergalactic (Petals and Constellations) will run from Wednesday 16th-Saturday 19th March: Alison implores everyone to come, especially as her mum has bought a new dress for the occasion.

The second play being funded as part of Elevator Festival is The

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YOU CREATE THESE CHARACTERS AND PUT THEM OUT INTO THE WORLD, BUT WHEN SOMEONE ELSE PICKS THEM UP AND BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO THEM AND GETS THEM DOING NEW THINGS IT’S REALLY QUITE EXCITING

Twenty Seven Club by Lucy Nichols and Chris Connel, which will run from Wednesday 23rd-Saturday 26th March, and is based on Lucy’s novel by the same name. A celebration of 90s nostalgia and music, the play explores mental health and why so many rock stars die at 27.

Chris Connel, Lucy’s husband, hasn’t written a stage play before, however landed his first paid gig as an actor at Live Theatre thirty years ago. Lucy explains the process of adapting the novel for the stage: “You create these characters and put them out into the world, but when someone else picks them up and breathes new life into them and gets them doing new things it’s really quite exciting.” Lucy concludes: “The big thing about Elevator Festival is that you’re given the space to experiment, with support along the way.”

Alongside the brand new plays, Live Theatre will be hosting an array of events to shine a light on the North East drama scene. Artists Question Time will take place on Tuesday 15th March, when an industry panel will be faced with questions from the audience about new writing and progressing in a pandemic. Live Theatre’s Artistic Director Jack McNamara will host the panel, along with two workshops: Introduction to Directing on Saturday 19th and Directing Through Design on Saturday 26th March.

Saturday 19th March will also boast a play reading of Kerry Wright’s semi-autobiographical comedy Kailey, which depicts the turbulent life of a young woman navigating life alone when her mum is caught in the prison system. Finally, Elevator Festival’s Scratch Night will take place on Monday 21st, where five artists will present extracts from new theatre. The audience will have a chance to see these work-in-progress shows and provide feedback, furthering an artist’s development and creative practice.

Elevator Festival takes place at Live Theatre, Newcastle from Tuesday 15th-Saturday 26th March.

www.live.org.uk

INTERVIEW

MUSIC

T-B, L-R: Supriya Nagarajan, Yao Bobby & Simon Grab, Hannabiell Sanders by Anna Miller, Bad Amputee

TUSK NORTH

AFTER A TOUGH 18 MONTHS, TUSK IS RE-EMERGING THIS MONTH WITH AN EXCITING NEW EVENT. LEE FISHER SPOKE TO LEE ETHERINGTON TO FIND OUT MORE

In the autumn of 2020, as gigs and festivals collapsed or reduced in scale, TUSK went against the prevailing mood to deliver what was probably their most expansive and successful project, a two-week programme of streamed performances, films, conversations and more. It was global in both reach and content and was a genuinely thrilling oasis in a desert of pandemic gloom. It also showed the TUSK team new ways to work, with their YouTube channel now boasting 300+ performances and 2,000 daily views. “We’re still trying to work out how to make the most of this but have some major streaming plans for this year.” Lee Etherington explains.

Despite that triumph, 2021 was tough. “The last 18 months have been pretty brutal for us, to be honest, as we’ve struggled to raise any funding at all for the first time since we began in 2011, so we’ve come pretty close to shutting up shop on numerous occasions. I’d say we’re still not out of the woods by any stretch, though we are able to do a series of events, streaming and digital content through the spring at least and are working hard to get things back on an even keel as the independent music world tries to get back on its feet.”

The TUSK team have built an increasingly close relationship with Newcastle’s International Centre For Music Studies (ICMuS), with regular collaborators Mariam Rezaei and Will Edmondes both working there and TUSK videos even being used in lectures. This relationship has led to TUSK North, taking place at The Lit & Phil this month, and a full collaboration in terms of programming.

“We’re very protective of our programming so this is a new way for us to work but we feel we share so much in common re: outlook and aesthetics of music with Mariam, Will and ICMuS generally that it’s come together in a way that we’re all very happy with. It enables us to bring some acts to the region for the first time and showcase some favourite locals while also bringing more light to

ICMUS IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MORE ADVENTUROUS UNIVERSITY MUSIC DEPARTMENTS AND WE HOPE THIS IS THE FIRST OF MANY COLLABORATIONS the great artists based at the University. ICMuS is certainly one of the more adventurous university music departments and we hope this is the first of many collaborations.”

The event will take place across the whole of The Lit & Phil, a beautiful building full of opportunities and spaces. There’ll be installations, talks, a video jukebox, a full TOPH fringe and a sacred harp session led as ever by Cath and Phil Tyler. As we’ve come to expect, Etherington’s enthusiasm is infections, especially when talking about the music line-up.

“I’ve spent a lot of lockdown enjoying releases from Uganda’s Nyege Nyege and related labels so we’re really excited to bring Yao Bobby + Simon Grab’s noise-spattered dancehall. And Supriya Nagarajan and Lucy Nolan’s merge of carnatci singing and harp is sublime. Apartment House are someone we’ve been trying to bring here for the past few years and they will perform a new piece by our friend Jim O’Rourke for oscillator and strings. Plus Edward George’s superheavy Strangeness of Dub show, amazing Newcastle bands like Penance Stare and Bad Amputee, unhinged electronics from Kenosist, Will and Mariam in various guises and loads more.”

TUSK North takes places at The Lit & Phil, Newcastle on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th March.

www.tuskmusic.org

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INTERVIEW

LOST VOICE GUY CAMERON WRIGHT CHATS TO THE NORTH EAST COMEDIAN ABOUT LIVING A LIFE OF EXTREMES

COMEDY

Image by Steve Ullathorne

I’VE ALWAYS LIKED TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH AND AS LONG AS I WAS LAUGHING AT MYSELF, IT MEANT NOBODY ELSE COULD After being crowned the winner of Britain’s Got Talent, it’s fair to say that Consett-born Lee Ridley’s life has been full of craziness.

From dancing with Paul Chuckle at the Royal Variety Performance to writing his own Radio 4 sitcom, entitled Ability, the comedian’s life has been full of extremes he could never have expected, which all makes perfect fodder for his new show Cerebral LOL-sy.

With an inspiring confidence, Ridley’s routines have always plucked from his experiences and hardships. Even his stage name, Lost Voice Guy, is a not-so-subtle nod to the automated voice he uses on his iPad to speak. “Humour helped me cope with everything when I was growing up and it still helps me today, I’ve always liked to make people laugh and as long as I was laughing at myself, it meant nobody else could.” With his routines discussing his struggles with cerebral palsy, the day to day of navigating social media or “sending dirty messages to my blind girlfriend”, his act strives to make experiences many of us don’t face seem human and accessible. “People forget about the disability and treat me as another comic who messes around on stage for a living, people now seem more comfortable talking to a disabled person. It’s nice being stared at for positive reasons.”

While making an impact and interacting with people is the crux of Ridley’s act, his new show takes aim at the dark world of internet trolls. Never one to be defeated, the comedian sees the funny side, quipping: “One Tweet I received said, ‘well done on finding the easiest way to do comedy. You can just write stuff on your laptop,

and get that to remember it and say it for you’. Of course, he is right. Can you imagine how hard my life would be, if I could actually talk? It just doesn’t bear thinking about. I’d have to remember how to say words, remember how to form sentences, remember all my jokes. Clearly by choosing to be disabled, I have taken the easy way out. And, for that, I’m truly sorry!”

Mentioning his frustration around his “posh sounding” automated voice, he was delighted when a company called CereProc approached him to design a Geordie accent for his communication machine. “I’ve always wanted a Geordie accent. I don’t think my current voice represents where I am from. And It isn’t exactly the voice that I would have had, if I wasn’t disabled. But creating a Geordie accent isn’t a simple thing to do. Because of the new technology involved, it costs quite a lot to create one, and it’s quite a long process. So when CereProc, who have lots of experience in creating voices, approached me offering to make me a Geordie accent, I jumped at the opportunity. And, of course, most ladies love a Geordie accent.”

Having previously played the Royal Variety Show, the comedian sees his upcoming tour as a welcome change of pace. “I’ll definitely be naughtier on my tour, Harry and Meghan might have had me locked in the Tower of London! Playing in front of Royalty is great and everything, but I definitely think my jokes land better when I can swear in them!”

Lost Voice Guy performs Cerebral LOL-sy at Alnwick Playhouse on Tuesday 8th, The Witham, Barnard Castle on Wednesday 16th, The Forum in Northallerton on Wednesday 23rd March, and Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle on Saturday 28th May.

www.lostvoiceguy.com

37

INTERVIEW

BUBAMARA

WE WANTED TO CELEBRATE AND REFLECT THE GREAT FOLKLORIC THEMES OF LOVE, DEATH, DRUNKENNESS AND OF COURSE, JOY

MARIA WINTER SPEAKS TO THE WILDLY ECLECTIC BAND ABOUT THEIR UPCOMING ALBUM, THE VALUE OF WORLD MUSIC AND THEIR MUSICAL INFLUENCES

MUSIC

“I like to call this album music without anxiety. In today’s society that’s the healing pill everyone needs.”

Darlington based ‘folk exotica’ band Bubamara have channelled their unique European-inspired sound to explore various compelling themes within their new album, Hash Houses Of The Holy. I spoke to band members Ivor Pop and Dave Hartley, who shed light on their fascinating and highly impressive musical processes.

The title of their new album was inspired by Led Zeppelin’s album Houses of the Holy; Bubamara desired to make reference to the hash houses of Greece, which arose in the 1920/30s. Ivor explained: “They played this fusion of music brought in by this displaced community of migrants. We wanted to celebrate this underground music and reflect the great folkloric themes of love, death, drunkenness and of course, joy.” Dave added: “When you bring the tracks together you can hear there is a drive in the consistency of the songs. They all work together nicely.”

The band’s excitement and openness for cultural influence is harnessed through a desire for community and inclusivity. The development of Hash Houses of the Holy involved many varied influences from around the world, which is apparent through the album’s diverse genre flexibility. Yet, the beauty of Bubamara is in their vast life experiences; as an avid rock ‘n’ roll instrumentalist, Dave implements this into particular musical styles, either from scratch, or by reinforcing any rock elements already present. For Ivor, in many respects the album is a continuation of his extensive past journeys around the world: “I basically circumnavigated the whole of the Northern Hemisphere with a guitar on my back. I busked wherever I could and just hung out with people.” It’s these

38

approaches that create the band’s complex genre crossovers, which veer from a Turkish tune set to karsilamas rhythm on Cafe Shohor; the bluesy Hangman, which delves into the lives of Lebanese farmers; Little Apple, a Russian/Ukranian satirical folk song which the band adapted with their own lyrics; the traditional Italian folk of Lu Core Meu and Liberta, a simple Calabrian tune adapted from the il Canto Malavita – the music of the mafia.

Developed during the lockdown periods, the album’s powerful qualities are designed to be shared in a live setting. One of the most important aspects of live performance for Bubamara is their connection to the audience. This is something they intrinsically strive to establish in any gig they undertake, particularly now live music is so poignant. For Ivor, he views music as “a profound form of alchemy, and if we can trans-mutate it into people dancing, that to me is the purest form of magic”. As a group known for their audience captivation through joyous performance, it isn’t difficult to believe that creating a sense of affinity is at the heart and soul of their music. Dave reinforced this stating: “we create the initial energy, then if you have the right audience they relay that energy back to you which gives a real connection.”

As a collection of tunes that aim to depict the great themes from various folk traditions, Hash Houses of the Holy does so through exhilarating instrumentals, exquisite precision and intricate rhythms. It’s safe to say the album truly embodies Ivor’s description of “music without anxiety”.

Bubamara release Hash Houses of the Holy on 11th March 2022.

They play The Globe, Newcastle on Saturday 12th March.

www.facebook.com/bubamaramusic

INTERVIEW

MUSIC

Image by Elly Lucas

LUCY FARRELL

EVIE LAKE TALKS TO FOLK ARTIST LUCY FARRELL ABOUT STRIKING OUT ON HER OWN AND THE ANGST OF HONEST SONGWRITING Lucy Farrell tells me she is an honest songwriter. Situated within the folk tradition of visceral, ardent thinking, I believe her: “When I’m writing you’re like, ‘Jesus, it’s so obvious who this is about, it’s so autobiographical’, but the longer they’re outside my head they go off and become their own thing. I don’t want sole responsibility for a song, you can’t control what everyone thinks,” she states.

To sit and listen to Farrell’s music is to let your mind drift off and wander; in any of her projects, she has the ability to transport you anywhere and so her conclusion seems natural. Having been a part of significant folk groups such as The Furrow Collective, Eliza Carthy’s Wayward Band and the Emily Portman Trio amongst others, Farrell has cemented within a legacy of collaborative folk music.

However, her latest venture departs from the heavily collaborative career she’s had so far: a solo album. Recorded at Wenlock Abbey, owned by Gabriella Drake, the album features the instruments of her late brother, Nick Drake, “by some happy little chain of coincidence his guitar and piano were offered to us to use,” she marvels. “It was a really special time and it definitely influenced the album. We had to get his instruments on so we added the piano and the guitar. You go in thinking it might come out one way but it comes out completely differently.”

The solo work was daunting at first, she exclaims that “for a long time I was a very secret writer, but it was the support of my friends

I DON’T WANT SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A SONG, YOU CAN’T CONTROL WHAT EVERYONE THINKS

that got me to finally do it.” There was an apparent separation between how she knew herself as a performer and who she found herself to be as a writer: “So much of my life as a performer has been about traditional stuff, but when I started writing it was so different. For some time I kept it quite separate.”

Farrell still holds onto her roots, however, with her album featuring one traditional English folk song. “I was up in the air about putting a traditional one on because it was too different. But it was actually exciting to do, there are some electronics on there.”

The album, which she tells me will most likely be called The Things I Know Now and is due for an autumn release, has taken a while to manifest. Time has taken its toll on the songs in a way that sees Farrell become a voyeur to her past self. “Somehow I think it was a good thing because those songs sort of lived with me for a long time. It’s great getting a distance between me and a song, they’re so riddled with angst when they’re fresh.”

It’s significant that Lucy Farrell is returning to Newcastle from Canada, where she currently finds herself, to tour her solo project.

She originally came for University, studying Folk & Traditional Music at Newcastle University, and spent many years working at The Cumberland Arms. “That was my introduction to really being a folk musician,” she says. “There are obviously folk traditions in Canada but I appreciate coming back even more now, I feel like history is so tangible.”

Lucy Farrell plays Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle on Sunday 13th March.

www.lucyfarrellmusic.com

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INTERVIEW

ART & LIT

Phyllis Christopher, Catrina and Huffty McHugh at the West End Women and Girls Centre for Pedal Against Patriarchy

40 WOMEN AND GIRLS

EVIE LAKE TALKS TO CATRINA MCHUGH MBE, PHYLLIS CHRISTOPHER AND HUFFTY MCHUGH ABOUT CELEBRATING FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY BY HARNESSING THE POWER OF PHOTOGRAPHY, AS NEWCASTLE’S WEST END WOMEN AND GIRLS CENTRE CELEBRATES ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY Since 1981, Newcastle’s West End Women and Girls Centre has established itself into the very foundations of Elswick. Providing support from youth clubs to domestic abuse services, for young girls to matriarchs, the centre is the beating heart of the West End, standing tall whilst austerity saw so many community services diminish.

Now in its 40th year, they’re celebrating all of the women and girls who have made the centre what it is. The 40 Women And Girls exhibition includes 40 portraits taken by photographer Phyllis Christopher, with stories gathered by writer Catrina McHugh MBE for an accompanying book, and will open on International Women’s Day, Wednesday 9th March.

I met them both on Zoom, along with Huffty McHugh, the centre’s coordinator. What ensued was a restoration of faith in feminism and the assurance that someone is watching out for us. With fists momentarily raised in the air, we talked about the centre’s significance in so many women’s lives, and how the services they

40

provide relies on the women’s politics.

Huffty explains that through the exhibition they “wanted to mark 40 years with 40 women and girls who have been so important to the progression of the centre, so they can be remembered.” She takes me through the services and groups they run: Girls’ group, Women’s group, cooking and farming groups, all alongside campaigns to further equality and empowerment. Domestic violence support is one of their weightier tasks: “Unfortunately, during lockdown, the incidences of domestic abuse were massive and we continue to receive more and more referrals every day, so they work, really, really hard.” But the centre has trained more than 250 young women across the region as domestic violence champions, who educate and support the women who need it most.

Speaking to Catrina about the anniversary project, she states: “The centre is important because of how much it means to everybody.

Yes, the services provide support for women experiencing

INTERVIEW

L-R, T-B: Kacey Connor, Brenda White, Shiren Abdullah, Dil Awaiz, Marwa Omar, Sophie Murtha by Phyllis Christopher domestic violence, but in some respects, it’s so much more than that. It’s about empowerment, coming together.” She expands: “When people talk about the different experiences of women it can seem bleak, but these are stories about women that make change happen. We’re standing alongside these women and girls and witnessing their strength and talent.”

There is no doubt that this is a celebration, a beacon for all of the women that have contributed to the centre over the years. BALTIC will help project Phyllis’ photos onto the side of the building, which will be lit up on their private opening night, fit with a red carpet for all of the nominated women and girls, of which the youngest is eight.

“I love taking new photographs, it’s my little way of being an activist. We all do what we can, and so I take pictures,” remarks Phyllis. All three women continually marvel at the power and inspiration every woman who has graced the centre wields. Phyllis sought to capture that essence in the portraits: “the approach to the photography was to honour these women. You can think of photography as superficial, but it’s not. It’s a way to preserve history and show very dignified portraits of these heroes.

Sometimes it’s hard to convince people to sit for a picture, and these are hardworking, everyday, modest people. But everybody cooperated, even though it was understandably scary. And we’ve decided to print them A1 so they’re going to be huge. I hope it looks like a wonderful tribute.”

Originally, Phyllis wanted to capture the 40 women in their natural environments, the places they were most comfortable and, so, most themselves. “I wanted to tell the story of what they do, but as the pandemic went on, we realised it just wasn’t possible. So, I set up a studio in the centre, using images of the centre as a backdrop.

The architecture is very distinct and always brings back good memories.”

Significantly, it’s the same approach Catrina took when she sat down with the women and girls to be interviewed for the corresponding book: “It was my job to create a safe space for these women, so I used memories. I asked them to return to walking through the building for the first time: what did they see, what did they smell and touch.” West End Women and Girls Centre is such an anchor and constant in these people’s lives, returning to it is a safe practice and it’s a second home for many of those nominated.

THE APPROACH TO THE PHOTOGRAPHY WAS TO HONOUR THESE WOMEN. YOU CAN THINK OF PHOTOGRAPHY AS SUPERFICIAL, BUT IT’S NOT. IT’S A WAY TO PRESERVE HISTORY AND SHOW VERY DIGNIFIED PORTRAITS OF THESE HEROES “I wanted to see the history of the centre unfold,” she continued.

The talk inevitably turns to the feminism that underlines the centre’s ethic. With women, their empowerment and struggles at its core, it seems that the centre’s ethos is undisputable: “You know the world is not equal, and women are discriminated against.

Women are having to reclaim the streets. I do think feminism makes the centre work,” explains Catrina. With the centre motivated and supported by feminist ideals, the women grow likeminded, supportive and demanding for change. Catrina laughs: “There was one nominee who claimed they weren’t a feminist, but when we talked it through, and what feminism meant, she quickly corrected herself saying ‘oh, maybe I am a feminist’, because she’s on the side of understanding women.”

Phyllis concludes: “It reaffirms my feminism when I come to the centre because you’re just reminded about what happens when women get together with the feminist philosophy, anything can happen and good things happen. It’s a very strengthening, supportive environment that you can’t find anywhere else.”

West End Women and Girls Centre has been correcting inequalities and reinforcing the lives of women for 40 years, it’s only fitting that the women who make the centre what it is, and what it stands for, are celebrated artfully and emotionally. They’re the empowerment a person needs: as we still confront an unequal world, this reminds us that there is still someone watching our backs.

40 Women And Girls is exhibited at Newcastle’s West End Women and Girls Centre from Wednesday 9th-Thursday 31st March. The exhibition is open to women only during the week, with men able to attend at the weekend.

www.westendwomenandgirls.co.uk

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INTERVIEW

MUSIC

DANA GAVANSKI

Image by Clementine Schneidermann

ALI WELFORD TALKS TO THE FOLK POP SONGWRITER ABOUT FOLLOWING HER “WEIRD AND QUIRKY” INSTINCTS ON HER NEW ALBUM After two years spent kicking the can down the road, this month finally sees Dana Gavanski’s long-awaited return to the North East, for a show originally scheduled in Spring 2020. Booked on a promotional run in support of her acclaimed debut album Yesterday Is Gone, the eventual gig at Bobik’s on Saturday 5th March will instead offer a preview of its successor, with new effort When It Comes due to arrive in April. “In a way, it’s like we’re starting again,” the London-based Canadian-Serbian artist reflects.

“It’s been two years, and in that time I’ve lost touch with that old album, so this feels like a bit of a rebirth.”

While Yesterday Is Gone earned favourable comparisons to the likes of Cate Le Bon and Julia Jacklin, the new record undoubtedly represents a more idiosyncratic and playful collection; an adventurous development from a songwriter bent on discovering her own niche.

“I was feeling a bit depressed with everything that was going on, but I was also having issues with my voice and was a little bored with my approach to the guitar,” she recalls, of the period following Yesterday Is Gone’s release. “I was searching for inspiration...I wanted to be more myself – to be quirkier, weirder and not follow trends. It was about becoming more at ease – both with myself and my music, and discovering ways the two can connect.”

One of the key catalysts in When It Comes’ genesis was the healing of those “lost” vocal cords, an unfortunate factor which further

DURING ALL THE TIME THAT’S ELAPSED, I’VE BEEN QUESTIONING MUSIC AND WHETHER I STILL WANT TO DO IT – AND ULTIMATELY REALISED THAT I WANT MORE FROM IT

hindered her emergence. “When you have restrictions you want to push them, so when I was having vocal problems I was both working with and against them,” Dana reveals. “I became obsessed with my voice; sometimes I was accepting of my limitations, but on other occasions I didn’t want to and it became quite a moody mix.”

There were instrumental breakthroughs too – notably the introduction of Moog synth and Dana’s embrace of fresher, more playful melodic flourishes. These culminate in an array of illuminating highlights, from the twinkling, almost childlike music box sweetness of opener I Kiss The Night to the stuttering arpeggio rhythms underpinning recent single Indigo Highway.

“We had a lot of fun with the Moog and trying to embrace not knowing,” she recalls. “The sound is a little more funky and experimental, but really it was all about exploring and trying to find what each song wanted.”

With last November’s jaunt supporting Porridge Radio their only extended run since pre-Covid times, Dana and her four-piece band are likewise keen to highlight a much-changed live show since their previous visit to Bobik’s in 2019. “During all the time that’s elapsed, I’ve been questioning music and whether I still want to do it – and ultimately realised that I want more from it. I’ve been watching lots of David Bowie and mime stuff, and I’ve been really enjoying those kinds of performative methods. We’re in the middle of rehearsals now and we’re having costumes made. When we first started out I would just spend our shows hiding behind my guitar. I may still do a bit of that…but in my mind at least my approach has changed a lot!”

Dana Gavanski plays Bobik’s on Saturday 5th March. When It Comes is released on 29th April.

www.danagavanski.co.uk

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INTERVIEW

WE ARE THE MONSTERS

THIS PROJECT IS JUST A MEANS OF TRYING OUT LEFTFIELD GENRE INTERESTS THAT DIDN’T TIE IN WITH THE CEILIDH AESTHETIC

LUKE WALLER DISCOVERS THE LINKS BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDS, AS NEW CELTIC FUSION PROJECT WE ARE THE MONSTERS LAUNCH THEIR DEBUT EP

MUSIC

Many of the greatest bands and artists of the past sixty-odd years have earned their names as musical pioneers through their various concoctions of contrasting genres and influences. It’s no surprise that this aspiration lives on in musicians as they search for their particular sound; one such musical hybrid currently gaining momentum is the fusion of folk and electronic music. The stark contrast of old and new, organic and synthetic, earthly and otherworldly creates a sound quite unlike any other. This is the direction of We Are The Monsters, one of the North East’s most sensational new groups.

Accordionist Amy Thatcher explains: “This group has evolved from The Monster Ceilidh Band – our roots were, and still are, here. Although we were originally a straightforward acoustic ceilidh dance band, this project is just a means of trying out leftfield genre interests that didn’t tie in with the ceilidh aesthetic.”

The band also features members from The Shee and Northumbrian pipes virtuoso Kathryn Tickell’s supporting band The Darkening. “We have feet in traditional dance music, or folk music if you prefer, and also in all different types of modern electronic dance music – we’re particularly fond of drum ‘n’ bass.

It’s becoming more and more natural to mix genres, and we love experimenting as we’re always in search of an original sound.”

The group’s first EP, Mutated, is due for release on 25th March.

“The EP is a little overview of the kind of thing you can expect to hear us producing over the next few years. The name is a follow up from our last album with The Monster Ceilidh Band, Mutation – we’re now fully ‘mutated’!” There will be an accompanying live show at The Cumberland Arms in Newcastle on Saturday 9th

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April to celebrate its release, which may provide a different take on the sound of the EP. “The live set will feature more electronic influences and may have a more free structure. Dave [bass] and Amy [accordion] play synths and we have a lot more pedals involved to affect the acoustic sounds we’re making. We want to play a varied set of music that takes you on a journey.”

We Are The Monsters’ recent single release, entitled Uplift, is a mellow, cheery tune fronted by accordion for most of its duration before breaking into an up-tempo section towards its end, it’s an intricately crafted soundscape of elation from beginning to end, and the accompanying video demonstrates the group’s ties to traditional music yet with modern additions by showing a panorama view of North Eastern countryside, filled with whirling wind turbines. “The video footage was taken on Joe Truswell’s [drummer and programmer] new drone. The sunrise over Northumberland is always an uplifting sight and it nicely represents the rebirth of this new band.” As well as this, Uplift’s single cover is illustrated by accordionist Amy Thatcher’s brother.

“George captures the feeling very aptly with his rendition of our little mutated monster holding his heart.”

We Are The Monsters is a group unique enough to combine such varied tones as drum ‘n’ bass, synth rhythms and mandolinaccented melodies, and with their modern-tinted folk music they readily invoke the beauty and traditions of Northumberland.

We Are The Monsters release Mutated on 25th March. They play The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle on Saturday 9th April.

www.wearethemonsters.co.uk

INTERVIEW

MUSIC

PEGGY SEEGER

Peggy Seeger by Vicki Sharp Photography

AHEAD OF A SHOW IN NEWCASTLE THIS MONTH, SARA JANE PEROVIC MEETS FAMED FOLK SINGER, FEMINIST AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST, PEGGY SEEGER The Seeger family’s songs and social philosophies have been making folk music history for over 100 years. Peggy Seeger is a formidable woman whose wry humour and unflinching fervour are a force to be reckoned with. Her career spans seven decades and her unyielding zeal to the causes she so passionately pursues, from civil and women’s rights to eco-activism and international disarmament, is truly tangible.

At 86 years old, Peggy is touring the UK once again and she’ll be performing at Gosforth Civic Theatre on Thursday 10th March, alongside her son Calum MacColl.

“I had an extraordinary upbringing.” Peggy admits. “If I am in any way unique, I was brought up with two parameters – classical and folk. Classical is the music of the elite. In the middle are other styles of which I know very little. But then you have folk – the music of the working class. I am not a folk singer. I inform my music with my classical. I am heavy on words and melody and light on harmony and rhythm.”

The Seeger household throughout Peggy’s childhood was brimming with folk musicians such as Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie and John Jacob Niles. She says: “My father, Charles, became part of what were almost Dickensian communities where he recorded folk songs. He helped to develop a huge archive.” Her mother Ruth translated many of the songs for the pioneering folklorists, John and Alan Lomax. Together they preserved roots music and put the Archive of American Folk Song on the map. Given her musical upbringing, it was perhaps inevitable that Peggy would become an accomplished musician; she plays the five-string banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, autoharp, English concertina and piano.

Peggy was born during The Great Depression, when folk music began to become enmeshed with social activism, and Communism was viewed as a possible better system against a backdrop of severe economic hardship and inequality. By the 1950s left-leaning

READ AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH PEGGY SEEGER ON OUR WEBSITE NARCMAGAZINE.COM

WE ARE UP AGAINST A BRICK WALL. WE HAVE A GOVERNMENT WHO IS GETTING AWAY WITH LIES AND MORE LIES. WE MUST FOCUS OUR ENERGY ON HELPING EACH OTHER DO THINGS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS REFUSING TO DO singers’ lives became difficult because of the influence of McCarthyism and Peggy took a trip to the 1957 Moscow Festival of World Democratic Youth before travelling on to China, resulting in the US revoking her passport.

Peggy first came to the UK in the 1950’s where she met folk singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl. He was a political polemicist, wrote many left-wing songs and made 40 albums with Peggy. They were key players in the English folk music revival and were married until his death in 1989.

To say Peggy speaks her mind is an understatement but her intentions are truthful, concerned and genuine. She sings about the issues that trouble the world; The First Farewell album is powerful, personal and political, and Peggy’s recent single, The Invisible Woman, spotlights the way in which society marginalises its older generations.

Peggy amuses herself in the fact that innuendo and inference encourage audiences to listen more to lyrics. “I like to introduce the song in a way that entices audiences. A song title such as Lubrication on my latest album is a way of getting people to listen to a song. For many it has sexual connotations but then it turns out I’m talking about tectonic plates,” she laughs.

Many of Peggy’s songs became anthems for women’s rights including I’m Gonna Be An Engineer and Carry Greenham Home, but she explains: “I am not writing so many protest songs these days. We are up against a brick wall. We have a government who is getting away with lies and more lies. We must focus our energy on helping each other do things that the government is refusing to do.”

Peggy Seeger and Calum MacColl play Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle on Thursday 10th March.

www.peggyseeger.com

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INTERVIEW

STAGE

L-R: Origin, Rob Anderson by Darren Jelly O’Kane

BREAKIN’ CONVENTION: EMERGE+SEE LIZZIE LOVEJOY TALKS TO TWO OF THE PERFORMERS TAKING PART IN BREAKIN’ CONVENTION’S CELEBRATION OF DANCE AND HIP-HOP CULTURE Pioneering the hip-hop theatre revolution, Breakin’ Convention presents their new show Emerge+See, which is destined to be another revered project from the organisation’s hip-hop legend Jonzi D. Commissioning artists across the UK to present unique performances celebrating dance and hip-hop culture, the Newcastle event takes place at Dance City on Tuesday 29th March.

I spoke to two of the Newcastle-based artists that have been selected for the Newcastle event, the mixed-media group Origin and dancer Rob Anderson from influential B-boy crew, Bad Taste Cru. When asking about why they decided to get involved with this project Origin explained: “When we were younger we had a chance to see [the work of] Breakin’ Convention…it’s come full circle for us, aiming to be on that stage so that we can inspire the next generation, like they did for us.”

Rob told me why this kind of project is important to the creative process: “Breakin’ Convention creates an environment where they support you financially, with mentorship, guidance and creating a space that is relatively low pressure. It’s a positive working environment. They leave it to you, and that creates an atmosphere where I can make the best work that I am capable of.”

He continued, explaining the importance of dance as a language.

“I am fascinated by movement and what it can do, with its relationship to the body…I’ve met people and we don’t speak the same language but we get that we’re dancers, we don’t need to speak, we can just move. I think that’s why people who don’t dance can still appreciate it – it’s primal.”

Origin have enjoyed being able to work as a team on this project.

“Being in the studio, there’s that sense that we are working towards a goal, a project we dreamed about and joked about – we spoke it into existence. [In previous projects] we’ve been solitary, but now everyone is here. We’ve been given this opportunity to express

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I AM FASCINATED BY MOVEMENT AND WHAT IT CAN DO, WITH ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE BODY more than just dance, to create something that’s within us, in our dreams, our passion, something we’ve always thought of; it’s more than dance, it’s life-story lines, friendship, family, it’s all got to be in there.”

Emerge+See is a hip-hop focused project, and these two sets of artists explore this in very different ways. “Part of being a dancer, being human, is that along the road of growing up you have to look back at your own history, your own roots.” Rob explains. “I am a hip-hop practitioner, but I’m not from New York, I come from a white working-class background, I don’t come from a Black American background and it would be wrong and insensitive to replicate that. I’ve enjoyed looking back at Northern History. It’s been important in helping me understand what stories I can tell because Newcastle and the North has a rich history. That has led me to a place of discovering Northern Soul dance. Seeing the connections between hip-hop culture and Northern Soul culture, the influences behind them, they are very similar. So for me, it’s like finding a little bit of hip-hop within Northern England.”

For Origin they have a very clear goal of what they want to achieve with their work. “We are doing this to champion Black culture, to put Black culture on the map in Newcastle. Hip-hop means so much to Black youth in the UK and to be able to include that as the backbone of our piece, really helps us to champion Black culture.”

Breakin’ Convention present Emerge+See at Dance City, Newcastle on Tuesday 29th March.

www.breakinconvention.com

INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

MUSIC

ONLOOKER

Image by Hollie Galloway

CLAIRE DUPREE FINDS OUT WHAT’S GOT THE TEESSIDE GARAGE ROCKERS ALL RILED UP ON THEIR DEBUT ALBUM It’s fair to say that it’s pretty easy to find stuff to get angry about these days; ask Teesside garage rockers Onlooker, whose debut album Total Rest is by their own admission full of things that wind them up: “Working, toxic masculinity, social injustice, day to day bell ends, the government, etc...” they elucidate. “There’s a song on the album written from the perspective of a dog though, that’s a positive one.”

When your music is as thrillingly urgent and energetic as Onlooker’s, getting pissed off with the state of the world lends itself pretty well to your medium of choice. “There’s plenty to get angry about at the minute.” They continue. “One of the biggest fairly recent problems in our country is the mass division between all sorts of social groups. It seems like a great many people only care about their own opinions and have no interest in listening to others any more. You can see this on both sides of the political spectrum, which only seems to be making life in this country worse for most people. More division is never a good thing, it just leads to less compassion.”

One thing they are justifiably pleased about though, is how Total Rest has turned out, and rightly so. Released on 25th February via Sunderland’s Serial Bowl Records, it’s a case study in urgent riffs, pithy vocals and an energy which barely lets up for a minute, veering from energetic garage rock to post-hardcore heaviness with a smidge of post-punk attitude chucked in for good measure.

“From the start we never wanted to write anything that sounded too derivative. Obviously everything has already been done, but it’s still important to do our best to avoid ripping off other bands. So a big part of that means avoiding sticking to any particular genre. If we write something we all like, go with it.”

While the band cites such bands as Black Sabbath, Rush, Fugazi, Gang of Four and Hot Snakes among their influences, they’re pretty keen not to fall into any pigeonholes, and lyrically – aside from being generally fed up with the state of the world – their observations tackle day to day life. “Outside of music we’re probably influenced by general, mundane, every day things like work or getting cut up on a roundabout.”

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OUR MUSIC IS PRETTY HIGH ENERGY AND WE LIKE TO PLAY LOUD SO THAT USUALLY TRANSFERS WELL AT LIVE SHOWS Instrumental album opener An Introduction to Guitar Music does what it promises, tuneful riffs gradually make way for a cacophonous mash up of duelling guitars courtesy of axe-wielders Ben Goodwill and Bruce Hobson, amid Michael Kitching’s pulsing drums; the track segues into the sharp shock of Easy Breezy, with its urgent angular riffs and pumping bass; Kevin Ridden’s laconic vocals and urgent bass playing are the highlight of the buzzy Value; while If I Had A Quid shows off the band’s knack for catchy punchy rhythms. Just when you thought the pace had slowed down as Hot Romance’s singular chord chimes ominously, propulsive riffs, angsty, impassioned vocals and twisty solos turn it into a proper garage rock banger.

It’s clear from the meticulous crispness of the recording (all done by the band, incidentally) that Onlooker take their sound seriously, and they’re just as passionate about their live show representing what they do on record so well. “Our music is pretty high energy and we like to play loud so that usually transfers well at live shows.” With a keen work ethic and a reluctance to reveal new material until it’s 100% ready, audiences at their album release shows this month should prepare themselves for a sound that’s as precise as it is ferocious. “That’s what it’s all about really though isn’t it? Sound. It’s music, so if it doesn’t sound how it should then you’re doing it wrong.”

Onlooker release Total Rest via Serial Bowl Records on 25th February. They play Off The Ground in Middlesbrough on Friday 11th, with support from Pave the Jungle and Unified Action, and Pop Recs Ltd., Sunderland on Saturday 12th March, with support from Fast Blood.

www.onlookertheband.bandcamp.com

INTERVIEW

MUSIC

T-B, L-R: Manchester Collective by Alan Kerr, Me Lost Me by Amelia Read, Kinbrae by Steven Gribbin

BBC RADIO 3 AFTER DARK FESTIVAL

JAY MOUSSA-MANN FINDS OUT WHAT’S IN STORE AT BBC RADIO 3’S DAWN TILL DUSK EVENT, FEATURING SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN ALTERNATIVE MUSIC On the Spring Equinox weekend of Friday 18th–Sunday 20th March, BBC Radio 3 present a special dawn till dusk event at Sage Gateshead and Star & Shadow Cinema (in partnership with the ever-reliable TUSK), which aims to transport audiences through the twilight hours.

Alternative vibes and electronic soundscapes will make up the programming. Alan Davey, BBC Radio 3 controller explains what’s in store: “The line-up will include established classical, electronic and jazz artists as well as renowned poets and thinkers. From the innovative electronics of British duo Darkstar and lush soundscapes of German DJ Christian Löffler, the event will also feature an evening with cult singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan and an atmospheric poetry cabaret hosted by Ian McMillan.”

Andy and Mike Truscott, who make up Scottish duo Kinbrae, will be performing their ambient soundscapes which combine synthesisers and brass alongside field recordings. “Being asked to do this show alongside a host of interesting and diverse acts has made us feel we’re back on track again.” The twin brothers share. “We also have visual artist and collaborator Steven Gribbin joining us to provide visuals, which we hope will immerse the audience further into the experience.”

Other elements of the line-up include a four-hour immersive ‘deep night’ performance featuring Manchester Orchestra, Xenia Pestova-Bennett and Ed Bennett and multi-instrumentalist and

THE LINE-UP WILL INCLUDE ESTABLISHED CLASSICAL, ELECTRONIC AND JAZZ ARTISTS AS WELL AS RENOWNED POETS AND THINKERS

composer Memotone; sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun performs a traditional Indian raga at sunrise, as part of a dawn event which also features nature beatboxer and sound artist Jason Singh; and over at TUSK’s Star & Shadow event, sets by eclectic duo Space Afrika, Congolese-Belgian project Nyati Mayi & The Astral Synth Transmitters and violinist Rakhi Singh make up the highlights.

Another highlight will come from a unique live performance of The Sleeping Forecast, with presenter Viji Alles reading BBC Radio 4’s The Shipping Forecast to a specially curated mix of BBC Introducing music. Viji explains how the project came about. “Over the years [The Shipping Forecast] has evolved from a thing of utility to something that is poetic and beautiful and evocative. I was born and raised in Sri Lanka so I’m acutely aware of how the Shipping Forecast is integral to Britain’s identity as a nation surrounded by sea areas. So the opportunity to enhance and build on a 12-minute Shipping Bulletin, to embellish such a long-standing institution with the sort of cutting edge music that comes from BBC Introducing is going to be absolutely cool.”

Local future-folk artist Jayne Dent (aka Me Lost Me) is also part of the line-up, she shares what audiences can expect from her performance: “I imagine it’ll be quite a surreal event,” she says. “I think it’ll bring a lovely buzz – especially because it is so unique to have an overnight performance in Hall One of the Sage...with beanbags! Hopefully it will shine a spotlight on our corner of the country, which doesn’t often get the credit it deserves for its brilliant and varied musical offerings.”

BBC Radio 3 present After Dark Festival from Friday 18th-Sunday 20th March at Sage Gateshead and Star & Shadow Cinema.

www.sagegateshead.com www.tuskmusic.org

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LISTINGS

THE BEST OF THE REST...EVEN MORE ALTERNATIVE MUSIC, THEATRE, COMEDY, ART AND FILM TAKING PLACE THROUGHOUT THE NORTH EAST THIS MONTH TUESDAY 1ST MARCH ALKALINE TRIO & TAKING BACK SUNDAY

Noisy double bill // O2 City Hall, Newcastle

WEDNESDAY 2ND MARCH LUKE WRIGHT

Tender, riotous and caustic poet and raconteur // ARC, Stockton

MARK THOMAS: PRODUCT

Brand new live show created specially for cinema // Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle

THURSDAY 3RD MARCH ASTRID WILLIAMSON

Compelling folk singer. Support from India Arkin // Cobalt Studios, Newcastle

FELT TIPS

Lauren Stone, Luke Connell and more // The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle

PETER BRUNTNELL

Americana songwriter // The Globe, Newcastle

RHODA DAKAR

SATURDAY 5TH MARCH

BEST OF NORTHERN

HILARITY BITES COMEDY CLUB

CEITIDH MAC

Featuring MC Dave Twentyman, Scott Bennett and Fin Taylor // Middlesbrough Town Hall Featuring Micky P. Kerr, Tom Little and MC Danny Deegan // The Forum, Darlington

KEIRAN BOWE

Indie songwriter. Support from Hannah Robinson // The Green Room, Stockton

TEN EIGHTY TREES

Heavy, vibrant rock // Independent, Sunderland

THE SUGGESTIBLES

Improv comedy at its finest // The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle

WOMEN IN MUSIC ALL-DAYER

Featuring Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons, PussyWillowFurryVenus, Not Now Norman, Hivemind, Holly Rees, Parissa Zarifi and Charlotte Grayson // NE Volume Music Bar, Stockton

SUNDAY 6TH MARCH

Vocalist with the Bodysnatchers and The Specials launches her new single // The Cluny 2, Newcastle

CELIA

THESE HILLS ARE OURS

ROB NEWMAN

Daniel Bye and Boff Whalley’s celebration of escapism // Arts Centre Washington

FRIDAY 4TH MARCH ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER

Celebrating the publication of the musician’s new book, Heart on my Sleeve // Toft House, Middlesbrough

MACKA.B & THE ROOTS RAGGA BAND

Celebrated reggae artist // The Cluny, Newcastle

NADEDJA

Soulful songwriter with a storytelling style // The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle

SOCIETY OF STRAYS

Dance, live music, absurdism and dark comedy from the local dance company // Dance City, Newcastle

THE LILACS

Support from The Collectors, Painted Places and Gaz Price // KU Bar, Stockton

Folk horror // Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle Multi-award winning comedian // The Stand, Newcastle

SUNDAY 7TH MARCH FRANCK CARDUCCI & THE FANTASTIC SQUAD

Support from Fire Lady Luck // Trillians Rock Bar, Newcastle

MONDAY 8TH MARCH A NORTHERN ODYSSEY

Work in progress shows // Laurel’s, Whitley Bay

TALES FROM THE SMOG

Surreal tales from Scott Turnbull // ARC, Stockton

FRIDAY 11TH MARCH BALLETBOYZ

Bold, beautiful and boisterous dance. Also on Saturday 12th // Northern Stage, Newcastle

DAVID FORD

Eloquent lyricist and innovative live performer. Support from Annie Dressner.

Also on Saturday 12th // Old Cinema Launderette, Durham

SHOE CAKE COMEDY CLUB

The Discount Comedy Check Out and Rachel Jackson, plus MC Chris Lumb // The Georgian Theatre, Stockton

SATURDAY 12TH MARCH DEREK JARMAN DOUBLE BILL

Featuring screenings of Derek and Glitterbug // Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle

GONG

Psych behemoths // The Georgian Theatre, Stockton

THE LEYLINES

An empowering celebration of female creatives presenting 2D and 3D works using many disciplines // Base Camp, Middlesbrough

FEATURED //

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LOUISE YOUNG & ANJA ATKINSON

LET US EAT CAKE

A rare opportunity to see the cult film made from unseen and behind the scenes footage of the legendary TV series, Brass Eye // The Stand, Newcastle

Alt. drag and cabaret curated by Bordello Collective, featuring drag, queer cabaret and performance art from Bobbie Twaddle, Lorraine Smith and more // ARC, Stockton

Accomplished cellist and songwriter.

Support from Katie Grace // The Engine Room, North Shields

SPORTING TIES

FEATURED //

We The Queers

Four of the best Northern comics, seasoned headliners and new kids on the comedy block // The Stand, Newcastl

A clash of cultures and a portrayal of love, loneliness, and what it is to be different, in this play by Shelagh Stephenson. Runs until Saturday 12th // People’s Theatre, Newcastle

QUEER UP ‘ERE

A representation of queer artists and their work. Runs throughout March // Pineapple Black, Middlesbrough

THURSDAY 10TH MARCH

BIG MOUTH COMEDY CLUB

Oxide Ghosts

WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH VERVE

A triple bill of physically ambitious, strikingly original dance // Dance City, Newcastle

Supported by Monkey Brain and Undevine Telephone Line // Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough West Country indie folk rockers. Support from Bubamara // The Globe, Newcastle

WIEGEDOOD

Black metal from Belgium // The Cluny 2, Newcastle

SUNDAY 13TH MARCH IWD MAKERS MARKET

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a makers market featuring stalls from some of the best local female artists, crafters and female-owned independent businesses // The Georgian Theatre, Stockton

RUSHMORE

Wes Anderson’s coming-of-age comedy // Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle

LISTINGS TUESDAY 15TH MARCH CHVRCHES

Electro indie trio // O2 City Hall, Newcastle

DITZ

Forward-thinking noise rock/post-punk // Independent, Sunderland

STORMZY

Remarkable showman and revered rapper // Utilita Arena, Newcastle

THURSDAY 17TH MARCH LEVITATION ORCHESTRA

A kaleidoscope of jazz sounds. Support from Riviera Effect // Cobalt Studios, Newcastle

SCRUFFY BEAR

Soulful fuzz rock // Trillians Rock Bar, Newcastle

FRIDAY 18TH MARCH BINKER GOLDING QUINTET

Celebrated contemporary saxophonist // Sage Gateshead

JOE RAMSEY

Rock songwriter // Bobik’s, Newcastle

NEPHILIM

Metal goodness. Support from Fyresky and Atonia // NE Volume Music Bar, Stockton

FEATURED //

Toodles & The Hectic Pity

Beloved folk punk emo three piece from Bristol, for fans of ONSIND, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Mountain Goats. Support comes from Welsh indie popsters Live, Do Nothing // The Green Room, Stockton

THE WILSON FAMILY

Local folk royalty. Support from Holly Clarke // The Fire Station, Sunderland

WE TIBETANS

Launching their new single, Running Away.

Support from The Hummingbirds, Shore and Abel Raise The Cain // KU Bar, Stockton

SATURDAY 19TH MARCH AUNTIE JOY

Improvisers workshop, live performances and off-kilter sounds // Holy Cross Church & Ye Olde Cross Pub, Ryton

FINN FORSTER

Teesside-based indie pop artist // The Georgian Theatre, Stockton

GET HIP!

Renowned club night celebrates its sixth anniversary with instrumental surf band The Milk Lizards // The Green Room, Stockton

JACK BLACKMAN

Folk/blues fusion artist. With support from Steve Pledger. Also at The Engine Room, North Shields the following day // Claypath Deli, Durham

NIGEL NG

International stand-up success // The Stand, Newcastle

NISH KUMAR

The Mash Report host presents his new show, Your Power, Your Control // Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle

SEANN WALSH

Brand new show // Middlesbrough Town Hall

THE IGNORANT ART SCHOOL

Five Sit-Ins Towards Creative Emancipation is a contemporary art exhibition which seeks to question what art education is and whom it serves. Runs until Saturday 21st May // Hatton Gallery, Newcastle

THE SYSTEM

Anarcho punks. Supported by Point Blanc and Bastardface // The Bunker, Sunderland

WILLIE & THE BANDITS

Classic blues with a twist // The Cluny, Newcastle

WITTGENSTEIN

Derek Jarman’s experimental and minimalist comedy // Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle

ZELA

Teesside brat-popsters // The Cluny 2, Newcastle

SUNDAY 20TH MARCH BODEGA

American punks // The Cluny, Newcastle

MATT REED

Celebrated local comic // The Stand, Newcastle

TRAVIS SHAW

Spellbinding Saltburn singer. Support from Melanie Baker and Will & Sam // Base Camp, Middlesbrough

WEEKEND FAITHFUL

Launching the release of their new rock anthem, Function Room, the band are joined by bigfatbig, Albert Smith and The Exes // The Old Coal Yard, Newcastle

MONDAY 21ST MARCH CALIFORNIA SUITE

Neil Simon’s humane, compassionate play // Royalty Theatre, Sunderland

SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING BOOK LAUNCH

The launch of a new anthology of poetry, celebrating the radical poetry publisher’s 200th release // The Lit & Phil, Newcastle

TUESDAY 22ND MARCH MARK THOMAS

New show 50 Things About Us examines how we have come to inhabit this divided wasteland called the UK // The Stand, Newcastle

MR. INCREDIBLE

Funny, dark and brutal one-man play about modern love and old-fashioned entitlement.

Runs until Saturday 9th April // Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle

THURSDAY 24TH MARCH FEATURED //

Balimaya Project

A dynamic fusion of contemporary jazz and traditional Mandé music, this 16-piece supergroup are a live force to be reckoned with! // Cobalt Studios, Newcastle

MOLLY LINEN

Expect melodic guitar and an emotive, beguiling voice from Molly Linen. Support comes from Cle?mentine March // The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle

SIMON DONALD

The Viz funnyman is joined by Julian Lee, Jack Fox and host Sammy Dobson // The Engine Room, North Shields

FRIDAY 25TH MARCH BECCY OWEN & THE REFUGE

Remarkable local songwriter // The Globe, Newcastle

BELINDA O’HOOLEY

Accomplished composer and one-half of folk duo O’Hooley & Tidow // The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle

JAMES LEONARD HEWITSON

Slacker pop. Support from Dog Years // Bobik’s, Newcastle

RACHAEL MCSHANE & THE CARTOGRAPHERS

The singer, cellist and fiddle player and original member of folk big band, Bellowhead performs with her band // Sage Gateshead

SATURDAY 26TH MARCH JOHNNY FOREIGNER

Cult rockers. Support from bigfatbig // Pop Recs Ltd., Sunderland

PATRICK JORDAN

The local songwriter and producer launches his new album. Support from Alistair James // NE Volume Music Bar, Stockton

SUNDAY 27TH MARCH BLUE

Derek Jarman’s final and most famous film, with a soundtrack by Coil // Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle

GROUP LISTENING

Haunting, reflective and lovely music // The Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe

ROWAN RHEINGANS

Intimate and courageous new show from the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning songwriter // The Fire Station, Sunderland

MONDAY 28TH MARCH GREAT NORTHERN SLAM

Slam poetry // Northern Stage, Newcastle

JENNY ECLAIR

WEDNESDAY 23RD MARCH BILL LAURANCE TRIO

Jazz pianist and composer // The Fire Station, Sunderland

STITCH IN TIME: A KNITTING CABARET

An evening of needlepoint and music, featuring a selection of the lost knitting songs of WW1 and WW2. Also at Arts Centre Washington on Wednesday 30th March // The Lit & Phil, Newcastle

The comedian bemoans reaching 60 in her new show // The Witham, Barnard Castle

THURSDAY 31ST MARCH PICTISH TRAIL

Intelligent ballads and off-kilter folk. Support from Savage Mansion and Ceitidh Mac // The Cluny, Newcastle

THE HUNTER’S DIARY

Innovative Japanese new wave cinema // Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle

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APRIL 2ND

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DISCOVERING WORLD-RENOWNED ART IN BISHOP AUCKLAND MAKES THE WORLD OF DIFFERENCE TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

Plan your visit: aucklandproject.org Bishop Auckland, DL14 7NP Credits: Jacob, Francisco de Zurbarán, Christ on the Cross, El Greco © The Zurbarán Trust. Pit Road, Norman Cornish © The Artist’s Estate.

The Auckland Project is a charity No. 1146219 and a company No. 07931440.

52

REVIEWS

Richard Dawson by Iam Burn

LYRAS, NI MAXINE, FRANCINE LUCE @ SAGE GATESHEAD (18.02.22) Words: Paul Broadhead Such is her penchant for storytelling and the nature of her improvisational jazz, Francine Luce’s set seems merely a teaser for an artist who would really excel during a full show, her mesmerising voice and meditations on life and death warranting further investigation.

Ni Maxine is backed tonight with just a lone guitar but she’s no less compelling; an artist who is campaigning for social justice as much as providing us with songs strong enough to be considered modern soul classics. It Is Written is just that – written after working with the homeless – and she’s equally at home with upbeat jaunts like the biographical A Day In St John’s Lane which receives full audience participation.

Lyras are a fitting headliner for this, the third in the series of Sage Gateshead’s From The Glasshouse sessions. Latest single The Journey showcases a band which has that rare knack of blending the perfect pop song with strong musicianship, hooks you can’t fail to be moved by and a vocal that recalls the chart-topping greats. Come What May is a breezy, optimistic belter written with Jodie Nicholson, and future single Bad Tattoo isn’t afraid to get down and dirty with some scintillating grooves.

DEATHCRASH, NANO KINO @ THE CLUNY 2, NEWCASTLE (14.02.22) Words: Evie Nicholson Roses, gifts and declarations of love are what people tend to associate with Valentine’s Day. Watching moody, slowcore post-rock, perhaps less so. Yet this is where I find myself tonight. I’m not complaining.

The brooding London four-piece deathcrash released their first album last month. Tonight, they take on The Cluny 2. Before they begin, we’re greeted with the dreamy electro pop of North East band, Nano Kino.

Their Cocteau Twins-esque space-age sound reverberates around the small Ouseburn basement. Despite the tiny turnout tonight, Nano Kino manage to make the space feel heavy, occupied and colourful. deathcrash are more understated; they keep their duffel coats on and wear flip-flops. After inaudibly greeting the audience, they plunge into the music. Oscillating between barely-there vocals and booming crescendos, deathcrash’s music has a tidal quality to it. Songs like

doomcrash possess a fragile elegance achieved only by careful craftmanship and creative rule-bending. Tracks blur into one another, their lengths varying from two minutes to twelve. The band seem more concerned with space than time. Guitar arpeggios are drawn out, whilst blue lights flash around the space, creating a kind of moody transcendentalist audio-visual landscape.

As we stumble out into the cold air after the gig, I feel strangely hypnotised. deathcrash have lifted me into a space of woozy reflection and sensitivity.

RICHARD DAWSON, ME LOST ME @ THE FIRE STATION, SUNDERLAND (22.01.22) Words: Ali Welford Far from distilling the experience, seeing an artist 10, 20, 30 times can leave those standout nights feeling all the more remarkable. Earning an instant place alongside The Black Swan ’11, Home Gathering ’16 and Redhills ’18 in my own memory bank, tonight’s show is the finest Richard Dawson has offered the North East in years – a fantastic fillip for this new hub at the heart of Sunderland city centre.

A throwback to his pre-Peasant days as a solo performer, Dawson’s extraordinary storytelling gifts are showcased with minimal distractions and world class acoustics. Prone to shuffling his pack and unafraid to retire beloved fan favourites, tonight feels as close as we’ll get to a Greatest Hits, with devastating reworks of Soldier, Jogging and Ogre rubbing shoulders with earlier classics Judas Iscariot and The Ghost of a Tree – the likes of which haven’t aired live for some time. Poignant, humorous and occasionally explosive, this is Dawson at his most visceral; a pure, uninhibited portrait of a genius at work.

There’s terrific support too courtesy of Me Lost Me, whose burgeoning catalogue already feels destined for large, lofty halls such as this.

Showcasing a rung of highlights from 2020’s The Good Noise and last year’s Circle Dance EP, the flourishes and nuances of an increasingly electronic palette are magnified by great acoustics and enhanced with the introduction of new toy ‘The Pipe,’ whose airy effect is akin to that of an electronic conch shell. Even now, it’s tempting to wonder when – not if – she’ll return to this stage as headliner.

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LIVE

IDLES by Iam Burn

IDLES, JEHNNY BETH, BIG JOANIE @ O2 CITY HALL, NEWCASTLE (02.02.22) Words: Cameron Wright There was never any doubt that we were in for a special night. Big Joanie ignited the experience with raw, authentic punk and Jehnny Beth’s swirling sea of electronic, bassy madness and European sounds adding a stark contrast to the acts on either side of her billing, yet encompassing the energy and attitude of the headliners beautifully.

From their debut, IDLES have permanently altered the world of punk.

Their thunderous, gruff poetry, caught under a roaring blare of rhythmic anger, has seen them as the genre’s frontrunners, carrying punk into a new era. Each release fleshes out their expanding array of anthemic hits, touching on politics, drug abuse and immigration.

Carnage erupted in the City Hall as the band unapologetically open with three of the heaviest hitters from a set-list rife with heavy hitters. First track Colossus could not be more aptly named, matching the band’s enormous sound as Joe Talbot paraded across the stage, the epitome of machismo. With an earnest confession, Talbot talks about the importance of love and community, before launching into an impromptu PJ and Duncan cover and ending with a rather ridiculous Mariah Carey tribute. With a fantastic performance, the band deserves every piece of credit they receive as a live experience.

GROVE, CURRENTMOODGIRL, CHIZU NNAMDI @ COBALT STUDIOS, NEWCASTLE (04.02.22) Words: Evie Lake The gateway to Nat Sharp’s Lone Taxidermist Takeover Weekend was an evening of sensual and invigorating celebration for all that is experimental, Black and queer. With pole dancing interludes and performances that neared the undefinable, it was a crime that Cobalt wasn’t at capacity.

Glasgow-based chizu nnamdi’s soulful and healing melodies opened a dreamscape up before us, with his voice floating above the clouds.

Transcendence was provided too by CURRENTMOODGIRL, whose

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industrial and demanding songs evoked an electronic, online version of Kate Bush or hardcore, northern Björk. Seductive and heart-bearing, the performance was enticingly electric and summoning.

Grove’s conclusion to the night left me energised. Brawly, fierce and hot, the fusion of jungle, drum and bass, rap and pop was unforgiving and exhilarating. They demanded attention and, with an audience hanging from the utterance of every beat and word, Grove was unstoppable.

Hotly-tipped as a 2022 breakout star, Grove’s tracks are earthshattering with their depth of sound and insatiable vocals. Bloodsucka and Skin2Skin had the audience riled in their angsty perfection, but nothing compared to the collaborative growl that accompanied Grove’s Fuck Ur Landlord, a feeling that lurks in the stomach of us all.

The night was hyper-stimulating, multi-disciplinary and rebellious; I think I’m still recovering.

MAT HUNSLEY, SAILMAKER @ BOBIK’S, NEWCASTLE (30.01.22) Words: Evie Lake Prior to this, I had no idea that Sunday afternoon gigs were a thing but now I’m a convert. With Nadedja calling in sick, Rich Sutton’s project Sailmaker opened the afternoon with a cosy and romantic set that made the audience swell and swoon like the water described in his songs. A particular highlight was his upcoming single Cave Paintings, which he co-wrote with Callum Pitt over Zoom. It’s hard to believe that something so gentle and introspective could have been constructed over the coldest and most impersonal form of communication.

Mat Hunsley takes to the stage with cheers and warmth, it’s a family affair with all of the band’s nearest and dearest. His latest EP, A Worrier’s Dream, serves as a comeback and this commemorative performance feels hungry yet contemplative. Every song has moments of memory and specificity that feels tangible, as if the lyrics are being played out before our eyes; every word is felt and chord relished. His new song Rambling is perhaps his best: the band’s accompaniment feels like everything has led to those exact notes in a culmination of folk dreaminess. Hunsley’s new songs are polished, solicitous and ripe, and I think it can only get better.

LIVE

Heal And Harrow by Thomas Jackson

THE BUG CLUB, ROXY GIRLS @ THE CUMBERLAND ARMS, NEWCASTLE (04.02.22) Words: Evie Lake With an extra night added due to the sheer popularity of The Bug Club, The Cumberland Arms prepared for the two-day stint with the seasoned support of Roxy Girls. As usual, their harsh and grungy style fuelled a collective riling of feeling. The audience is engaged and willing for anything they choose to hit us with: it just so happened to be a song about a really great sandwich.

The Bug Club greet the audience with their enthusiastic indie rock. Riffy and upbeat, their tunes are assured head boppers and foot tappers that crash over the crowd like a tidal wave of joy. They sing of modern life with a forthright and reflective droll, there is something romantic about their performance; although everything is going to shit, The Bug Club is going to see that we bow out entertained. Midway through the set, it becomes clear we’re occupying a Wes Anderson-style dimension where everything is dreamy and will eventually work itself out. Take their masterpiece of a song If My Mother Thinks I’m Happy [‘then I must be happy’], for example. All about the issues that plague our interconnected lives, they’re brushed off by the perception that we’re coping with the fluency of Sam and Tilly’s harmonies. Even the down-trodden is fun; The Bug Club are scholars of the uplifting and everyone had a smile on their face.

HEAL & HARROW @ SAGE GATESHEAD (12.02.22) Words: Luke Waller Scotland’s history is often harsh and marked by times of notable sorrow. One such period, the witch trials of the 16th and 17th Centuries, is being unearthed by renowned folk artists Rachel Newton and Lauren MacColl under the name of their latest project, Heal & Harrow. Pensive, wistful and distinctly feminine, this tribute to the victims of the trials takes specific instances and humanises them, in the hope that they will not become lost amongst callous statistics and Scotland’s turbulent history.

Newton and MacColl performed in two parts: a shorter set comprising pieces they had written previously, and the second a staging of their entire self-titled album, released in February. Nonetheless, even some

of the opening set was laden with necromantic undertones.

Heal & Harrow’s album is a wonderful collection of ten songs, each inspired by stories written for them by acclaimed author Máiri Kidd.

Elegant sounds of fiddle and harp are gracefully woven together, entwined with delicate spoken-word passages and balladic vocal lines.

Also accompanying their entrancing sound was a series of short films made by Alison Piper, largely abstract and depicting themes of nature and traditional life in Scotland. Intermingled with the more organic timbres of their live show and the sporadic use of Gaelic, the music’s tenacious bond with Scotland’s Celtic past could not have been clearer.

Amidst the darkness of the room and the aura of the evocative, at times lamentful music and film, it was impossible to resist becoming engulfed in this strange landscape of all-but-forgotten past, shrouded by mystery.

CARIBOU, DILETTANTE @ SAGE GATESHEAD 22.01.22) Words: Ben Lowes-Smith There really is something in the air tonight, a shift in atmosphere, in mood – the suggestion of celebration. Caribou’s uniquely euphoric music is a perfect antidote to two year’s worth of constant anxiety, and tonight it allows a real collective catharsis.

Support comes from Dilettante, aka. Francesca Pidgeon. Pidgeon is a real scholar of early 10s college rock, and assimilates a reasonably diverse range of influences succinctly and beautifully. Playing guitar, saxophone and utilising a loop pedal immaculately, her densely melodic songs recall Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear and St. Vincent, and she has the songwriting chops to be part of that lineage.

Caribou’s set is received with considerable warmth and fervour.

Drawing predominantly from 2020’s Suddenly: Hall One perfectly allows the gorgeous intricacy of the music to really breathe. Deep cuts hit hard too; the opening strains of Odessa threaten to bring the house down. An extended version of Sun is the real highlight; a spectacular visual show and an audience eating out of the palm of Caribou’s hands make this a genuinely emotional collective experience.

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TRACKS

ACES & SINNERS RESISTANCE IS FUTILE Words: Kate Murphy This mini-EP marks the end of six long years away from the music scene for Aces & Sinners and brings us two tracks with their own individual charm. The first, The Devil Saw Me Last Night, combines Jamie Ainslie’s rousing, chanting vocals with an infectious beat and Andrew Graham’s deft, creamy-sounding guitar, and makes for a clean, purposeful three-minute track with a satisfying, soaring chorus.

Second offering Robotology is even more infectious; its beat and melody drifts up to those mellow, ethereal places that The Stone Roses went to. A dreamy, rolling refrain with lyrics like “And it always feels like it’s raining/When you’re away/I’m counting down the time till you’re back here/Again and again” adds to the ever-likeable Sixties feel.

Released: 04.03.22 www.facebook.com/acessinners

THE DOUBTFUL BOTTLE LOST Words: Kate Murphy As the doomy guitars descend on this, you know you’re about to be taken somewhere fantastical and very possibly Gothic. On the entry of Genevieve’s warm, controlled and glamorous vocals (think Riot Grrrl with a little more sophistication), we find out we’re not being taken somewhere Gothic at all, but somewhere colourful, accepting and just as beautifully painted as the beginning suggested.

Lost is emotionally-charged, straight from the heart and has a wonderful innocence and strong sense of investment to it. The storyline and cartoony escapism of the video that complements Lost further cements The Doubtful Bottle as an altogether cool group of people, who’ve built their own world with care and who’d be splendid, thoughtful companions to go for drinks with.

Released: 25.03.22 www.thedoubtfulbottle.com

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REVIEWS OF SINGLES AND EPS BY NORTH EAST ARTISTS. WANT YOUR MUSIC FEATURED? EMAIL NARCMEDIA@GMAIL.COM (PLEASE TRY TO GET IN TOUCH 8-6 WEEKS AHEAD OF THE MONTH OF RELEASE)

FRANKIE ARCHER OVER THE BORDER Words: Lizzie Lovejoy Frankie Archer brings us a track with its origins clearly exposed. Hearing this folk song is like going back in time to a world where everyone in a town knew each other and came together to sing and play instruments in the pub after dark.

Over The Border is a 200-year-old smallpipes tune that Frankie Archer has revitalised with soothing yet haunting layers of vocals and a beautiful violin through-line. This keeps the traditional, folk-esque vibe while still breathing a new lease of life into an old Northern classic. Many hands and voices throughout history echo in this song, but it is Frankie Archer’s vocal texture that is the star of this show, bringing a sense of youth to an archaic tune.

Released: 25.03.22 www.frankiearchermusic.com

TIA LEONI I HOPE THIS SAVES YOU Words: Mera Royle I Hope This Saves You is the new groove-imbued single by Newcastle-born singer Tia Leoni. This is the first solo single by Leoni, who’s fearlessly breaking genre boundaries with her fusion of Caribbean, soul and R&B styles.

In this toe-tapping track, Leoni’s smooth, spellbinding voice floats over deep bass riffs, dreamy piano lines and laid-back beats, encapsulating a message of giving help to a loved one and hoping it helps them heal. Having worked with some of the most talented musicians from around the world, Leoni has formed an eclectic sound which brims with a stylish confidence. I Hope This Saves You is a must-listen and a great introduction to this North East rising star.

Released: 25.03.22 www.linktr.ee/tialeoni

SALSOLA DISAPPEARING Words: Adelle Sutheran To my ear this presents as a soft, dream-like and almost whimsical tune; indie pop synonymous with the likes of The Thrills, but much more laid-back. The vocals and the message got lost on me somewhat, and I was far more interested in the instrumental sound which evokes feelings of summer with its light and curling guitar riffs.

Unfortunately throughout the track I found myself waiting for something that just did not come; it failed to elicit any emotion either way for me. I daresay it may appeal to a different, perhaps younger audience than this reviewer, and as Disappearing is a more genteel track than usual from the band, it warrants a listen to observe their obvious growth and experimentations.

Released: 04.03.22 www.facebook.com/salsolamusic

MALLY VAMPIRES, VAMPIRES VAMPIRES EP Words: Luke Waller Do you ever feel that little bit of anger niggling away inside? The bit you just need to get out somehow? If so, Mally is your band, and Vampires, Vampires, Vampires is your EP. Recorded only at the end of January as a follow-up to their 2020 debut EP, Apple Tree, this eruption of rage in the formidable form of five cantankerous numbers promises to rupture the eardrums in just the style of the duo’s inspirations, such as Idles and Frank Carter.

From the carnage of some of the dirtiest, fuzziest guitar known to humanity, especially on the first single, Crawl, to the all-important hidden acoustic track, this EP is a blistering onslaught from beginning to end.

Released: 14.03.22 www.facebook.com/mallyband.uk

JACK MYLCHREEST SAFE WITH YOU Words: Luke Waller Jack Mylchreest’s debut single, a soft-rock number begging to be sung along to, rings in the ears like a classic you should really know by now. Its country twang, passionate lyrics and steady rocking beat come together all as quintessential elements.

The effort put into this recording is particularly noticeable; it is filled throughout with new subtleties to be noticed with every listen, from lingering backing vocals to hints of guitar solos before they reach the foreground.

Details like that can be what makes a song a favourite to listen to on repeat.

Though the North East is far from America’s Wild West, Jack Mylchreest brings a pristine piece of it here with every note, from first to last.

Released: 25.03.22 www.jackmylchreest.live

TAANG STAY OUT Words: Michael O’Neill A breakbeat worthy of Dilla and an orchestra of abrasive synths set the bedrock for this flawless debut transmission from the enigmatic TAANG. It’s a euphoric and delightfully dark slice of genre-bending wonder, immediately calling to mind the frenetic, anything-goes approach of Young Fathers and TV On The Radio.

As per TAANG, the song explores the thrill of “escaping the person we portray or the profession we perform and being nothing more than a moving body in a dimly lit round”, which is beautifully captured by the hook-laden lyrics and the push-and-pull of the shapeshifting arrangement. It’s an extraordinary release, and I’m excited to see what TAANG has in store next. Essential.

Released: 23.03.22 www.facebook.com/taang000

TOBIAS AND THE LION LOVESTRUCKYOUTHTOO Words: Michael O’Neil Referring to himself as a “cheap skate musician”, Tobias And The Lion deals alternative indie bedroom-pop that immediately sounds like a 2020s update of Cleaners From Venus with its gloriously poppy ambition on a budget. To the artist, Lovestruckyouthtoo is about “love, empathy and writing songs for yourself”, brilliantly reflected in the heart-on-sleeve lyricism crammed into the cavalcade of sound.

I absolutely adore the small touches here: the acoustic guitar sounds like it was recorded underwater, the pitch-shifted distorted vocals providing that sense of unease, and the phenomenal vocal performance from Tobias. It’s a brilliant reminder that a song needn’t be polished into oblivion in a studio to reach its full potential. Fantastic.

Released: 27.03.22 www.facebook.com/tobiasandthelion

RUTH LYON BLACK HOLE Words: Hope Lynes This new track from Ruth Lyon is unexpectedly dark, enriched in powerful emotions and masked in a ghostly tone. Her beautifully haunting vocals enhance the storyline, using the metaphor of a Black Hole, which explores themes of mental health and responsibilities unto others.

These emotions are openly vulnerable and on show on the stripped-back solo track. The layers of harmony in the piece shape it as one with depth to its melancholy soundscape. Well produced, this sounds like it’s going straight to the charts, with an Adele-esque vibe.

Audiences would do well to catch Ruth’s rescheduled show at Cluny 2, now taking place on the Saturday 29th October; an intimate venue which perfectly suits this track’s spooky, haunting vibe.

Released: 01.03.22 www.ruthlyonmusic.com

SAM NIX FROM THE STARS ABOVE EP Words: Tom Astley Sam Nix’s debut EP wears its sentimentality on its sleeve. Lyrically, Nix’s songs concern themselves with memory, longing and poetic personal journeys. With an Irish folk-inflected sound sitting at the forefront, especially in St. John’s, it’s hard not to have your heartstrings pulled, and I hear other Anglo-Irish sounds in these songs too. The jangly electric guitar in Trading Underwater sounding a little like The Smiths, and the tell-tale Wonderwall-esque chords in Never Knew, all compliment the confident songwriting on display. Sam’s voice has an assured pop quality to it.

There are moments in the production that are perhaps more Ronan Keating than Luke Kelly, which might put off folk purists, but as a folk-inspired debut, there’s plenty to enjoy.

Released 31.03.22 www.samnixmusic.com

JACK FOX TIMES AND PLACES/COGS IN THE WHEEL Words: Tom Astley Boastful, brash and in the odd simile, hilarious, Jack Fox’s new track Times And Places gives Geordie rap a melodic makeover. Chockful of one-lines that will leave you rewinding to your favourite (“hairdo looking like Baggio in ‘94” might be mine), it’s the groove laid down by DJ ADS that really adds to the repeatability of the track. A cool jazz-inspired sound with vibraphone, organ, tremolo guitar, horns and a backbeat to get the head nodding, all make for a really interesting hip-hop sound.

B-side Cogs In The Wheel continues that same vibe, with Jister’s verse adding a nice self-deprecating foil to Fox’s bravado that’ll have you “staying close to the ground like Steve Irwin” (another favourite line).

Released: 04.03.22 www.facebook.com/jackfox22

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DEMOS WE WANT YOUR MUSIC!

IF YOU’RE AN UP AND COMING BAND OR MUSICIAN, AND WOULD LIKE YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED IN OUR DEMO SECTION, EMAIL A TRACK TO INFO@NARCMEDIA.COM AND TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF! WORDS: CHRIS MALTBY

DEMO OF THE MONTH

Tristan Lott – Neptune

Now time for something a little different without entirely leaving your comfort zone. I’ve an undeniable soft spot for imaginative bedroom production and Neptune, the debut solo EP from Teesside-based artist Tristan Lott, really hits that spot. The title track delivers a smorgasbord of beefy synths, crunchy percussion, intertwining guitar riffs and vocals which take you on a journey to

Twayn – What Dreams Are Made Of

Twins Hannah and Grace make up Twayn, and What Dreams Are Made Of is their debut single; a song about coming to terms with liking someone who doesn’t like you back. A pop track laden with teenage feelings, and ideal for fans of Taylor Swift and Ward Thomas. Hannah’s stylish production provides a wonderfully refined backdrop for classically trained singer Grace’s songwriting, and this debut could be a real statement of intent if this budding pop duet don’t allow themselves to get too comfortable too quickly. Turning long held passions into a real assault on the world of pop, there’s plenty of potential here and at just 17, you’ll probably be hearing a lot more from this duo! www.twayn.co.uk

Gone Tomorrow – Abyss

Stockton teenagers Gone Tomorrow have put together a proper demo in Abyss. A motorik bassline is the backbone of this toast to Alex Turner’s later career, interlaced with subtle

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the planet in question; it’s a quasi-prog adventure in a manageable episodic chunk which will leave you craving a more abstract window into this existence. The track is book-ended to great effect with a cosmic fade-in/fade-out which dumps you back down to earth when all is sang and done. Definitely an artist to keep an ear out for. www.soundcloud.com/tristanlott

synths and ready-to-dance-to kit rhythms. The guitars are well effected and there’s enough going on texturally to balance out the often difficult in places vocal line. Having had to wait to cut their teeth on the local scene (usual Covid-related excuses apply) Gone Tomorrow are making up for lost time with a healthy gig schedule and a steady bank of releases planned. It’ll be interesting to see where their songwriting journey takes them.

Plenty of promise from these Stockton lads. www.facebook.com/gonetomorrowband

ModelCat – G-Shock

If ‘Get Slated’ means anything to you then you may already be acquainted with Adamzy, a trap artist/animator from Jarrow. Having shifted his focus from running rap battles, Adamzy has taken to the alias ModelCat to showcase his new enterprise using his animation as an outlet for his self-described “boom bap style flows with mumble rap over trap beats”. With all of this in mind, G-Shock is exactly what it says on the tin. A chorus laying tribute to the straight outta Argos wrist pieces

and verses that truly paint a picture of the artist. The accompanying music video is entertaining. Lyrically I can’t get behind it.

Think the Prodigy’s Smack my B!7ch up but without any of the social commentary. The beats may be of the time but the language is seriously dated. www.instabio.cc/modelcat

Mishka Mistry – Fuck You

Sunderland-based songwriter and producer Mishka Mistry brings us the aptly titled Fuck You, a saccharin pop number that wouldn’t sound out of place over the end credits of an Adam Sandler film. Formulaic from the outset, this is a track that ticks all the right boxes and then subverts with the chorus. An angsty break up number that laments what could have been with pristine production and a generous helping of session singers. Mishka Mistry is on the hunt for a vocalist/co-writer, reviews and classified ads aren’t mutually exclusive right? www.soundcloud.com/mishkamistry

ALBUMS

ALBUMS 3.5 / 5 A-TOTA-SO LIGHTS OUT (BUTTONPUSHER)

5/5

JENNY HVAL CLASSIC OBJECTS (4AD)

Jenny Hval by Jenny Berger Myhre

Words: Mark Corcoran-Lettice It’s a struggle to think of an artist who has managed to be as consistently bold, intelligent and brilliant as Jenny Hval has been over the last decade: over a succession of solo albums, collaborative projects and novels (the recently released translation of her third novel, Girls Against God, cannot be recommended highly enough), she has established herself as a peerless investigation of emotional space and chronicler of the modern world.

For her 4AD debut Classic Objects, Hval continues to push at both extremes of the art pop spectrum to wondrous results, pursuing both the increasingly luscious textures of works like The Long Sleep and The Practice of Love whilst allowing her lyrics to blur the lines between autobiographical honesty and fictional playfulness.

For an artist unafraid of some strikingly direct and unfiltered work (such as her reflections on the intersection of technology, capitalism and sexuality on 2013’s Innocence Is Kinky), Classic Objects and its preoccupation with memory and moments of personal transformation makes for a more approachable thematic core, but this isn’t to suggest that Hval’s imagination is in any way toned down here. American Coffee leaps from a vivid recollection of travel and study to philosophy quoting nurses, Year of Sky offers a view of forced quietude that slowly reaches to a celestial scale, while the closing The Revolution Will Not Be Owned offers dream psychology as a path towards liberation.

It’s not that the intimate and the grandiose are juxtaposed, so much as reflected back at each other until the distinction becomes impossible to observe.

Musically too, these pieces shape-shift imperceptibly but beautifully: Year of Love offers a terse guitar groove that slowly blossoms to vast openness, while the astonishing Jupiter builds its languorous dream jazz only to allow it to be swallowed into a vast synthetic black hole that offers oblivion but also fresh possibility.

For those yet to encounter Jenny Hval’s work, Classic Objects is the latest in a string of excellent work that also makes for a fine entry point: for anyone already tuned to her particular wavelength, you didn’t need this review to tell you how essential this is.

Released: 11.03.22 www.jennyhval.com

ALSO OUT THIS MONTH CMAT – If My Wife New I’d Be Dead (AWAL Recordings, 04.03) // Yumi Zouma – Present Tense (Polyvinyl Records, 18.03) // The Monochrome Set – Allhallowtide (Tapete Records, 11.03) // LOOP – Sonancy (Cooking Vinyl, 11.03) // The Weather Station – How Is It That I Should Look A The Stars (Fat Possum, 04.03) // Black Mekon – We’ve Learned Nothing (PNKSLM Recordings, 11.03) // Tanya Tagaq – Tongues (Six Shooter Records, 11.03) // Ho99o9– Skin (DTA Records, 11.03) // Destroyer – LABYRINTHITIS (Bella Union, 25.03) // The Legendary Pink Dots – The Museum of Human Happiness (Metropolis Records, 18.03) //Aldous Harding – Warm Chris (4AD, 25.03) // Kojey Radical – Reason to Smile (Asylum/Atlantic Records, 04.03) // Rex Orange County – Who Cares? (Sony Music, 11.03) // Feeder – Torpedo (Big Teeth Music, 18.03) // The Boo Radleys – Keep On With Falling (Boostr, 11.03) //Blue States – World Contact Day (Memphis Industries, 18.03) // Kaina – It Was A Home (City Slang, 04.03) // Kristine Leschper – The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door (ANTI-, 04.03) //Eades – Delusion Spree (Heist or Hit, 04.03)

Words: Damian Robinson Taking various twists and turns, math rockers a-tota-so head back from a Covid lock-in looking both refreshed and experimental as they try out new sounds and textures on their second album.

Using a combination of guest vocalists, the spirit of their debut album remains in the overall feel of the eight songs, particularly with pulsating riff-driven rock (Far Enough) and edgy punk postures (Squirrel Bait) reminiscent of both At The Drive In and Rage Against The Machine. Standouts I Am and Sad Lamps push not only their sound to the extreme, but also combine acoustic guitars with gentle, angelic vocals in a move which maintains the anger of their sound while also disguising it in loveliness; some really interesting artistic choices which pay off handsomely.

Released: 11.03.22 www.a-tota-so.bandcamp.com

4/5 PICTISH TRAIL ISLAND FAMILY (FIRE RECORDS) Words: Robert Nichols A magical maelstrom of electro psych pop.

Maybe not as immediate as the previous release Thumb World, but here we are on a journey. It is a voyage of personal discovery, experiencing twists and turns, spliced up beats, transcending tumultuous torrents or slipping gently into sensitive refrains. Nature versus machine. Melody against malady. Stilting sadness, or wild flowers of romance. Grinding bass or a flowing river of synth’d delights.

Flaming Lips, Beck and Gruff Rhys spring to mind in different parts; this is Pictish Trail, aka Johnny Lynch, isolated by the pandemic with his young family and immersing himself in nature on his Hebridean island home of Eigg.

We experience with him a reawakening of the senses and it is electrifying.

Released: 18.03.22 www.pictishtrail.co.uk

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ALBUMS

4/5

4.5 / 5

5/5

SWAMI JOHN REIS RIDE THE WILD NIGHT (SWAMI RECORDS)

MIDLAKE FOR THE SAKE OF BETHEL WOODS (BELLA UNION)

PLACEBO NEVER LET ME GO (SO RECORDINGS)

Words: Lee Fisher When Reis (Speedo to his mum) has released records with any of his dozen or so bands, there’s some expectation about which of his styles you’re going to get. Not so with this, arguably his first ‘solo’ album (although plenty of former bandmates are involved): there’s endless variations of punk, garage, sixties pop, a kind of mutant girl group pop, a sort of chugging Southern boogie, a strange and not entirely successful dabble in electro pop. It’s all united by a few key components – Reis’ lovable and distinctive voice (‘the Velvet Yawn’), his knack for throwing out killer riffs like it ain’t no thing, and a feel for a brilliant chorus. Ride The Wild Night is all sorts of scrappy punk rock fun.

Released: 11.03.22 www.swami-records.myshopify.com

Words: Lee Hammond The much-loved Midlake return to the fore with an album that boasts a rare simultaneous coherence and disregard for genre. For The Sake of Bethel Woods shifts effortlessly with each track, drawing on a breadth of influences that all blend together seamlessly, from the psychedelic Exile to the intense crescendo that is Of Desire.

It is tracks like Bethel Woods and Feast of Carrion which really set this record apart; the latter as it grows into a sprawling wonderful track, opening out into an expansive soundscape. It’s such a beautiful moment in an excellent album that fosters an underlying warmth, and despite its multitude of genres it retains its wonderfully inviting tone. This is Midlake at their very best.

Released: 18.03.22 www.midlakeband.com

Words: Paul Broadhead A band that has always found beauty in the elegantly wasted, now find it in positivity and reflection on their eighth studio record and first in nine years. There’s a familiar warm glow to opener Forever Chemicals, but unlike that first high, Placebo are able to keep hitting the heights of the late 90’s on the instantly melodic Try Better Next Time and love song Beautiful James.

More mid-tempo than earlier releases, Brian Molko still has plenty of high adrenaline anthems like Hugz in him, but is equally at home with the poignant meditation on death, The Prodigal, complete with Under Pressure sample. This is ultimately a beautifully positive collection which proves there are still plenty of highs even after the comedown.

Released: 25.03.22 www.placeboworld.co.uk

3.5 / 5

4/5

5/5

THE NINTH WAVE HEAVY LIKE A HEADACHE (DISTILLER RECORDS)

BODEGA BROKEN EQUIPMENT (WHAT’S YOUR RUPTURE?)

CAMP COPE RUNNING WITH THE HURRICANE (RUN FOR COVER RECORDS)

Words: Laura Doyle The Ninth Wave were better established in the music scene before they were fully established in themselves. The sophomore record is the first with this solid four person line-up, and this cohesion shows in the confidence with which this music is presented.

With a new introspective slant, Heavy Like A Headache is gentler than previous entries to an already diverse catalogue. They’ve smoothed many of the rough edges in the Glasgow group’s earlier work – although while they shun genre, forgoing those punkish elements that made The Ninth Wave interesting to begin with just to avoid categorisation leaves things a little lacklustre. Yet the passion for creativity and storytelling is ever-present, and it makes repeated listening irresistible. Not flawless, but still hauntingly beautiful.

Released: 11.03.22 www.theninthwave.online

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Words: Adelle Sutheran Broken Equipment makes me want to body pop all over the shop, throw in some nifty indie footwork and do the robot all while enjoying punk chant choruses and clever philosophical ironies. There are fewer explosive tracks this time around but undoubtedly they have a signature sound. Territorial Call To The Female, with its bombastic bass and regimented vocal ‘call’ is witty and spiky; I can hear The Ramones when listening to Statuette On The Console in the simplistic repeating guitar and tempo. After Jane is the more subdued but melodic track on the album, a heartfelt and emotionally raw but honest reflection of his relationship with his mum, who had her own story “channelling your heart when I sing my song”. Beautiful.

Released: 11.03.22 www.bodegabk.bandcamp.com

Words: Paul Brown Camp Cope’s second album How To Socialise And Make Friends lit a fire on release, catalysed

by Georgia Maq’s unapologetically strident delivery of gut-wrenching lyrics of trauma and injustice. A lot has changed in four years though, and the mood here is different. This is a softer record, powered in large part by love and hope. Maq’s singing, always powerful, is more beautiful than it has ever been before, which is fitting given the arrangements are warmer and richer than anything Camp Cope have ever created. The album closer Sing Your Heart Out is the most powerful example of the emotive and musical capabilities of CC Mk III. This is a wonderful return, and well worth the four year wait.

Released: 25.03.22 www.campcope.bandcamp.com

ALBUMS

5/5

3.5 / 5

3.5 / 5

FREAKONS S/T (FLUFF & GRAVY RECORDS)

ISIK KURAL IN FEBRUARY (RVNG INTL.)

HOUSEPLANTS II (WIN BIG RECORDS)

Words: Lee Fisher This near-mythical but ultimately inevitable collision of Mekons and Freakwater has been long awaited, and I have to tell you, friends, it’s better than I hoped. Freakons is a warm and roughly-hewn collection of songs exploring the shared mining heritage of Kentucky, Leeds and South Wales through some really wonderful country and folk, a mix of covers and originals.

The album opens with laughter and camaraderie and there’s a lot of humour here, but this album is also full of anger and socialism and working-class identity and death and the church. From the always affecting Freakwater harmonies to Langford and Timms’ raw and impassioned vocals, the whole album feels like a beery, teary lock in you wish you’d been invited to. Phenomenal.

Released: 22.03.22 www.fluffandgravy.com/artists/freakons

Words: Elodie A. Roy Isik Kural’s debut album, released on the experimental Brooklyn label RVNG Intl., was written somewhere between Istanbul and Glasgow. It feels like candy-floss – sweet and softly unsubstantial – gone before one can fully taste it. Kural’s lullabies often start with samples – jumbled snapshots of funfairs and seaside towns and summer rain. He is absentmindedly, uncertainly singing to himself, as children do to feel safer.

The clear, detached voice of Stephanie Roxanne Ward (aka Spefy), singing on three of the thirteen tracks, reinforces the impression of distance. Kural’s miniature songs remind me of the bedroom electronica of Wilfried* and CocoRosie. They resemble the mechanical waltzes buried in seashells and music boxes.

They have a life of their own – yet they’re almost too frail for life.

Released: 25.03.22 www.isikkural.bandcamp.com

Words: Robin Webb Prolific local artist Oli Heffernan, under his Houseplants banner, delivers a stream of aural consciousness narrated languidly by Leighton Crook and assisted by Neil Turpin on drums and Robbie Major on synth, who will also be helping Oli under his Ivan The Tolerable moniker as they head out on the road.

The sounds herein have an understated groove that builds up into a compelling psych-out weave, coalescing with lyrics that paint vivid automatic surreal scenes which are simultaneously familiar, connected and yet disjointed. Menacing in parts, particularly when told that “everything good must die” or that “everything ends in despair” – which thankfully this album doesn’t do – it drives chugging on, soundtracking this oddly offbeat journey into a scorched post-punk psychedelic experience.

Released: 04.03.22 www.houseplantshouseplantshouseplants. bandcamp.com

4/5

3.5 / 5

4/5

THE LAZY EYES SONG BOOK (LUNATIC/THE ORCHARD)

IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE ELECTRICITY (MERGE)

NILÜFER YANYA PAINLESS (ATO RECORDS)

Words: Robin Webb Pop psychedelia for a jaded 21st Century post-pandemic, intensified sensory perception, they’ve spent a good number of years honing their rose-tinted sensibility and have crafted a fine addition to the universal freak out zone.

Less garagey than the Gizzards, more in a peculiar binary orbit of the Dukes of Stratosphere and Tame Impala, The Lazy Eyes are hitting a sweet spot with their groovy confection, particularly with the tracks Fuzz Jam and Where’s My Brain, we just need a new summer of love to compliment the album’s sunny existence in these cold times. The closing tracks Imaginary Girl and Cheesy Love Song are delightfully Pepper-esque and belie such talent in a band just starting out on their mind bending careers.

Released: 11.03.22 www.thelazyeyes.com

Words: Eugenie Johnson With their mix of electronic beats and traditional West African influences, Ibibio Sound Machine are known for uplifting dancefloor fillers. But with Electricity, they’ve made what they’ve called their darkest album to date, spurred on by the turbulence of the past year. The propulsive synth and Eno Williams’ spitfire delivery on opener Protection From Evil certainly fits that billing. Yet Electricity often sinks back into a more familiar and comfortable groove, with All That You Want being a funk-fusion highlight and 17 18 19 being a short, sharp blast of percussive fun. Even if Electricity doesn’t always feel like a dark meditation on contemporary life, it’s still a solid addition to the group’s singular canon.

Released: 25.03.22 www.ibibiosoundmachine.com

Words: Eugenie Johnson On her debut album Miss Universe, Nilüfer Yanya took a tongue-in-cheek look at the health and wellness industry through 18 genrespanning tracks. Three years on, her follow-up PAINLESS explores emotion and life’s big events using a slightly more stripped-back palette, from propulsive opener The Dealer to the jittery riffs reminiscent of math rock on Stabilise. Yet even taking this more direct approach, Yanya’s wide-ranging influences are still present. She draws on her Turkish heritage by incorporating the saz into L/R, while Chase Me builds on a crunchy, distorted beat. Closer Anotherlife’s synth waves and languid vocals lend it an effortless vibe. PAINLESS distils everything that was great about Miss Universe into an even more refined collection.

Released: 04.03.22 www.niluferyanya.com

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MIXTAPE WORDS: LUKE SCOTT

There’s something special about the North East music scene and the raw, untamed creativity it breeds. I run Sound Inc, a musical hub which has been nestled in Costa del Blaydon for the past 15 years.

Sound Inc is a rehearsal space first and foremost. We have four unique rehearsal spaces and the building’s rabbit warren layout is constantly upgraded and made quirkier. We provide equipment hire for gigs and live events, music supplies for those annoying string-snapping/plectrum-losing moments, and gallons of coffee.

Our mission statement is to enrich the experience of our users and to do everything possible to cultivate a positive atmosphere and fast track success. We want to elevate the standard rehearsal experience to something which is thoroughly enjoyed, fondly remembered and heavily caffeinated.

We also work with a great selection of local industry to augment the careers of our clientele. In Heart Studios (www.inheartstudios. com) provide excellent recordings from the building next door to us, Atlas Touring (www.atlasbandtouring.com) are seasoned touring professionals who provide touring vehicles and personnel to the whole of Europe and beyond, while The Merch Guys are screen printers who ship UK wide.

During my time stewarding this bastion of musos, I’ve had the esteemed pleasure of enjoying thousands of different bands from all genres and disciplines. This Mixtape highlights a selection of original local artists currently calling Sound Inc home. www.soundinc.co.uk

THE BAND FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION READ ALL ABOUT IT Where were TBFDCAP when we needed them?! These local punk veterans were probably taking notes for this unashamed critique on the state of the nation and its governance of late. Punk and politics go together like fish and chips, so if rowdy guitars, thumping drums and a zero manure attitude are your jam, dive in for a listen.

TEN EIGHTY TREES THE KICK Ten Eighty Trees are raw, loud and tight. The Kick is a perfect blend of everything that they do best – driving guitars and heel-stomping rhythm propel a satisfying blend of differently textured sections with vocals that morph from raucous choral hook to electric verses. Hints of Bloc Party and subtle electronic elements are used sparingly and to great effect.

THE INCOGNITOS HEY YOU

CONSCIENCE THRVNES Ethereal guitars from the off, THRVNES are a new band who bake together the best parts of all of their forebear musical projects. Melodies that go where your head-voice hopes that they might and great pacing and variety all help this solid alternative rock song shine. This track walks the careful line between not being too heavy or too light, resulting in a satisfying listen with excellent production and atmosphere.

Funky, full of harmonies and a real contender for the driving playlist. Feel good vibes and a polished yet retro sound drip form this track.

This is what Smooth Radio could sound like if they played more than 50 songs.

SPILT MILK GREY STREET These chaps are young guns, and unbridled, whimsical youth emanates from the heart of this indie-golden-era inspired track. An

uplifting song exploding with local pride and confidence in the command of that good ol’ indie twang. Hints of Wombats and a good dash of 2007.

HOMETRUTHS SOUNDTRACK This is everything you could want in a pop punk track. Excellent musicianship and production with all the -isms that make pop punk great. Great mastering and tight as heck playing allow everything in the mix the space to nail the sound it’s going for. If you’re into pop punk, Hometruths will be your new favourite band.

TINO JOHNSON PORTRAIT IN BLACK Two gentlemen, a guitar plugged into three amplifiers and an electric drum kit – what could possibly come of it? Delay. Lots of delay.

Portrait In Black is one of a five-track live EP and is chock full with atmosphere and late night drive vibes. We can imagine the main riff being sampled in a movie montage sequence.

NEW EPISODES PERFORMANCES AND CHAT WITH NORTH EAST ARTISTS WATCH VIA 62

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