MIXTAPE

WORDS: NICK ROBERTS

BBC Music Introducing in the North East is 10 years old in January! You can listen on Thursday’s at 8pm on BBC Radio Newcastle or anytime on BBC Sounds. NARC. have asked me to put together a mixtape covering that time, and there are so many artists I could have put in, but sadly only space for a few. So here goes… www.twitter.com/nickyrob

VINYL JACKET - SAFARI

Falsetto, harmonies and general musical loveliness was the blueprint for Newcastle’s Vinyl Jacket. One of our first acts to impact on BBC Music Introducing nationally. With Radio 1 plays and Tom Robinson of 6Music being a huge fan.

THE LAKE POETS - SHIPYARDS

Sunderland’s Marty Longstaff is The Lake Poets. An amazing songwriter, he has gone on to write for others. Shipyards is probably his biggest song to date. This tune was used as the theme to the Netflix series Sunderland ‘Till I Die.

MEG WARD - PEANUT POWER

Originally from Leeds, Meg came to study in Newcastle. She used lockdown to hone her DJ skills and is now regularly playing gigs all over the UK and beyond. Peanut Power is one of her early tracks with old skool rave sounds a plenty.

IMOGEN - WHITE LINES

Immy, as we know her, has been a regular on the show for quite some time. Not only does she write and perform her own amazing music she now works with the Ivors Academy in London championing other artists. White Lines is Immy’s first truly big tune and many more were to follow.

MARTHA HILL - SPIDERS

This was a fall off my seat tune! Smoove had mentioned Martha’s name to me. Spiders was one of those rare occasions when an artist’s debut tune seems like the fully formed end product. Martha had spent years travelling, busking and playing live and it all paid off.

ANOTHER SKY - FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY

Another Sky are from all over the UK and met at Uni in London. Songwriter/ bassist Naomi is from Washington and the band chose Intro NE as their local show and we are so happy that they did! They headlined a BBC Introducing showcase at Sage Gateshead, played the Introducing stage at Leeds/Reading and have appeared on Later With Jools!

NADINE SHAH - OUT THE WAY

The Whitburn singer-songwriter has played in our studio on a couple of occasions. Her album Holiday Destinations was nominated for the Mercury and Nadine gave a powerful and moving performance of Out the Way at the awards show. She is also now doing Shakespeare! What’s not to love?

COQUIN MIGALE - GOLD

Amazing Newcastle band who were big friends of the show. Through BBC Introducing they played Leeds/Reading and a session at Maida Vale for Huw Stephens at Radio 1. They released their album Munro through Fierce Panda.

THE PALE WHITE - THAT DRESS

Brothers Adam and Jack Hope along with Tom Booth have been local heroes on the North East indie scene for years. They have been played by Radio 1 and 6Music and they’re currently on a headline European tour. That Dress is an early banger.

NE DONS - LIGHTWORK

Newcastle grime duo who we have been big supporters of for a few years now. They have featured on our New North East playlist which gets aired every weekday evening on BBC Radio Newcastle, which means regular plays for emerging North East artists outside of the Introducing show.

SAM FENDER - PLAY GOD

This was an an ‘OMFG this is amazing’ moment. I had heard loads of great things about Sam but this was the first recording sent to Introducing. It was a proper fall off my chair moment and was the point when I knew that the local hype was on point. Little did I know how stratospheric Sam’s career would go! He has an amazing manager, Owain, who discovered him in his local. The stuff dreams are made of!