PREVIEWS

Image by Erika Kamano

MUSIC

BEABADOOBEE @ NX NEWCASTLE

Words: Cameron Wright

With each project, beabadoobee creates her own world that exists without time or rules, and the artist brings her upbeat, dreamy passion project to the newly opened NX Newcastle on Tuesday 11th October. 2020’s Fake It Flowers was the kickstart of the beabadoobee hype. The record is a very petite, jagged project, matching sweetness with a cynical callousness. Openly bolstering an obvious 90s alternative influence, the release felt filled with everything the artist could give, as every emotion of lust, anger and heartbreak battled against each other. The messy montage of adolescence is what resonated with audiences, as jangly guitars and scrappy vocals were delivered with conviction and energy. beatopia, the 2022 follow-up, is a brilliant step forward musically, while stepping back emotionally. If the debut was a depiction of the dynamic teenage years, beatopia steps back into childhood. The entire album is a whimsical, joyful romp through a nostalgic meadow, imbued with love, innocence and truth. The feel good project is an extremely gentle, smiling release that pays homage to the sugar-coated glamour of 00s bubblegum pop, delivering a sickly sweet portrait of youth’s simplicity and potential. beabadoobee plays NX Newcastle on Tuesday 11th October. www.beabadoobee.com

MUSIC

DYSTOPIAN FUTURE MOVIES @ STAR AND SHADOW CINEMA

Words: Michael O’Neill

For as I long as I live and breathe, and my ears continue to function, I will always hold a torch that burns brightly for musicians who refuse to allow the concept of genre to allow them to rein in their art. Dystopian Future Movies are a prime example of the riches that await: discordant guitars, atmospheric swells and colossal heaviness coalesce to form a singular sound that takes in elements of doom metal, noise rock and folk, which has been acclaimed from the likes of The Quietus through to Kerrang! The outfit bring their tour to Newcastle’s Star & Shadow Cinema on Saturday 22nd October to support their upcoming third LP, War Of The Ether, which is a marvellous continuation of their signature sound, with lead single The Veneer brilliantly setting the tone with tightly controlled dynamic shifts and soaring vocals from Caroline Cawley. Support comes in the form of Bad Amputee, the North East’s premier source of slow-core delight, who channel the spirit of that genre’s experimental thrills whilst still bringing something fresh to the table. Alongside them is Heat Death Of The Sun, a murky trudge through the world of electronic music, from minimal ambience through to hefty techno wobblers. All in all, a staggeringly diverse and enthralling line-up! Dystopian Future Movies, Heat Death Of The Sun and Bad Amputee play Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle on Saturday 22nd October. www.dystopianfuturemovies.com

MUSIC

REN LAWTON @ BOBIK’S

Words: Matt Young

Drawing on a strong lyrical tradition of hard working communities with lots to say, Ren Lawton is taking his compelling tales and engaging melodies on the road this month with his first national headline tour, which visits Bobik’s on Sunday 9th October for what promises to be an intimate musical experience. London-born but now calling Newcastle home, Lawton will showcase songs from his debut album Today Today Tomorrow, which is a genre defying mix of poppy bops, Thinking About You in particular, and more airy, folk-infused tunes like Come All You Mourners and Willow. He’s an artist who sometimes defies pigeonholing under the often overused ‘folk’ moniker, allowing the narrative to lead the way and set the tone, whether he’s accompanied by piano, guitar or plaintive harmonica – sometimes all three together. This results in an eclectic mix of musical touchstones, sometimes playful and upbeat, or soothing and contemplative but always packed with personality and emotion. At heart there’s a yearning passion at work in Lawton’s best music and that’s ultimately what makes it connect more deeply. He fills the space with his sound and if you immerse yourself fully it’s a hugely rewarding listen. Ren Lawton plays Bobik’s, Newcastle on Sunday 9th October. www.renlawton.com

STAGE

SAMSARA @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Helen Redfern

Samsara: the circle of life without beginning or end. The never-ending wheel of life: birth, everyday life, death and re-birth. Never without suffering. Drawing on the thinking and imagery of Samsara at the heart of Buddhist philosophy, Aakash Odedra Company and Bagri Foundation invite you to enter the world of Samsara. Two extraordinary dancers Aakash Odedra (UK/ India) and Hu Shenyuan (China) use their disciplines of Kathak, Chinese folk, ballet and contemporary dance to explore this important Buddhist notion of our very existence. Inspired too by the classic Chinese novel Journey To The West, this spellbinding performance traces the steps we take, both forward and backward, in search of our higher selves. It’s a compelling journey of self-development, as fear and love trace a path across the stage, across lands and through time. Co-presented with Dance City and Gem Arts, this thoughtful work merges mythological storytelling with a depth of personal experience from the two globally opposite perspectives of the dancers. A seductive, astonishing journey that explores in such a beautiful way the compelling idea that if we let all attachments go and allow the light in, we may ultimately find a place of truth and peace. We may glimpse that place in this performance. Samsara is performed at Northern Stage, Newcastle on Friday 14th October. www.northernstage.co.uk

Amateur Ornithologist by Jenny Rohde

MUSIC

AMATEUR ORNITHOLOGIST ALBUM LAUNCH @ THE CENTRAL BAR

Words: Ali Welford

If Birdwatching, Daniel Clifford’s debut as Amateur Ornithologist, suffered something of pandemic-induced soft-launch, the South Shields songwriter is ensuring no such half-measures befall its follow-up. Quickfire in its arrival and showcasing a brighter, ripened sound, Building The Bird finds Clifford belatedly spreading his wings, liberated from those initial restraints of socially distanced recording and online livestream events. As such, this ostensibly solo project has expanded to a full band – and when better to introduce the new incarnation than on the evening of the album’s release, with a special show at Gateshead’s Central Bar on Friday 21st October? With ebullient melodies spanning a gamut of influences – from post-punk’s artier fringes, to the harmonic sounds of ‘60s psych-pop – Building The Bird’s vivid realisation juxtaposes a more reflective lyrical tone, inspired by a recent autism diagnosis and Clifford’s subsequent shift in outlook. Lead single Hermit Phase is the perfect stall-setter, boiling a lifetime’s worth of social and productivity anxiety into two-and-a-half minutes of chiming guitar pop glory, celebrating rather than bemoaning the contrasting quirks of our diversely wired brains. Along with the lushly arranged Weird Walking and intimately smitten synth ballad The Willows, it’s a mightily seductive advert for the album’s launch gig, which also sees performances from fellow indie pop connoisseurs Reservoirs and viola-sporting electro artist Madeleine Smyth. Mark the date in your diaries! Amateur Ornithologist launches Building The Bird at The Central Bar, Gateshead on Friday 21st October. www.amateurornithologist.bandcamp.com

MUSIC

WARGASM @ WYLAM BREWERY

Words: Cameron Wright

There’s something really, honestly euphoric and cathartic about a band, film or piece of art that’s just unapologetically excessive. Stumbling upon a project that’s the sonic equivalent of a Tarantino fight scene, WARGASM are that audible bloodbath, and it’ll be a joy to be immersed in that carnage when the duo perform at Wylam Brewery on Sunday 23rd October. It would be a tough sell trying to argue that songs like Fuckstar or D.R.I.L.D.O are powerful and discerning social commentaries that will be used to detail the cultural zeitgeist of the time, nor would it be easy to convince someone that the duo are writing layered and textured masterpieces, full of subtlety and nuance. But I’ll be damned if they’re not fun. Loud, crass and dangerous, the aptly named Explicit tour is set to be pure, high voltage chaos. Slamming the thundering beats and aggressive synths of The Prodigy against the snarled, violent choruses of a metal juggernaut like Jason Butler, their crunching guitar riffs bring to mind early Slipknot, where the interplay between gentle, lilting vocal passages and destructive, potent anarchy is reminiscent of Poppy. Ultimately, WARGASM are shamelessly outrageous and indulgently fearless fun, fully dedicated to serving the moment and delivering nothing but an explosive adrenaline rush. WARGASM play Wylam Brewery, Newcastle on Sunday 23rd October. www.wargasm.online

Installation view, Jala Wahid, Sophie Tappeiner, Frieze. Photo by Tim Bowditch

ART & LIT

JALA WAHID: CONFLAGRATION @ BALTIC

Words: Michael O’Neill

Working with sculpture, film, sound, writing and installation, Jala Wahid’s Conflagration (her first solo show at the BALTIC, opening on Saturday 22nd October) is an enthrallingly innovative multi-disciplinary exploration of themes as broad and urgent as nationhood, diasporic living in the UK, cultural identity, migration, cultural traditions and intergenerational connections. Wahid seeks to explore the relationship between Britain and Kurdistan, taking inspiration from the vast London Kurdish Cultural Centre’s archive as a means to go beyond binary understandings of colonialism, to better and deeper articulate the problematics of nationalism within a stateless people. It’s an exhibition that also seeks to educate on the staggering impact that the discovery of the Baba Gurgur oil well, which culminated in the formation of new nation states, and a damaging monopoly in the

region’s oil resources. It’s another innovative step forward from the renowned artist, who, since graduating from Goldsmiths in 2014, has gone on to exhibit her work prolifically, from London to New York, constantly using her creative expressions as a means to more deeply explore topical and historic issues affecting marginalised communities the world over, with the works contained within Conflagration being a compelling and boundary-pushing affirmation of her singular approach and voice. Jala Wahid: Conflagration is at BALTIC, Gateshead from Saturday 22nd October- Sunday 30th April 2023. www.instagram.com/jalawahid

STAGE

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Laura Doyle

It’s 2022, but still if anyone dares include LGBTQIA+ people or people of colour in popular media, especially period pieces, loads of people love to get up in arms… Even though these groups have existed since like, ever. That’s their problem, though, because the English Touring Theatre’s production of infamously Queer writer Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest shouts its inclusivity from the rooftops at Northern Stage from Tuesday 4th-Saturday 8th October. Its all-Black cast consists of exceptional established and up-and-coming talent – including House of the Dragon star Phoebe Campbell in her theatre debut and RuPaul Drag Race UK alumni Daniel Jacob (Vinegar Strokes) as the stiff-upper-lipped Lady Bracknell. This play already pushed the boat out in its heyday, sticking the Victorian equivalent of a middle finger up to trivial social hierarchy and expectations. After all, its central character is a bit of a fibber, the woman of his desires a little shallow, and the culmination of its plot seems to reward these shady actions in Victorian society which was exceedingly concerned with morality. Wilde’s satirical tale of mistaken identity and petty misgivings continues to translate effortlessly to modern audiences, and retains its subversity even in a modern age that is supposedly more tolerant of the one in which its writer lived and died. The Importance of Being Earnest is at Northern Stage, Newcastle from Tuesday 4th-Saturday 8th October. www.northernstage.co.uk

FILM

TEES VALLEY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL @ ARC

Words: Mera Royle

The brainchild of Darlington-born film producer Michael Luke, Tees Valley International Film Festival is the first of its kind to bring global attention to the Teesside film scene. Taking place at ARC in Stockton from Wednesday 26th-Saturday 29th October, the festival is full of opportunities to gain inspiration, share knowledge and build connections between like-minded people and to share their passions. Founded by Michael to attract those who wouldn’t normally attend a film festival or arts centre, Tees Valley Film Festival aims to encourage interest and enjoyment for film. On his motivation, he says: “I’m convinced there’s a wealth of undiscovered talent in the region that just needs an event of this type and scale to give them and their work a bigger stage and a springboard to more.” The event is filled with workshops, screenings, in-depth interviews and audience Q&As which invite attendees to hone and develop filmmaking knowledge and skills. Culminating in an In Conversation event with three Teesside acting legends – Mark Benton, Bill Fellows and Stephen Tompkinson – who share their stories on how to make a mark on the big screen. Expect a variety of films, from documentary and music to animation, LGBTQIA+ and comedy, and be prepared to learn and network with minds from the local film scene in Teesside and beyond. Tees Valley International Film Festival takes place at ARC, Stockton from Wednesday 26th-Saturday 29th October. www.arconline.co.uk

Xeno & Oaklander by Liz Wendelbo

MUSIC

XENO & OAKLANDER @ THE LUBBER FIEND

Words: Matt Young

Prolific purveyors of synth pop and darkwave sounds, Xeno & Oaklander are currently airing their back catalogue of minimal electronics and cold wave inspired music on a world tour that’s due to visit Newcastle’s Lubber Fiend on Thursday 20th October. For the uninitiated, the Brooklyn-based duo of Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride have been creating uniquely icy tunes and expounding their love of analogue synth sounds for almost 20 years, and are as prolific and creative as ever. Songs from last year’s Vi/deo album attempt to melodically convey the nature of synaesthesia – scents and perception of the world via obsolete technologies – presents an immediate melancholic canvas over which the pair dab liberally with shining cinematic moments. Half remembered noir movie backdrops and soundtracks, with flickering tunes catching the ear, dreamlike. Xeno & Oaklander world-build with their sound, creating an aural experience designed to be absorbed into the human core. What better way to do this than as part of a crowd of like-minded souls’ eyes fixed forward, transported into the ether of a collective womb, like a dream of witnessing the mothership in Close Encounters. Expect intimacy, fantasy and bittersweet reverie. Xeno & Oaklander play The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle on Thursday 20th October. www.xenoandoaklander.art

STAGE

MY VOICE WAS HEARD BUT IT WAS IGNORED @ VARIOUS VENUES

Words: Steve Spithray

Presented by Red Ladder Theatre Company, My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored is an urgent interrogation of racial identity which will be performed at a variety of venues in the region this month. Fifteen-year-old Reece is roughly accosted by the police outside Marks & Spencer; his teacher Gillian can only watch as his face is pressed into the wet gravel with a policeman’s knee in his back, frozen out of fear for her own safety. The next day Reece locks them both in her classroom, refusing to relinquish the key. He wants her to pay and to fully understand the pain her inaction has caused. Written by Nana-Kofi Kufuor, an English- Ghanaian scriptwriter from Stockport who is Associate Artist at Oldham Coliseum and previously nominated for a Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Award, My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored is directed by Dermot Daly. Red Ladder Theatre Company has become one of Britain’s leading national touring companies since founding in London in 1968, and pride themselves on being a deeply principled but radically motivated production company. My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored is performed at Alnwick Playhouse on Tuesday 4th-Wednesday 5th, Queen’s Hall Hexham on Thursday 6th and Durham Gala Theatre on Friday 7th October. www.galadurham.co.uk

Lady Nade by Alec Bowman Clarke

MUSIC

LADY NADE @ THE GLOBE

Words: Jake Anderson

Being named one of Bristol’s most influential women, Lady Nade has been a key part of the South East music scene. Having released three albums since her debut in 2016, Lady Nade is taking to the road again to play tracks from her newest release, Willing, with a stop off at The Globe in Newcastle on Thursday 6th October. Willing has a very nostalgic instrumentation, and feels like an album unearthed from a forgotten decade. Lady Nade extends herself above the tracks, flexing a truly impressive vocal range and very intimate writing that truly captures feelings of loss and love with an eclectic Americana folk vibe. It’s a release that pulls at the heartstrings, and makes these carefully crafted narratives a must-see live. Joining her on her tour will be Simeon Hammond Dallas, a singer-songwriter from London. Taking inspiration from a vast array of genres, such as blues and Americana, Dallas has crafted her own unique style in a plentiful genre. She recently released her EP, Make It Romantic, which features lush vocals over gentle guitar melodies, carrying a fun amount of momentum to it. Joining them is the North East’s own neo-soul chanteuse Georgia May, whose style is both poetic and thought provoking. Lady Nade, Simeon Hammond Dallas and Georgia May play The Globe, Newcastle on Thursday 6th October. www.ladynade.co.uk

MUSIC

LIM ORION @ NE VOLUME MUSIC BAR

Words: Liv Aldridge

PinDrop Events are hosting a ‘pay what you decide’ acoustic gig on Saturday 29th October at NE Volume Music Bar which spans home-grown folk and ambient pop. The event is headlined by Cara Sebastian’s multimedia project Lim Orion; Sebastian is otherwise known as a vocalist and guitarist in the rock band Shade Ray. Listeners unfamiliar with Lim Orion will be in for an ambient, roomy sound alternating between folk shapes and poppy abstraction. Sebastian’s lyrics combine elements of the rudimentary poetic and the instrumental: promising a performance that is sonically and linguistically articulated, the sound shifting between an atmosphere of folky and narrative coherence and total abstraction. The emphasis on texture is key to Sebastian’s music and lyrical matter. Lim Orion will be supported by Natasha Graham, a Saltburn-based singer-songwriter with a memorable voice and songs more rooted in the folk lyric. The overlap between Graham and the headliner is a geographic, elemental preoccupation: ‘beaches’, appearing in Graham’s lyric and aesthetic and similarly sea and light being at the forefront of Orion’s album titled Cosmic Salt. The line-up also includes a performance by young artist Jasmine Weatherill. Lim Orion, Natasha Graham and Jasmine Weatherill play NE Volume Music Bar, Stockton on Saturday 29th October. www.limorion.bandcamp.com

EVENTS

THE WORD @ PINEAPPLE BLACK

Words: Michael O’Neill

It’s safe to say that there are few creative and cultural revolutions that can claim to have gestated in a stockroom, however Pineapple Black are looking to shake things up with Middlesbrough’s new “open collective” The Word, with their first event taking place on Saturday 22nd October. This inaugural event is the result of intense organisation from curators Sadie, Wil and Bobby, who are launching the event with the aim to remove the barrier between audience and performers. Each live event will use a particular theme as the impetus for a night of rampant creation, acting as a loose jump-off for any creatives wanting to get involved, with the first event being curated by Pineapple Black’s existing team of artists, musicians, writers, poets and videographers, taking place across two stages with no pre-existing schedule. At every step of the way, it is clear that PB have no interest in presenting any boundaries or creative obstacles for those wanting to participate, with the main onus being on ensuring that everyone, from actors and drag queens, to poets and musicians, get a chance to make the evening their own. For those interested, there’s a pre-event social on Saturday 1st October to find out more. The Word launches on Saturday 22nd October at Pineapple Black, Middlesbrough. www.pineappleblack.co.uk

MUSIC

PENETRATION @ POP RECS LTD.

Words: Evie Nicholson

It’s half a century since Penetration defined a movement with Don’t Dictate. Unapologetically rebellious and outspoken, Pauline Murray’s vocals carried punk rock through its heyday and beyond. On Thursday 27th October, the North East punk veterans once again take to the stage at Sunderland’s Pop Recs Ltd. I hadn’t actually been following Penetration’s recent movements. The ageism and rapid-turnover of the music industry can make it easy to overlook bands that are synonymous with a bygone movement. In an interview Pauline recognised this, noting that we are living in very different times to the late seventies when the band first hit their stride. After their iconic 1978 debut they had a stint with Factory Records in Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls – collaborating with John Cooper Clarke and Vini Reilly. 2015 saw the band release Resolution – more alt. rock than angsty punk. Their 2021 album, Drifter Amber is their most experimental iteration to date. So different in fact, that I had to double-check whether it was even them. Stripped back, instrumental, bordering on dance beats and trip-hop; it’s exciting. What defines Penetration is their stamina and versatility. Ironically, their lack of PR-funded commercial success and refusal to sell-out and move down South means that they’re still authentically making music long after their contemporaries quit the game. For Penetration, every cloud has a silver lining. Penetration play Pop Recs Ltd., Sunderland on Thursday 27th October. www.penetrationband.com

MUSIC

HANNAH MOULE & THE MOULETTES @ COBALT STUDIOS

Words: Maria Winter

Revered multi-instrumentalist and English art rockers The Moulettes will bring their evocative and experimental sounds to Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Friday 14th October. Autumn is the perfect season to encapsulate the enchanting nature of Hannah Moule and The Moulettes’ haunting musical qualities. Composer, vocalist and cellist Hannah Moule brings together a selection of remarkable musicians to perform a series of beautiful alt. folk songs that capture the imagination through alluring vocal embellishments and intricate melodies. Their combined love of string music has always been at the centre of their work, taking classical ensemble traditions and eradicating all limitations to create a brand new sound. By embarking on a UK tour, Hannah and The Moulettes will challenge expectations by sharing their new experimental project: Xenolalia. As an astounding 55-piece musical set, this collection of songs discussing communication will be told five ways for five ensembles: Strings, A Cappella, Horns, Electronica and Electric – proving to be the ultimate showcase of exceptional musical collusion and production. The Strings tour, which pops up at Cobalt, push the boundaries of the chamber ensemble using a variety of stringed instruments. Hannah Moule & The Moulettes play Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Friday 14th October. www.moulettes.co.uk

Divorce by Alice Ashley

MUSIC

DIVORCE @ THE SHOOTING GALLERY

Words: Jake Anderson

Two genres I never thought I’d see crossed would be country and grunge. But would you believe it, and I hope you will, some mad lads from Nottingham have done it. Divorce are a four-piece ensemble, having put their debut single Services out in February; it’s a song which leans heavier towards the country aspect of the group’s sound, while second single, Pretty, saw the band flourishing with the more anthemic and dirty aspects of their noise. Scruffy guitar riffs and brash basslines start the song, eventually leading to the track crescendoing with an all-out attack of their instruments. It’s a balance that some artists would find difficult, but the band have really come into their own and their unique style makes them one of the most unique acts from the past year. This unusual hybrid is brought to the live stage and blasted across Newcastle Quayside from Zerox’s The Shooting Gallery on Friday 7th October. Divorce play The Shooting Gallery at Zerox, Newcastle on Friday 7th October. www.facebook.com/divorcehq

MUSIC

BANTU CONTINUA UHURU CONSCIOUSNESS (BCUC) @ COBALT

Words: Lee Fisher

Isn’t it always the way? You get into a new band and then discover they played at a venue a vigorous stone’s throw from you a few weeks before. So it is with Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness, who played Cobalt four years ago, before The Awfulness slowed down their world-beating ascendancy and before their take on old gospel standard Nobody Knows became my track of the year. But the good people of Cobalt have done us all a solid by getting them back as part of a short UK tour in October. And you really need to be there on Sunday 23rd October, because BCUC are one of the most thrilling, funky, in-your-face acts of recent years, regardless of genre. Described as “emo-indigenous Afro psychedelic fire from the hood” by vocalist Kgomotso Mokone, which seems about right, this bass/drums/voices/ politics/punk energy outfit hit you in the brain, the heart and the feet with a rhythm-driven sound that’ll get your blood up. They’ve been winning over crowds all summer and the footage shows they’re getting better and better. Get yourself to Cobalt and witness the truly indestructible beat of Soweto. Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness (BCUC) play Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Sunday 23rd October. www.facebook.com/bantucontinua

STAGE

UTOPIAN (T’S&C’S APPLY) @ ARC

Words: Laura Doyle

Performance art is one of the greatest things the human race has created, because literally anything goes. Case in point: multidisciplinary movement artist, cabaret performer, drag king and Guinness World Record holder for “longest duration on high-heeled skates whilst hula-hooping” Symoné’s UTOPIAN (t’s&c’s apply), which heads to Stockton’s ARC on Thursday 6th October. Many people might ask themselves what a utopia might entail, either on a personal level or within wider society, but not enough of them decide to explore the topic via a surrealist circus pop culture experience complete with strobe lighting, sexually explicit content and balloons. Symoné uses their circus skills talents not only to entertain, but also to provoke thought regarding some of life’s least queried but most important questions – like “Why do people abuse power roles?” It’s such a tantalising topic to explore, especially from one who may or may not have some autobiographical cult experience to share with the class, and one that’s certainly never been covered in this way. But why not delve into these complex and potentially controversial topics with complete gall and gumption? It would certainly be more captivating than the dusty political lectures which are usually responsible for their coverage. And after this, there may be a real demand for more big social questions to be answered by hula-hooping circus performers on rollerskates. UTOPIAN (t’s&c’s apply) is at ARC, Stockton on Thursday 6th October. www.symoneperformingartist.com

STAGE

MENSTRUAL RAGE PRODUCTIONS @ HARTLEPOOL TOWN HALL

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy

Local feminist theatre company Menstrual Rage are back in their town of origin to perform two of their shows which cover the realities of female lived experience in all of its rage and glory. Hartlepool Town Hall welcomes the group for a showcase of AND ME on Tuesday 4th October and GET LOUD! on Wednesday 5th October. After learning about the statistic that 97% of women aged 18-24 have experienced sexual harassment, Menstrual Rage took action and reached out to their followers online to learn about their experiences. This informed the show AND ME, which uses a mix of spoken word, movement and music to share the stories of what it is to be part of a harassed majority. GET LOUD! meanwhile follows the fight of four girls against the patriarchy in an unapologetically feminist show filled with punk music. This show considers the strength and value of female friendship as well as the varied definitions of home. Both stories explore female empowerment and what it is to take up space and make noise in a place that has often denied you the chance. Menstrual Rage present AND ME and GET LOUD! at Hartlepool Town Hall on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th October respectively. www.menstrualragetheatre.co.uk

MUSIC

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE @ STAR & SHADOW CINEMA

Words: Tom Astley

If you know about Acid Mothers Temple, chances are this gig has been on your radar for a while now. If not, chances are you’ll hear their howling psychedelic sounds floating through Shieldfield on Wednesday 12th October anyway, as the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. lands at the Star & Shadow Cinema. The band formed in Japan in the mid-90s by guitarist Kawabata Makoto have been making live and studio albums at an alarming rate ever since, a constellation of members and collaborative artists adding sound under a litany of variegated monikers. The current iteration of AMT are meandering their way through the UK this October, playing venues as esoteric as the band themselves, and the Star & Shadow will no doubt be the ideal place to wade into their celestial presence. With influences spanning the psychedelic rainbow from prog rock, noise music, Krautrock and musique concrète, expect an evening of intense, sky-splitting noise that’ll leave your head full of cotton wool and your brain in multicoloured pools at your feet. Support comes from North East trio The Type Five, whose psychedelic power rock makes them a great addition. Acid Mothers Temple and The Type Five play Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle on Wednesday 12th October. www.acidemothers.com

Sabina Sallis, Multispecies Visionary Institute, 2021. Installation shot. Courtesy the artist

ART & LIT

HINTERLANDS @ BALTIC

Words: Joseph Spence

The climate crisis, custodianship of land and our renewed connection to nature owing to the pandemic are just a few themes that a selection of artists will question in a new group show Hinterlands, which is due to open at BALTIC from Saturday 22nd October. The examination of our complex relationships to the land are demonstrated through existing and new works from a selection of 12 artists based in the North East of England, with the show focusing on the land away from the coast and banks of the river. Of note are interdisciplinary artist Emily Hesse, whose work takes material fragments of industrial Teesside to give thought to the social and political dynamics of clay as a material for sculpture; artist, researcher and creative producer Laura Harrington will present a new performance piece which was developed alongside people in Gateshead, and is a re-visit of the artist’s previous project Rivers, a collaborative opera of the River Tyne; Sheree Angela Matthews considers the histories and futures of the Black body and the North East landscape; Michele Allan’s work explores ancient woodland in Gateshead’s Team Valley, and Dawn Knox uses live ferns to consider the removal of toxic residues of human activity in coal mining. In addition, a series of public events, performances and workshops will be situated inside Sabina Sallis’ remarkable Multispecies Visionary Institute, which will focus on future sustainable practices. Humanity’s relationship with the land and ecosystems will be the main focus of this exhibition substantiated through novel and radical methods of thinking with, rather than through, the North East’s landscape. Hinterlands is on display at BALTIC, Gateshead from Saturday 22nd October 2022–Sunday 30th April 2023. www.baltic.art

COMEDY

LUISA OMIELAN @ TYNE THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE

Words: Maria Winter

Expect cow impressions, thigh gaps, Mary Magdalene and relationship boat analogies as comedian Luisa Omielan returns to Tyne Theatre & Opera House on Friday 21st October. As the very first comedian to win a BAFTA Breakthrough for stand-up, the brilliant Luisa Omielan will be making audiences cry with laughter as she takes her ‘best of’ show on tour. Ten years ago Luisa created her first iconic one-woman show, What Would Beyonce Do!?, receiving wonderfully positive reviews across the board. For her upcoming tour, Luisa will carefully intertwine the best bits of every five star show since – including Politics For Bitches, Am I Right Ladies?! and God Is A Woman. With a seriously infectious wit and an ability to instantly capture the audience’s emotions through relatable content, Luisa’s repertoire is cutting-edge. Endless hilarious topics will keep you on your toes, eagerly anticipating the next wildly unexpected choice of thematic subject matter. Luisa Omielan is at Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle on Friday 21st October. www.luisaomielan.com

Pit Pony by Nigel John

MUSIC

PIT PONY/PAVE THE JUNGLE/EVE COLE @ INDEPENDENT

Words: Cameron Wright

Sunderland’s Independent welcomes a night of high octane rock reverence as three superb local artists take to the stage on Friday 7th October. Local lady Eve Cole starts the night, showcasing her indie pop sensibilities and proving why she was this years winner of the Alan Hull Award. With her momentum beginning to accelerate, Cole will be backed by a full band, making her opening set something special to watch! Hailing from Newcastle, Pave The Jungle take the stage next. With Blank Studios producing their debut EP, their sound feels as euphoric as it is explosive. Hitting the ground running, the fuzzy rock duo have automatically began churning out arena-sized anthems that ooze confidence and swagger. Dynamic and endearing, the charming and brash vocals of Rachael Whittle pair perfectly with Scott Jeffrey’s punching drums. Turning the guitars up a level still are the night’s headliner; Pit Pony are set to bring the fire. Caustic, racing and full of force, there’s an unrelenting energy with each Pity Pony chorus that explodes with pent up, Northern heart, crackling with themes of discontent, anxiety, rebellion and paranoia. Manic guitars and crunching drums pave the roads, but it’s the vocals that strap you in and fire you across them. Certainly a night for those who love loud and local sounds. Pit Pony, Pave The Jungle and Eve Cole play Independent, Sunderland on Friday 7th October. www.independentsunderland.com

STAGE

HEARTFELT @ LIVE THEATRE

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy

It would be great to know all of the risks before we make a decision, wouldn’t it? Especially about what we put into our bodies. Theatre maker gobscure presents heartfelt at Live Theatre on Wednesday 19th October, a show developed after a side effect heart attack from prescribed medication, and a psychiatrist’s flippant response of “whoops, yes, I wondered when that was going to happen, I suppose we should have warned you..”. heartfelt urges audiences to consider what we could learn from everything around us, particularly other creatures, to reframe, relearn and develop new perspectives on the world and our places in it. gobscure uses tragic and deeply personal experiences to create a show that is as educational as it is engaging. This hour-long production is a low-tech performance with some hard hitting commentary and an undertone of bleak yet poetic humour which has been used as a coping mechanism. This show refuses to shy away from the complex, political and humane, which breaks down the aftermath of ‘side effects’ and explores the things that we could learn from the all emotional and hyper intelligent octopi. gobscure performs heartfelt at Live Theatre, Newcastle on Wednesday 19th October. www.gobscure.wixsite.com/info

Kate Clover by Allan Wan

MUSIC

KATE CLOVER @ THE SHOOTING GALLERY

Words: Cameron Wright

If the two musicians you cite as your musical north stars are the imitable and illustrious Iggy Pop and Patti Smith, it’s no surprise that Kate Clover’s career is shining bright. The California songwriter had lived a life on the fringe, revelling in a culture surrounded by outsiders, misfits and creatives. Raised in a space just adjacent to the norm, her normality was much more akin with the innocence and love of the dissatisfied youth that she met through the surfing and skating splinters of counter-culture. It wasn’t until stumbling upon photographer Glen E. Friedman’s book Fuck You Heroes that the stars aligned and Clover understood the music, attitude and confidence of rock ‘n’ roll. With everything falling into place, Clover’s career really set into motion. Indebted to the salvation of the genre, Clover’s live shows are as dynamic, energetic and riotous as those which inspired her, fuelled by spiky, punching guitar riffs and pounding drums; all of which audiences in Newcastle can witness for themselves at Zerox’s The Shooting Gallery on Thursday 20th October. Cutting her teeth on the road, the spirit of modern rebellion and tenacious unrest caught the eyes and pricked the ears of audiences, as Clover then released her debut record Bleed Your Heart Out. Simple and effective, Clover carries with her the essence of Californian freedom. Kate Clover plays The Shooting Gallery at Zerox, Newcastle on Thursday 20th October. www.kateclover.com

MUSIC

JIM GHEDI @ THE CUMBERLAND ARMS

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy

Prepare for a night of folk-based story telling with Jim Ghedi and Yakka Doon on Sunday 9th October at The Cumberland Arms. Originally from South Yorkshire, Jim Ghedi not only uses traditional local folk but pushes boundaries to explore experimental performances, with unique compositions that don’t sit the way you would expect. The violins in recent single What Will Become of England have an electric energy, blurring the lines of acoustic sounds until they take on a new power entirely. The narrative of folk is never lost, it’s carried not only through his words but with a voice that holds its strength in lower notes. Jim Ghedi’s performance will showcase the work of his most recent album In The Furrows Of Common Place. Yakka Doon will beautifully contrast Jim Ghedi by sharing her own unique brand of quiet and subtle folk. Yakka Doon’s reserved style brings focus back to the elements that are traditionally loved about folk music; it’s storytelling full of every emotion a person can feel, but in this case especially the bittersweet combination of hope and loss. Jim Ghedi and Yakka Doon perform at The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle on Sunday 9th October. www.jimghedi.com

MUSIC

BLACK MIDI @ NX NEWCASTLE

Words: Cameron Wright

black midi are fascinating. With their debut album instantly turning heads, the band had produced something daring and confusing, melding odd time signatures with dissonant and jarring changes of tempo and dynamic. Taking their distorted world of sound and pumping it into their live shows, MIDI created an atmosphere which felt alien and supernatural, as huge tidal waves of sound crashed down on their audience, unprovoked and unexpected. Follow-up Cavalcade tightened the band’s formula, enslaving it to a sense of narrative and direction which allowed the project to feel theatrical and visceral; while 2022’s Hellfire is a terrifying blast of militant rigidity, spiralling out against a forceful descent into madness, and showing the band at their most affecting and emotive. Maintaining the heart of black midi’s twisted adventure, the album explores new land but now with a deranged smile etched across its face. One can only imagine the band’s tour, which drops into the newly opened NX Newcastle on Saturday 29th October, will be a magnificent, scathing experience and not one to be missed. black midi play NX Newcastle on Saturday 29th October. www.bmblackmidi.com

ART & LIT

TYNESIDE CINEMA ARTIST COMMISSIONS

Words: Claire Dupree

Newcastle’s venerable Tyneside Cinema turns the ripe old age of 85 this year, and they’re marking the milestone with a series of artist commissions which reflect on the independent cinema’s past. Simon Drysdale, Interim Chief Executive of Tyneside Cinema, explained: “We have a really fascinating archive here at the cinema which includes everything from papers dating from the 1930s, when the cinema first opened, to photos from events across the years. Despite all this information, there are gaps in the story of Tyneside Cinema and the way it has been told over the decades, so we invited artists to help us reveal some of the hidden stories and voices from our past.” Artists Adina Nelu, Sofia Barton, Colette Whittington and Tim Brunsden were given access to this vast archive to interpret. Manchester-based film composer, producer and creative sound designer Adina Nelu has created three audio visual works which celebrate the women who have played a role in the cinema’s story; Newcastle-based visual artist Sofia Barton has produced 10 poster prints which chart the cinema’s history, utilising a bright colour palette inspired by her Punjabi culture; while Liverpool-based artists Colette Whittington and Tim Brunsden have created two installations which reveal the voices of the cinema. Artworks will be on show from Saturday 1st October. www.tynesidecinema.co.uk

MUSIC

THE SNUTS @ MIDDLESBROUGH TOWN HALL

Words: Maria Winter

One of the most thrilling live bands in the UK right now, fast rising Scottish indie rockers The Snuts are set to perform at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Friday 14th October, having just completed main stage slots at both TRNSMT and Glastonbury. With a hard rock edge and unparalleled on-stage energy, The Snuts will guarantee a night of rollicking tunes and compelling stage presence. Latest single The Rodeo continues the band’s penchant for writing impactful social and political lyrical content. Having risen to prominence since releasing their debut album W.L. in 2021, the band have established a unique sound which hits hard in all the right places, and their highly anticipated new release, entitled Burn The Empire, is due on 7th October. The band’s vocalist and guitarist Jack Cochrane has said of the album: “The universe delivered us time to create a record where we finally felt we could address some of the topics, be it societal or spiritual, that we have been dying to scream out.” Support comes from Newcastle multiinstrumentalist Heidi Curtis, whose own star is in the ascendancy thanks to high profile support slots with the likes of Sam Fender. The Snuts and Heidi Curtis play Middlesbrough Town Hall on Friday 14th October. www.thesnuts.co.uk

Image by Marieke Macklon

MUSIC

PEANESS @ COBALT STUDIOS

Words: Hope Lynes

Celebrating debut album World Full Of Worry, indie pop band Peaness bring their deliciously tongue-in-cheek take on coping with life in your 20s to Newcastle’s Cobalt on Saturday 15th October. Their first EP came out just over seven years ago, so their debut album has been long-awaited. Bolstered by a vast series of festival appearances this summer, which have included left-wing festivals, female-curated line-ups including BitchFest and a tour with our very own Maximo Park, their forthcoming slot at Cobalt will go down nicely. Tracks from World Full Of Worry are upbeat despite the often angst-ridden subject matter, celebrating the band’s own blend of indie, pop, rock and feminist post-punk. The likes of recent single How I’m Feeling uses cheeky lyrics to create a dancier track amid prominent harmonies. The band say of the song: “In an unfulfilling job? Need a shake up with something in your life or you’ll go mad? Well, that’s How I’m Feeling and it can’t be ignored anymore! Amongst self loathing and melancholy there are sparks of determination and a belief that you deserve more. I hope it works out.” This versatile band takes pride in their ability to create music that is honest, powerful and ultimately, a positively fun listen. Peaness play Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Saturday 15th October. www.peanessband.com

MUSIC

KATHRYN JOSEPH @ GOSFORTH CIVIC THEATRE

Words: Ali Welford

With three stunning albums under her belt, Kathryn Joseph’s name ought to be ever-present in any conversation concerning the great singer-songwriters of our times. As it is, reverence for the Scot’s fragile, tumultuous brilliance bubbles bafflingly beneath the radar. An injustice, perhaps – yet one which affords an extended opportunity to experience her rare, heart-stopping talents in the kinds of intimate spaces they flourish the most. One such venue is Gosforth Civic Theatre, which Kathryn visits on Thursday 13th October on tour with her newest masterpiece, For You Who Are the Wronged. Dedicated to victims of abuse – be it of power, love or access – this latest collection is an expression of quiet, visceral power, underpinning raw desolation with a hitherto untapped sense of simmering, righteous fury. Sure to constitute the bulk of her set, the record recently saw Kathryn complete a hat-trick of Scottish Album of the Year nominations – and for all that wider recognition remains elusive, it seems a strong bet to add to the award scooped for her debut, 2015’s remarkable Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled. Buy a ticket, bring a tissue and order yourself a strong glass of wine; now more than ever, Kathryn Joseph shows aren’t for the faint of heart. Kathryn Joseph plays Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle on Thursday 13th October. www.kathrynjoseph.co.uk

MUSIC

KYLA LA GRANGE @ THE CLUNY

Words: Jake Anderson

Watford born Kyla La Grange is back on the road in support of her new album While Your Heart’s Still Beating and the singer will be bringing her array of sombre and dark pop ballads to Newcastle’s Cluny on Sunday 23rd October. The self-proclaimed gloomy pop star’s latest album is a big deal, with it being eight years since her previous release. In that time the pop music landscape has changed completely, but La Grange has managed to adapt to the new sonic environment, having found a home within the synth pop style that has become so popular over the past couple years, with the ghostly and groovy Neverland being a perfect representation of this. While Mancunian alt. indie artist Lindsay Munroe will be supporting for the whole tour, Newcastle gig goers will also be treated to a set from Dayna Leadbitter, formally the front person of Badmind and now venturing down a solo path. She’s been using her R&B inspired pop to explore the troubles young people face daily, with recent single Time’s Up projecting a confident sound alongside stomping instrumentation. Kyla La Grange, Lindsay Munroe and Dayna Leadbitter play The Cluny, Newcastle on Sunday 23rd October. www.kylalagrange.com

STAGE

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Michael O’Neill

Poor old Shakespeare. We really take him for granted. As a survivor of the British education system, I appreciate how difficult it can be to disassociate yourself from all the lengthy double English lessons spent trying to fathom why they all talk so strangely, the exhaustion of having to take a scalpel to every scrap of dialogue, the true struggle to appreciate the fact that we still talk about him for a bloody good reason. However, as Baz Lurhmann’s bank account will attest, there’s a lot of fun and revelations to be had when one takes the Bard’s texts as the foundation for their own unique vision. Enter Matthew Dunster and Jimmy Fairhurst (part of Warrington-based, award-winning theatre company Not Too Tame) who are taking their unique vision of the iconic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Northern Stage from Saturday 29th October-Saturday 12th November. Taking in influences as broad as Dismaland, Nick Cave and working-class identity, the duo’s production boasts a diverse mix of emerging and experienced actors that was whittled down from an overwhelming 2,000 auditions, including the legendary Mercury Prize-nominee Nadine Shah in her debut theatrical performance as Titania, and David Morrissey providing the voice of Oberon. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is performed at Northern Stage, Newcastle from Saturday 29th October-Saturday 12th November. www.northernstage.co.uk

EVENTS

BLUEPRINT FESTIVAL @ VARIOUS VENUES

Words: Steve Spithray

Blueprint Festival: The Festival of Radical Ideas, takes place throughout Middlesbrough from Wednesday 19th-Sunday 23rd October and offers an opportunity to peek through the many cracks in society to create an easier, more efficient, more joyful and evolved place to be. The programme includes workshops that challenge what doesn’t work through discussions with others to find out what might, with the ultimate goal to create a vision of how the Tees Valley could be better. This year’s line-up has been developed by community worker Emily Treadgold and Community Connectors Teesside, a grassroots activism network, who have said. “We want Blueprint Festival to be a celebration of all the fantastic people, projects and communities that make up our area.” Educational sessions, talks, skill sharing, creativity, entertainment and music are all on the agenda, and the festival will use local venues around Middlesbrough including cafes, council-owned and public spaces, as well as The Exchange (a community hub in the town’s Hillstreet Centre) with others still to be confirmed. The fully inclusive and interactive event has sustainability, cohesion, interconnectivity of place and strong communities at its core, and aims to be a celebration of all the fantastic people, projects and communities that make up the area. Blueprint Festival takes place at various venues in Middlesbrough from Wednesday 19th-Sunday 23rd October. www.teesconnectors.org.uk/blueprint

Ruth Lyon by Tasha Barker

MUSIC

RUTH LYON @ THE CLUNY 2

Words: Laura Doyle

Newcastle-based alt. pop artist Ruth Lyon has a busy Autumn approaching; new EP Direct Debit To Vogue is on the horizon in November, and she’s gearing up for a spate of headline shows up and down the country, and she’ll drop into The Cluny 2 on Saturday 29th October. As great a venue as it is, it’s certainly no match for the Texan media mecca SXSW Festival, which is where Lyon spent some of her summer, performing to new audiences and participating in disability visibility panels. With this unprecedented focus on disability visibility at such a prestigious event, Lyon was inspired to look closer at her own experiences as a wheelchair user when writing the follow-up to her debut EP, 2021’s Nothing’s Perfect. In a perfect world, no one should have any duty to act as a spokesperson for their community – but this isn’t a perfect world. Lyon instead used these discussions with her peers and a wider audience to create a record that is as gut-punchingly honest as it is a hauntingly beautiful extension of Lyon’s discography. She’s never been a passive witness to her own life, but with Direct Debit To Vogue, Ruth Lyon takes complete control of her narrative to help guide those on a similar personal journey. Get an early listen of the release at what promises to be a special show indeed. Ruth Lyon plays The Cluny 2, Newcastle on Saturday 29th October. Direct Debit To Vogue is out on 26th November via Pink Lane Records. www.ruthlyonmusic.com

Image by Alex Bex

MUSIC

COURTING @ KU BAR

Words: Jake Anderson

Liverpool has one of the richest music scenes in the UK. Home of The Beatles, Echo & The Bunnymen, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Dead or Alive...the list goes on. One of the more recent additions to the list of acclaimed Liverpool acts is Courting. The band’s 2021 EP was heavily praised for its rebellious and political tone, along with its fresh post-punk sound, adding some sarcasm and humour to a genre that can, at times, be very serious. Fan-favourite track, Crass, is a stand-out and a must see live, featuring an ever growing instrumental, building its drum-led energy, placing on an already iconic line about potentially spending the evening with Kanye West. The band’s debut album, Guitar Music, was released in September, and features some very art-punk heavy tracks, such as the noisy and brash Tennis, which will go down a storm at Stockton’s KU Bar on Saturday 22nd October. Joining them will London’s UGLY, whose latest track I’m Happy You’re Here is a slow meandering song that explores folk sounding guitars, until exploding into a full-on indie rock banger within the last stretch. Courting and UGLY play KU Bar, Stockton on Saturday 22nd October. www.courtingband.com

Image by Brian Nicholson

MUSIC

ZELA @ THE CLUNY/ TWISTERELLA

Words: Leigh Venus

On October 18th 2020, mere days after new Covid-19 restrictions kicked in, ZELA tweeted, “WE. WANT. TO. TOUR.” Fired off from what was surely a soldier of an iPhone – a tequila-splashed, screen-cracked hero forged in countless nights of sweaty ecstasy by the side of the North East’s premier brat-pop siblings – the demand was finally, thankfully, acquiesced to and here we stand on the cusp of the electrifying band’s first ever UK headline tour. Unstoppable since the pandemic got out of their way, ZELA remain a riot on stage and off. Leaving a trail of scorched earth behind them with indelible performances at Lindisfarne Festival, Generator Live and Stockton Calling, 2022 also saw the duo deliver a floor-melter of a homecoming gig at The Cluny, where they’ll return for their headline show on Saturday 1st October, pitching up at Twisterella in Middlesbrough the following week on Saturday 8th. With their live experience hailed as exhilarating and unapologetic, this is a band with style AND substance, the smouldering, vinyl-wrapped iconoclast Liv and her brooding, impeccablycoiffed brother Max offering a show like no other. Loaded with new songs alongside an ecstatic, frenetic back catalogue, the tour promises dark and imaginative attitude-laced alt. electronic pop and earworms to burn. ZELA play The Cluny, Newcastle on Saturday 1st and Twisterella Festival, Middlesbrough on Saturday 8th October. www.linktr.ee/thisiszela

COMEDY

SEAN MCLOUGHLIN @ THE WITHAM

Words: Michael O’Neill

Self-appointed International Microstar Sean McLoughlin has quite the CV: Time Out consider him the best comedian you haven’t heard of, he’s opened for the likes of Ricky Gervais and Bill Burr in arenas and at the Royal Albert Hall, he’s been nominated for a Chortle Award, has performed six acclaimed solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, and has been transported the globe over with his singular brand of acerbic wit. Even with all these accolades, I still feel like I’m doing him a disservice. One thing is clear: the lad hardly ever stops to stand still. If you’re curious to know why he’s all over the shop, Funny Way To Be Comedy have you sorted, as they’re bringing the acclaimed jokester to Barnard Castle’s The Witham on Friday 28th October for a dose of his scintillating new stand-up show. As reviews of his recent Fringe solo show, So Be It, will attest, you will be left in sheer disbelief that you aren’t having to deal with paying £15 for a pint in a cold corporate arena to witness his infectious patter in the flesh. Sean McLoughlin performs at The Witham, Barnard Castle on Friday 28th October. www.seanmcloughlincomedy.com

Maxïmo Park by Em Cole

MUSIC

MAXÏMO PARK @ O2 CITY HALL

Words: Jake Anderson

Being a person who’s into music, North East born and someone who speaks to people from lots of different backgrounds thanks to being at Uni, I’m often asked about regional bands that are worth checking out. High on that list, along with Sam Fender and Richard Dawson, is Maxïmo Park. The indie rockers hit the mainstream with their killer debut A Certain Trigger back in 2005, as the Tyneside band blended garage rock with the new wave of indie that was blooming. Nearly two decades later the band have continued to develop, as their latest album Nature Always Wins brings a lighter and synth-heavy twist on that iconic Maxïmo Park sound. The band will be utilising that two decades back catalogue for a greatest hits show at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on Friday 14th October. Labelled as the Singular Tour, there’ll be a focus on all the hits from their seven studio albums and they’ve described it as ‘a show like no other’. Joining them on the night will be Pip Blom, a Dutch indie pop quartet known for their guitar-led, fun melodies. They’re a rising band on the indie scene, with the energy they bring to their live shows being praised for its danceability. Maxïmo Park and Pip Blom play O2 City Hall, Newcastle on Friday 14th October. www.maximopark.com

STAGE

QUIET REBELS @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Helen Redfern

White working-class women who married Black men of the Windrush generation were the quiet rebels, the silent heroes of the time. These courageous women crossed the colour line to marry men arriving in the UK on boats from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands between 1948 and 1971 to help fill post-war UK labour shortages. Defying race and class prejudice and social stigma directed against them and their families, this quietly rebellious generation of women are a key part of the foundations of today’s multi-cultural communities, shaping a new generation of ‘dual heritage’ children. And their stories have rarely been told. In Quiet Rebels, Julie McNamara, Hassan Mahamdallie and their creative team explore these forgotten stories against the unexpected backdrop of a dystopian England. This powerful dramatisation blends film, movement and soundscapes with integrated creative access to bring this dystopian future to life. In this imagined world, Aileen Burnett – a white woman who married a Black man – has been murdered, and it’s up to Detective Shade to investigate the crime. Burnett is a convicted race-traitor with four children, having served time for ‘miscegenation’. To solve this murder, Shade must travel the Multi-resistance’s Underground network to the Northern Free Zone. There she is confronted with her past, and everything she thought she knew about herself and her world is challenged. Quiet Rebels brings a challenge. The performance contains references to experiences and impacts of racism, as the fictional setting frames the harsh truths of these quiet rebels’ daily lives. Let us not forget. Quiet Rebels is performed at Northern Stage, Newcastle from Wednesday 12th-Thursday 13th October. www.northernstage.co.uk

Naima Bock by El Hardwick

MUSIC

NAIMA BOCK @ THE CUMBERLAND ARMS

Words: Mera Royle

The stunning radiance of Naima Bock has entranced audiences across the UK and beyond, with a sound which captivates with its holistic and distinctly contemporary style. Bock brings a spellbindingly new aural landscape to the indie folk music scene thanks to delicate vocals and poetic lyrics, with shows that are often sold out to eager listeners, which makes her forthcoming gig at The Cumberland Arms on Sunday 23rd October an enticing one indeed. Naima Bock is touring to promote her debut album, Giant Palm, which was composed in collaboration with producer and arranger Joel Burton and over 30 instrumentalists. Giant Palm weaves Bock’s Brazilian heritage with her passion for European folk music, combining the beauty of ancient melodies with modern, electro sounds. Joining Bock for the evening is Junior Brother, nominee for 2019 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, for Best Folk Album, as well as indie folk artist Melanie Baker, a singer-songwriter who has formerly performed as a support musician for major pop artists such as Dodie and Maisie Peters. Expect a spectacular event of woozy energy, eclectic styles and undeniable musical mastership. Naima Bock, Junior Brother and Melanie Baker play The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle on Sunday 23rd October. www.naimabock.com

MUSIC

ME ME ME PRESENTS... @ WORLD HEADQUARTERS

Words: Claire Dupree

The region’s experimental dance scene is in rude health, and arguably artists like Geoff Kirkwood – aka Man Power – is at the forefront of its success. Also operating under the Me Me Me label moniker, on Saturday 8th October at World Headquarters he presents a free live showcase of some of the region’s most exciting talents. Topping the bill is current Sage Gateshead artist in residence Late Girl, who uses warped samples, classical composition techniques and found sounds to create experimental electronic programmed beat music. Through her music she attempts to externalise cultural observations with a personal take and irreverent approach. Also performing is Golden Shield, aka collaborators Suade Bergemann and Steve Legget, whose microscopic attention to found sounds and field recordings coupled with an intrinsic knowledge of sound synthesis combines to create explorative cinematic soundscapes. Geoff himself will be performing under his Bed Wetter alias, which he undertook for his Sage Gateshead residency last year. A vehicle for Geoff to explore his working-class identity, he’ll present an AV presentation of his debut album as Bed Wetter, which will get a full outing at Sage Gateshead on Friday 11th November alongside Royal Northern Sinfonia and arranger Fiona Brice. Late Girl, Golden Shields and Bed Wetter perform a free showcase at World Headquarters, Newcastle on Saturday 8th October. www.facebook.com/mememerecords

Peter Hanmer, Keep Your Distance

ART & LIT

PETER HANMER: SEEKING ARMAGEDDON @ NEWCASTLE ARTS CENTRE

Words: Ben Lowes-Smith

Seeking Armageddon brings together over 10 years of apocalyptic musings in sculpture, installation and ink from award-winning North East-based visual artist Peter Hanmer. After recently exhibiting in venues such as the BALTIC, The Cheeseburn Sculpture Gardens and Mall Galleries London, Hanmer presents intricately crafted miniature worlds together for the first time alongside new revelations in his debut gallery solo show at Newcastle Arts Centre from Saturday 15th October-Saturday 12th November. Evoking the spirit of Gulliver’s Travels, Hanmer blurs the line between fantasy and reality; like static theatres, these works frame apocalyptic narratives and immerse the audience in them. A beaked prophet promises salvation from a tub, masked gentry play with fire, skeletons march and a rubber duck poses as the source of divine power or divine irony. Hanmer’s inimitable style is humorous and provocative, colourfully satirical and grotesque, forcing the viewing of society’s ills through the carnivalesque. His work is comparable to that of Belgian artist James Ensor, and he draws inspiration from the writings of Plato, John the Elder, Rousseau and Žižek. Seeking Armageddon stages very human apocalypses; ecological, technological and democratic. Peter Hanmer: Seeking Armageddon is at Newcastle Arts Centre from Saturday 15th October-Saturday 12th November. www.peterhanmer.com

MUSIC

THE PEOPLE VERSUS @ BOBIK’S

Words: Laura Venus

Sometimes bands and their self-proclaimed styles can come across as hyperbolic, yet indie folksters The People Versus truly live up to their mantle of ‘haunting folk fairytales powered by sheer pop euphoria’. Enthralling and beguiling, when I first heard the voice of lead Alice Edwards I jumped out of Instagram mid-scroll and downloaded the band’s entire back catalogue. Listening to 2021’s album Live At St Pancras Old Church felt like opening a haunted storybook. As their audacity and talent fused with palpable energy from the crowd, harmonies danced around Shakespeare and Greek mythology, lesbians and coastal erosion combined in unexpected ways, and the song Witch sneaked through the back window to live happily rent-free in my brain for weeks. 2022 has seen The People Versus getting busy filling tents, playing intimate gigs with Sofar Sounds, popping up at a slew of festivals, getting spotted by the ever-reliable BBC Introducing and making a name for themselves as one to watch on the folk scene. Landing at Bobik’s on Wednesday 19th October as part of a sixteen-date tour, we lucky folk in the North East now have the chance to experience their dreamy and beguiling tales of longing, love and loss. And sea monsters. Did I mention there are sea monsters too? The People Versus perform at Bobik’s, Newcastle on Wednesday 19th October. www.thepeopleversusmusic.com

MUSIC

ROCKING ALL OVER CANCER @ THE CLUNY

Words: Tracy Hyman

Rocking All Over Cancer sees some of the most well-loved and talented North East bands coming together to celebrate the life of Donna Forster, who tragically passed away in October last year following a brave fight against ovarian cancer. This all-dayer at The Cluny on Saturday 29th October is a chance to raise money for Ovacome, an ovarian cancer charity close to Donna’s heart. Sunderland rockers The Futureheads headline the bill, after a successful Summer of festival appearances at the likes of Y Not and The Big Feastival, amongst others. South Shield’s Minotaurs play their first ‘gig proper’ in over six years in Donna’s memory, bringing their beautiful, melodic, folk-based guitar pop to the live scene. Genre busting artist Me Lost Me also features, with her wonderful melting pot of sounds, electronic effects and experimental delights. Plus, there’s sets from The Lake Poets, who brings his beautiful and heartfelt songs to proceedings; the infectious art rock trio Cat Ryan; the experimental noir pop of one-man band The Shooting Of; singersongwriter John Egdell and a variety of DJs. A great line-up for a very worthy cause. The Futureheads, The Lake Poets, Minotaurs, Me Lost Me, Cat Ryan, The Shooting Of and John Egdell play The Cluny, Newcastle on Saturday 29th October. www.thecluny.com

STAGE

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Helen Redfern

Based on the acclaimed series of young adult novels by British author Malorie Blackman, Noughts And Crosses has been successfully adapted for stage and television. Winner of Excellence in Touring at the UK Theatre Awards 2019 and adapted by Sabrina Mahfouz, this absorbing production from Pilot Theatre explores love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world. In this present day alternative history of racial and social divides, a captivating romance as gripping as Romeo And Juliet unfolds. Sephy is a Cross and Callum is a Nought. Whilst slavery has been abolished, segregation continues to operate. The Crosses (dark-skinned people) are firmly in control of the noughts (lighter-skinned people). And yet Sephy and Callum sit together on a beach. They are in love. And it is forbidden. Beyond the all-consuming reality of their deep love for one another, there is danger all around. This segregated society teeters on a volatile knife edge. As pressure mounts to take sides, Sephy and Callum draw even closer to each other. In their world, it is not safe for them to be together. And yet they cannot be apart. It turns out that this work of speculative fiction is not so very far from reality. As Albert Camus said, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” In Noughts And Crosses, the truth is clear to see. Noughts And Crosses is at Northern Stage, Newcastle from Tuesday 18th-Saturday 22nd October. www.northernstage.co.uk

The Delightful Sausage by Ed Moore

COMEDY

POST-EDINBURGH FRINGE SHOWS @ THE STAND

Words: Steve Spithray

Ever wondered what it might be like to live in Edinburgh and have all those great Fringe events on your doorstep every year? Well, Newcastle comedy club The Stand is here to give you a taster, with a string of great comedians throughout October. The highlight of which might well be the excellently named The Delightful Sausage, who present their show Nowt But Sea (Sunday 9th) fresh from their sold-out and ‘best show’ nominated debut in Edinburgh. The comedy duo (Amy Gledhill from the Emily Atack show and Chris Cantrill from C4’s Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared) present a relentlessly hilarious, if horrifying tale of when Amy and Chris receive a mysterious letter inviting them to the private island of elite celebrity agent Cedric L’Shay (Paul Dunphy of sketch duo Larry & Paul). However, when they arrive it quickly becomes clear that there’s more going on than meets the eye… Elsewhere throughout the month The Stand hosts Troy Hawke’s Sigmund Troy’d take on psychotherapy (Friday 7th); Lauren Pattison’s loosely scripted It Is What It Is (Saturday 8th); Home Truths by Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Saturday 15th); Elf Lyon’s horrifying comedy show Raven (Monday 17th); local lassesdone-good Your Aunt Fanny present their hilarious sketch show Muff Said (Tuesday 18th); and NARC.’s very own Si Beckwith debuts his new stand-up show Bricks, about the trials of becoming a step-parent and the ever present tribulations of errant Lego bricks (Sunday 23rd). All that, plus a double header with Christine Fekete and Brian Patafie (Monday 24th); Helen Bauer’s ode to self-care Madam Good Tit (Thursday 27th); Sarah Keyworth’s poignant and powerful Lost Boy (Friday 28th) and veteran comic Tom Stade’s The High Road (Sunday 30th). www.thestand.co.uk