JULY PREVIEWS

MUSIC

SUDDENLY WE STOPPED DREAMING RELEASES SINGLE, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S YOU

Words: Tom McLean

Newcastle-based indie rocker Suddenly We Stopped Dreaming (SWSD) strikes a chord with melodic single I Can’t Believe It’s You, a perpetually rhythmic ballad presented on a bed of gritty guitar and comforting, steady percussion.

This track is one of a series of singles planned for release throughout lockdown and the summer, and sees the return of ethereal vocalist Juniper, a previous collaborator on livelier single Tonight. With I Can’t Believe It’s You, the pair have produced a shoegazey hit to set your watch to.

These singles, a sure nod to the 90s and early naughties indie rock movement, help bring the genre into a new decade, carrying a warming combination of fresh nostalgia. Beneath the surface, however, I Can’t Believe It’s You documents a tale of unrequited love and the loneliness that such an event can entail. Comparisons can’t help but be drawn between the single’s evocative longing and the current plight of society – those in lockdown alone will surely find a cathartic friend here. Another solid tune from SWSD (and Juniper), keep your ear to the ground moving into 2021 – an album is on the horizon.

Suddenly We Stopped Dreaming release I Can’t Believe It’s You on 6th July www.suddenlywestoppeddreaming.co.uk

STAGE

ODDMANOUT – IT’S ALL HAPPENING HERE

Words: Caitlin Disken

The coronavirus crisis hasn’t stopped OddManOut, a new-works theatre company based in Darlington, from curating their latest project entitled It’s All Happening Here. As part of Darlington Borough Council’s New Town Commission, the project will see OddManOut working collaboratively with the people of Darlington using online workshops and tutorials. Set up in 2013 by Katy Weir and Scott Young, OddManOut’s ethos is centred around engaging with local communities. With a strong focus on social impact and cultural change, OddManOut believes that their theatre should reflect rather than inform.

Using this notion of reflection, It’s All Happening Here will use Darlington as a starting point, with OddManOut leaving the project almost entirely in the hands of the townspeople. Working with various artists, OddManOut will help Darlington locals create songs, sculptures and pieces of written work for the exhibition. With the aim of connecting the people of Darlington, the pieces created will respond to the local landscape. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, OddManOut are determined to curate the pieces into a live performance celebrating Darlington and its people. The company remains hopeful that a live performance in Darlington town centre later in the year will be possible; if not, an online performance will occur.

To get involved, visit OddManOut’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/oddmanouttheatre

COMEDY

LIVE AT THE TYNE @ TYNE THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE

Words: Claire Dupree

Let’s face it, we could all do with a laugh right now. If you’ve exhausted streaming sites of their stand-up and comedy shows, and are craving something a bit more ‘real’, there are a couple of great options for you in the region. The Stand Comedy Club’s Saturday night livestreamed sets have gone down a storm over the lockdown period, consistently showing off some superb national and local talent.

Also in on the act this month are Tyne Theatre & Opera House, who kick off their first livestreamed comedy show on Friday 3rd July. Comics will be performing live on stage at the theatre, broadcasting via Twitch for your pleasure. Host Carl Hutchinson presides over a line-up which includes regional favourites Steffen Peddie, Nicola Mantalios-Thompson, Lauren Pattison and Gavin Webster, plus Carl will interview Tyneside legend Chris Ramsey. The Grade I listed venue dates back to 1867 and has a celebrated history, from music hall to cinema and multi-purpose venue, it’s a treasured space for many. They’ve been hit hard by their enforced closure, so it’s hoped this fundraising show will provide a vital lifeline.

Live at the Tyne takes place on Friday 3rd July via Twitch. You can donate via PayPal by clicking here www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk

MUSIC

THE CUMBERLAND ARMS SUMMER FESTIVAL

Words: Claire Dupree

The Cumberland Arms’ Summer Festival is usually one of the biggest events of the year, filling the beloved Ouseburn venue with music, performance, food and drink. Unwilling to let it go unmarked this year, despite their current closure, they’re taking it online from Thursday 16th-Sunday 19th July, and bringing a massive summer party straight to you.

In true Cumby style, the event is all about supporting others; from musicians who will be livestreaming (Rob & Tom from Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra, Beccy Owen, Ruth & Conrad from Holy Moly & The Crackers, Gem Andrews, Stagger Lee and loads more to be announced), to the local breweries (Northern Alchemy, Almasty, First & Last, Wylam and Errant), and street food traders (Scream For Pizza, Fat Hippo, Shanty Town and Kogarashi). Through an online shop punters can purchase beer and take-out food, and donate money to the event which will support artists and the associated ecosystem which makes the pub so special to so many.

“Dig deep if you can, but even if you can’t, just enjoy the fantastic line-up we have put together for you. The Cumberland is a community and we miss it.” Says proprietor Jo Hodson. “For now the doors to The Cumberland remain closed but we can’t wait ‘til we can put on gigs, pour pints, host sessions and generally just see your wonderful faces.”

The Cumberland Arms Summer Festival takes place from Thursday 16th-Sunday 19th July via their Facebook page. Check the website for details of the online shop and how to donate www.thecumberlandarms.co.uk www.facebook.com/thecumby

Melvyn Evans - Boats, Church and Lighthouse, linocut, 40 x 50cm

ART & LIT

MELVYN EVANS: THE POWER OF PLACE @ GALLAGHER & TURNER

Words: Beverley Knight

Bespoke framers and art gallery Gallagher & Turner are pleased to be able to rehang exhibitions which were planned for the spring, as they tentatively re-emerge after lockdown.

They kick July off with an exhibition from Melvyn Evans: choosing to work between print, painting and drawing, the artist endeavours to capture the human relationship with the landscapes of the British Isles, including locations around North Yorkshire and Lancashire. For this particular exhibition, entitled The Power of Place, he’s focused on the prehistoric site of Doggerland. Now lost to the sea over thousands of years, it connected East Britain to Europe but is fascinatingly still visible in the right conditions: his creation of Lost Land captures this.

Melvyn’s signature style is bold and striking. He takes a graphic approach to painting and linocut printmaking, which harks to British Modernism work of the 1950s, and also uses a 160-year-old British-made printing press adding to the historical significance of his work. Recalling the likes of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Keith Vaughan, he still manages to present contemporary imagery.

Melvyn Evans’ The Power of Place is at Gallagher & Turner, Newcastle from Thursday 2nd July-Saturday 15th August www.melvynevans.com

MUSIC

CHRIS RILEY RELEASES NEW ALBUM, CESTRIAN

Words: Martin Trollope

Cestrian is the new album from North East music scene veteran Chris Riley, who is actually a fully fledged Cestrian himself. For anyone who doesn’t know, a ‘Cestrian’ is someone who hails from the “un-hip market town, Chester-leStreet” (his words, not mine).

Cestrian-quarantine has led to Chris moving sonically through his four walls to pull together an album, with the intention of taking listeners to unexpected places which are decidedly untypical of a guy with an acoustic guitar. A perfect example of this is my personal favourite track The Dirge, an ode to Chester-le-Street itself, which takes us from Flamenco guitars to spoken word poetry and back again, via an ominous wall of backwards tape echoes and rainfall.

Lead singles Syracuse and When The Roses Are In Bloom are fine examples of psych folk balladry, with sparkling acoustic guitars, intimate vocals and generous smatterings of spacey reverb. Chris also takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to his craft, so we’re treated to some light relief through the almost vaudevillian country fun of Kirsten’s Song and the mock spaghetti western, A Fistful of Quavers.

Chris Riley releases Cestrian on 3rd July via Nice Mind Records www.facebook.com/chrisrileyacousticalartiste

ART & LIT

NARBI PRICE: LOCKDOWN

Words: Beverley Knight

Seeing the beauty in things around us has been tricky of late, but essential to seek. It became apparent to artist Narbi Price how our society had changed when he noticed pals posting pictures of benches enrobed with red and white hazard tape. It meant that nobody could use them; their existence was there, but their purpose was paused.

With Price being unable to access his studio, he worked in a smaller space and started to use watercolours to show these images, creating new exhibition Lockdown. “I gave friends instructions on how to compose source photographs for me, and this is a chance lockdown collaboration, between the worker who wrapped the benches, my friends who photographed them and myself who painted them,” Narbi illustrates. The result feels desolate and tinged with sadness. However, there is an unusual attractiveness to the images as the tape ebbs and flows through the gaps. As a collection of twenty paintings, they’re engaging and handsome.

In the second part of the show, there are eight small but incredibly detailed drawings. All showing a section of Narbi’s hometown of Hartlepool that puzzles the community, he has captured pieces of the ancient town wall where it is butted up against breeze blocks and jetsam from a new estate. Overall, the two sections of art complement each other, and the sharp-witted creator has produced a mysterious glimpse at our current, unbalanced world.

Narbi Price’s Lockdown exhibition is available to view on his website www.narbiprice.co.uk/lockdown

MUSIC

THE LAST OF THE FALLEN ANGELS RELEASE NEW SINGLE, PHASE IV

Words: Martin Trollope

Lockdown has been undoubtedly one of the strangest things that has happened to many of us, but sometimes amazing things happen from the most unusual of circumstances. For Conrad McQueen and Victoria O from AXLS, lockdown has become a space to create and explore new sonic adventures. This has seen them joining forces with Mark D (Sapien Trace) to form The Last of the Fallen Angels (TLOTFA), remotely collaborating via email, messenger and Dropbox to bring us their new single, Phase IV.

Perhaps one of the most astonishing things about this is that the single has been produced by none other than actual music legend, Simon Ellis. Yes, that Simon Ellis who co-wrote S Club 7’s classic, Don’t Stop Movin’! But if you’re expecting mainstream pop, you might get a surprise. Phase IV is dark and brooding; it grooves and undulates while the three different and distinct vocals proclaim their love for electro music. The accompanying video is intimate and appropriately minimal, made up of webcam shots of the singers interspersed with atmospheric lightning strikes. TLOTFA have two more singles due out in the coming months, so if you like this then you really have something to look forward to!

The Last of the Fallen Angels release Phase IV on 16th July. www.facebook.com/thelastofthefallenangels

STAGE

Curious Arts’ Audio Queer Podcast

Words: Eugenie Johnson

Curious Arts’ flagship festival has been providing a platform for regional and national artists in a variety of art-forms since its first outing in 2016. It’s been a centrepiece for showcasing and celebrating LGBTQIA+ culture through the projects that Curious Arts has helped to develop, as well as increasing visibility and understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community.

While this year’s event has been postponed, the Curious Arts team are undeterred by the need to put the festival back a year, and have been determined to continue advocating for and supporting the queer arts sector. As part of this, they’ve launched the Audio Queer podcast, a celebration and showcase of LGBTQIA+ creatives from across the North East.

So far, they’ve invited the likes of illustrator, graphic designer and drag artist Adrián Martín; radio broadcaster and drag king Stevie Wonderful, aka Fiona King; maker researcher and drag king Lady Kitt; Joanie Crump, creative producer and director of Hartlepool Folk Festival, Small Brown Dog CIC and 2021 queer arts festival, Eek!; and queer arts collective, Bordello. Audio Queer is keeping the spirit of Curious Festival alive during its unprecedented hiatus, ensuring that Curious Arts continue their mission to increase LGBTQIA+ visibility. Audibly. www.curiousarts.org.uk/projects

Soweto Kinch by Iza Korsak

MUSIC

THE CREATIVE SOCIAL: GIGS AND TOURING IN LOCKDOWN WITH SOWETO KINCH

Words: Eugenie Johnson

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Durham’s Empty Shop have set up The Creative Social, a series of think pieces, online talks and mentoring sessions delivered by experts in the culture sector. So far they’ve invited Fuel and Gyre & Gimble to explore theatre, performance and touring, and former Edinburgh Fringe director Paul Gudgin who discussed festivals and events post-COVID.

For July, they’ve lined up Soweto Kinch – saxophonist, MC and heavy-hitter of the contemporary jazz scene – to explore how best to navigate gigs and touring while in lockdown. Kinch will be posting a think-piece on Empty Shop’s Medium blog ahead of the interactive event on Wednesday 15th July. There, he’ll be bringing his extensive experience as a world class performer, helping practitioners in the region to share experiences of culture-making during lockdown (and what we can learn for the Soweto Kinch by Iza Korsak future) in a Q&A style.

After the online discussion, there’ll also be the chance for practitioners from Hartlepool to engage in either a masterclass or mentoring sessions with the experts, offering them the opportunity to learn some handy solutions to unique lockdown issues as well as gaining valuable insight from industry leaders.

The Creative Social: Gigs and Touring in Lockdown with Soweto Kinch will take place via Zoom on Wednesday 15th July. Sign up via this link: www.creativesocial3.eventbrite.com www.facebook.com/emptyshop

ART & LIT

VIRTUAL LIBRARY @ THE LIT & PHIL

Words: Eugenie Johnson

Before the unprecedented situation that caused the country to go into lockdown occurred, The Lit & Phil hadn’t closed its doors to the public in a whopping 227 years. But although the building became physically inaccessible, the crisis paved the way for a new way of interacting with the Newcastle institution. Moving into the digital sphere, a ‘virtual Lit & Phil’ was set into motion, ensuring that its many members could still access its services and continue to be a part of the community.

So far, the move into a virtual space has born a new blog on their website, which has featured both factual and fictional articles exploring the Society’s historical figures, scientists and visionaries. Previously unpublished works from local authors are also featured, as are submissions from the area’s writers, artists, professors and poets. Public engagement was also put centre stage during a recent haiku competition, which saw 450 entries judged by two local poets.

As lockdown begins to ease for a variety of businesses, The Lit & Phil are planning a very gradual reopening from July to pick up and drop off books. The digital space will continue to be open even as we slowly return to physical spaces though, with the library planning to continue its postal and delivery scheme, and a short story competition in the near future. Despite challenging times, The Lit & Phil continues to serve its members and the public in new and captivating ways. www.litandphil.org.uk

ART & LIT

MURMURATION COLLECTIVE POEM CREATIVE CALL-OUT

Words: Helen Redfern

New Writing North and Newcastle University are collaborating to create Murmuration, a collective poem celebrating the natural world in this time of climate crisis and coronavirus, giving voice to a fresh appreciation of the natural world and a desire that things should not revert to how they were before.

This fascinating initiative of Linda France, New Writing North and Newcastle University’s Climate Writer in Residence is inspired by murmurations, those astonishing displays of aerial acrobatics we see when great flocks of starlings gather. As Linda explains: “Learning from the starlings, we can raise our wings, our voices in a loud accumulating murmur...Together we can make something spectacular, far greater than the sum of its parts, an ensemble work of art.”

Each one of us is invited to take part by adding between one and three lines of any length on the New Writing North website or using #writeoutside on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by 1st August. All contributions must open with either the phrase ‘Because I love…’ or ‘What if…’ and will be distilled and curated into a single long poem by Linda France. Artist Kate Sweeney will then bring the lines to life, making an animated film which will draw on our connection with this earth and each other at this extraordinary moment in time.

The launch of Murmuration will form part of Inside Writing, a digital poetry festival hosted by Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts at Newcastle University and featuring some of today’s most exciting poets responding directly to COVID-19. www.newwritingnorth.com

Martha Hill

MUSIC

MARTHA HILL RELEASES NEW SINGLES, GRILLED CHEESE AND LANDSLIDE

Words: Ikenna Offor

Quiet as kept, the last few months have seen Martha Hill deservedly enjoy the most progressive trajectory of her career thus far. Coming off a stellar session for BBC Introducing last year, the Scots-born Newcastle-based multi-instrumentalist’s 2020 game plan included the May return of her much-lauded Women Are Mint festival, with an eagerly-anticipated sophomore EP scheduled for September.

Although said festival proceedings were scuppered by the ongoing coronavirus palaver, Hill is still on course for that EP drop, with two brand-spanking-new singles set to be released in the coming weeks. Recorded during lockdown (via Zoom, no less), both effortlessly relatable tracks speak volumes for her drily abstract yet keenly observational lyricism.

The first offering, Grilled Cheese, is pure radio fodder – and that’s not a bad thing, mind. Built around an infinitely danceable backbeat and peppered with bombastic crescendos aplenty, its potently fizzy ebullience sugarcoats a flatly salient disclosure about petty squabbles spilling into major contentions.

Hot on its heels is Landslide, a silvery sliver of mildly moody synths, which finds Hill contending with a serious case of the ‘new crush’ flutters. Understatedly catchy and self-deprecatingly candid, its manifold charms attest glowingly to Hill’s indelible pop sensibilities. Get familiar – and watch this space!

Martha Hill releases Grilled Cheese on 26th June and Landslide on 31st July www.marthahillmusic.org

STAGE

ALPHABETTI THEATRE’S LISTEN UP WRITING COMMISSIONS

Words: Claire Dupree

As you’ll read elsewhere in this issue, it’s a tough time for small independent theatres like Alphabetti. The Newcastle venue is much more than a space for work to be performed; it houses a community of passionate creatives who epitomise the generous spirit of our region’s grassroots scene.

Despite the troubles they are facing, Alphabetti are still striving to support artists with a newly announced series of writing commissions. The Listen Up micro-commissions will pay writers to produce a 10-minute audio play, with successful applicants having their work performed by actors and broadcast through Alphabetti’s online programme. Applicants must identify as female, LGBTQ+, be a member of a black, Asian or minority ethnic group or live with a physical or cognitive disability.

Keen to build long-term relationships with members of the creative community that may be under-represented, Alphabetti hope that the commissions will help to amplify diverse voices in the region. All plays will be performed online from September 2020, with directors including Alphabetti’s artistic and executive director Ali Pritchard and senior creative associate Paul James, with the remaining creative team announced in due course. The deadline to apply is Sunday 12th July. www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk

MUSIC

MOON WAX RELEASE NEW SINGLE, SAYONARA

Words: Paul Ray

There’s a lot of great noisy guitar music coming out of the North East lately, but if you’re looking for a significant change of pace, check out the new track from Teesside’s retro funk duo Moon Wax.

Sayonara coasts along breezily on a languid house groove, heavy kick drums anchoring patiently bobbing sub-bass and reverb-coated keyboard chords. Liz Robson’s diva backing vocals lend the song a blissed-out disco atmosphere, and it’s clear that the duo are heavily influenced by disco music, considering the Chic-esque syncopated, palm-muted guitar plucking rippling around the stereo field throughout the verses. It’s admirably pared-back, quite minimal, in some respects; the synths are wispy and ambient, and even the killer guitar solo is quite spare, more about timbre than pyrotechnics, recalling Miles Davis’ old adage about the best solos centring the notes you don’t play. The lyrics are admittedly quite cheesy, and occasionally the vocals veer towards the smoother end of the spectrum, but it’s cheesy in a weirdly comforting way.

It’s been so long since we’ve been able to let loose in a sweaty, packed club that these clichés feel pleasantly anonymous, a vital link back to the old world of dancing and fun.

Moon Wax release Sayonara on 4th July www.facebook.com/moonwaxuk www.facebook.com/thestudiohartlepool

Leopard Rays

MUSIC

LEOPARD RAYS RELEASE SINGLE, BROTHER

Words: Jason Jones

Not enough indie bands sound genuinely dangerous these days. Plenty try, granted, but few manage to capture the sense of unhinged moxie that can send a crowd loopy and get the back of your neck tingling.

Leopard Rays have no such problem. Swaggering and slugging their way through raucous sets across the country, the Hartlepool quartet are gearing up for the release of their debut EP with new single Brother – and it’s a barnstormer.

Once again the lads tread that fine line between melodious and boisterous with aplomb to pull out a big, big tune that has the distinct, rousing sound of a band hitting their stride. The riffs are weighty, the hooks are baited with juicy earworms, and the whole track glistens with a familiarity that never strays into hackneyed truisms.

The four-piece are beginning to pick up a rate of knots that is genuinely exciting, and with each passing tune the roof beams on their ceiling of potential get raised just a few inches higher. If Brother is any indication of what we can expect from Leopard Rays’ inaugural extended release, then there’s absolutely no reason to believe that it won’t be the first of many top drawer efforts.

Leopard Rays release Brother on 31st July www.musicglue.com/leopard-rays

BonBons Cabaret by TJMOV

STAGE

THE BONBONS CABARET: BEST BITS

Words: Catharina Joubert

As we come to terms with the differences and similarities between communities in society, what better time to explore the creative work of emerging queer talent in the North East?

Collective The House of Love champion diversity through their seasonal LGBTI cabaret show, The BonBons Cabaret, of which the most memorable moments are now online in their Best Bits series. The BonBons Cabaret started in 2017 in collaboration with Alphabetti Theatre and attempts to create a safe platform for provocative queer performance work. Their colourful cabaret acts and light-hearted musical numbers tread the contentious ground of LGBTI identity, highlighting the courage it takes to be different.

The collective, which consists of theatre group Bonnie & The Bonnettes, singer-songwriter MXYM, burlesque dancer Mama Rhi and drag queen Vol-Au-Vent Love, have postponed their tour of the North East until Spring 2021. In the meantime, we can still add some thoughtprovoking sparkle to our lives by exploring their Best Bits on YouTube.

For them, “it’s a way to keep the party going and provide some fun queer cabaret entertainment in such a tense and trying time.” For us, it is a perfect introduction to the artistic scope of cabaret and the work of LGBTI artists in the region, touching on questions of individuality and belonging during a time of division.

The BonBons Cabaret: Best Bits is streaming on YouTube now www.facebook.com/houseoflovene

MUSIC

SHY-TALK RELEASE DOUBLE A-SIDE SINGLE

Words: Jason Jones

There’s a lot to be angry about right now. Rarely has the game felt so rigged or the bastards seemed so brazen. Our political climate is disintegrating almost as quickly and as perilously as the actual climate, and you, me, and pretty much anybody else who’s never attended a meeting of the Bullingdon Club are being taken for an increasingly nauseating ride.

Bearing all of that in mind, thank god for bands like Shy-Talk. The Newcastle sextet have come out swinging for the establishment with their latest double A-side, and in the process have landed a one-two combo so punishing it makes Ivan Drago’s fatal blow on Apollo Creed in Rocky IV look like a sorority house pillow fight.

First out of the blocks is Chauvinism – a seething, frothing post-punk parcel bomb, all barbed witticisms with a chorus that hits like a disco in a jackhammer factory. On the digital flip side, Didn’t They Do Well mopes and waltzes with menacing intent, circling and circling like a shark in a disaster B-movie, just waiting to sneak up and swallow you down in one monstrous bite.

The band have a barrage of new tunes coming in the next few months, and if this doublebarrelled statement of intent is anything to go by, you absolutely mustn’t sleep on them. Shy bairns get nowt, but Shy-Talk should be getting all the love.

Shy-Talk release Chauvinism/Didn’t They Do Well on 2nd July via Box Records www.shytalkne.bandcamp.com

MUSIC

FINN FORSTER RELEASES LOCKDOWN B-SIDES EP

Words: Ruth Patterson

After building up a solid North East following, Teesside songwriter Finn Forster releases his debut EP Lockdown B-sides this month.

Featuring five tracks recorded under UK lockdown restrictions, it’s set to be his most honest work to date. Lead single Four Walls, inspired by the huge societal effects of social distancing, has a pop melancholy to it reminiscent of Paolo Nutini’s Rewind, but in the same way it retains a catchy chorus and infectious melody that stays with you long after the song has ended.

The EP is full of raw emotion tackling heavy issues, including Butterfly Man, a poignant depiction of bereavement from the point of view of those left behind after the tragic loss of someone close, longing for one more conversation. The DIY nature of the production on this first EP complements the themes of loneliness and nostalgia, and the atmospheric soundscapes support powerful, rich vocals effortlessly capturing the essence of each song.

The common thread tying the EP together is one of determination and this self-release, written and recorded totally independently, is a powerful statement showing how artists can continue to create great music in challenging circumstances.

Finn Forster releases Lockdown B-sides on 17th July www.facebook.com/finnforstermusic

MUSIC

INVERTED GRIMMILL RECORDINGS COMPILATION ALBUM

Words: Claire Dupree

Continuing on their mission to bring ‘excellent weird music’ from around the world to the North East, Newcastle record label Inverted Grim-Mill Recordings celebrate their 30th release with a compilation album of charmingly bewildering ear-pummelling sounds.

Artists featured on Inversion Therapy Volume Two, released on 3rd July, all share the common theme of having performed at one of the label’s live shows since their inception in 2012. As such, it’s a thrilling mish-mash of styles and temperaments, which makes for particularly interesting listening as the A-Z tracklisting throws up some dramatic stylistic clashes. Expect ambient drone, experimental electronics, shouty punk and pummelling sludge, with new and exclusive inclusions from the likes of beguiling loop artist Nathalie Stern, whose track Blade Patch, in thrall to legendary composer and filmmaker John Carpenter, is often performed live but so far remains unreleased; Connect by Newcastle’s ambient drone-master Dextro was created in isolation for broadcast via BBC Scotland’s Vic Galloway; Corpse Twitcher’s As Silent As Moth sets out the band’s ominous murk; plus there’s live recordings from Newcastle’s wonky noise rockers Lump Hammer and doom-mongers Geomancer, not to mention tracks from Mondo Sadists, Brad Field, Bleach, Lore, 1727 and many more.

The compilation serves as a not-so-subtle reminder of the health of the region’s experimental scene. The fact that all proceeds from digital sales of this and their previous compilation (released in 2018) will be donated to Music Venue Trust’s Emergency Response Fund, serves to ensure it’s an essential purchase.

Inverted Grim-Mill Recordings release Inversion Therapy Volume Two on 3rd July www.invertedgrim-millrecordings.bandcamp.com

FILM

SHOOT FIRST: HOW THINGS ARE MADE @ STAR & SHADOW CINEMA

Words: Beverley Knight

Listen and watch parties have brought some much needed comfort these past few months, and since we can’t go physical for now, we’ve done the next best thing in going digital, maintaining relationships and conversations with people who share our interests. Heaton’s Star & Shadow Cinema have been part of this with their How Things Are Made distanced learning events. The very premise of this DIY cinema, which is inspiringly volunteer-run, is to include its community by discussing their ideas and opinions.

Every Sunday night at 7pm, Shoot First film productions have been inviting folk to discover and learn more about film techniques by exploring archives, utilising the online platform Metastream. Hosted by award-winning director Dan Wallder, he presents vintage clips and documentaries about film and filmmaking whilst you watch along. There’s even the opportunity for you to discuss your thoughts through a chat window. Topics coming up this month cover an array of different themes, including a discussion on influential Japanese director and screenwriter Akira Kurosawa, who was inspired by westerns to make samurai films (5th July); delve into low budget, but commercial B-Movies (12th July), search for scientific accuracy in Hard Sci-Fi (19th July) and learn about how Star Wars films were made (26th July). In August, subject matter includes puppet films (2nd August) and digital films (9th August).

Shoot First’s How Things Are Made events are free to access, see the Star & Shadow Cinema for individual event links www.starandshadow.org.uk

Holy Braille

MUSIC

HOLY BRAILLE RELEASE NEW SINGLE, HEART BRAKER

Words: Martin Trollope

The new single from Sunderland’s Holy Braille sees them venturing through uncharted territories to bring us back something unique. The synthwave duo have managed to reach into the void between goth balladry and 90s feel-good dance, and found something lurking in the darkness therein.

Heart Braker fuses these seemingly disparate styles, with dirty, stuttering synths and fuzzy, experimental vocals, all twisting and swirling together to create their own dark, mutated R&B. The vocal delivery is effortlessly cool and detached, with more than hint of danger, bringing to mind a femme fatale from a black and white movie or a siren, drawing us closer to inevitable doom. The cut-up, minimalist lyrics were inspired by album and song titles from the 80s, a concept consistent with the genrecontorting découpé of the music itself. All of this combines to create an existentialist love song with beautifully sinister lines like “There’s nothing here to see, just the abyss and me”. It’s almost as if they’ve stumbled across an alternate reality where Dada and Nietzsche were bandmates in the 1990s, and spent their last pennies on a synth, a drum machine and a perfectly broken microphone.

Holy Braille release Heart Braker on 24th July via Kaneda Records www.holybraille.bandcamp.com

ART & LIT

DISCOVERED ONLINE @ THE NORTHERN SCHOOL OF ART

Words: Sophie Bell

From mid-July, the Northern School of Art will be showcasing an innovative virtual display of the creative work produced by students from both the Hartlepool and Middlesbrough campuses. Their Discovered Online event will celebrate the exceptional talents of degree and further education students from a wide range of courses including costume design, textiles and surface design, animation and photograph to name a few.

The institution has worked tirelessly to replace the traditional end of degree and post-16 exhibition with a virtual display. They have endeavoured to provide a digital platform to further enhance the online profile of their students and present them to a worldwide audience, as they progress with their future creative careers.

Viewers can expect a visual feast of unique and individual installations that reflect the remarkable talent and determination of the students, who despite facing unprecedented circumstances have continued to work towards completing their course. The exhibition will include work by Amy Hastings, a textiles and surface pattern designer, and costume designer Jonathan Rogers, whose final collections can be seen alongside the incredibly gifted class of 2020.

Discovered Online is available to view at The Northern School of Art’s website from 13th July www.northernart.ac.uk

MUSIC

TWIST HELIX RELEASE NEW SINGLE, FRIDA KAHLO

Words: Claire Dupree

In many cases over recent months we’ve been forced to project our personalities online far more than usual; we use the internet as a validation of who we are, proclaiming our likes and dislikes as a way to engage with our fellow humans. Newcastle’s synth pop trio Twist Helix have taken this theme and run with it with on their latest single, Frida Kahlo, released on 10th July.

“Frida Kahlo is a song about identity. How in an online world we self-fashion an image of ourselves by referencing popular culture and art, telling people what we like, who we follow, what we wish to be, in a manner akin to the tradition of self-portraits.” The band explain about the track. “Named for the Mexican visual artist Frida Kahlo (an artist renowned for her challenging self-portraits), the track is not so much about Frida herself but how the mass consumption of images deviates from a true understanding of the self in favour of the popular, current, now.” Kicking off with a shout of defiance, the track ably shows off Twist Helix’s ebullient energy; springy synths and repetitive rhythms underpin singer Bea Garcia’s incredible vocals as she switches between English and her native Spanish, rocketing through the track in barely two and a half minutes. It’s a breathless track of synth pop mastery which further demonstrates the band’s class and confidence, and serves as a delicious taster for their upcoming album.

Twist Helix release Frida Kahlo on 10th July www.twisthelix.com

Twist Helix

MUSIC

#LOCKDOWNTAKEOVER SESSIONS @ THE STUDIO

Words: Tracy Hyman

It’s Poolie Time over at The Studio in Hartlepool. Since the end of May, The Studio’s Facebook page has been home to the #LockDownTakeOver sessions, a weekly virtual musical treat in aid of the Poolie Time Exchange.

The Poolie Time Exchange is an organisation matching volunteers with people needing support in the local community. This helps those in need whilst giving the volunteers skills, experience and qualifications. Since the lockdown they have set up an isolation support service, cooking and distributing hot meals and emergency groceries for the vulnerable, elderly and those self-isolating without a support system.

The Studio, having been successful in being awarded a £10k business grant with the help of the Music Venue Trust, decided to redirect its efforts to raising funds for the Poolie Time Exchange. In exchange for donations, they’ve put their considerable talent-finding skills into action, with performances in July coming from Hartlepool songwriter Michael Gallagher (Saturday 4th), lo-fi experimentalists The Woven Project (Saturday 11th), Gav Price (Saturday 18th) and Sara Dennis from folky blues band Peg Powler (Saturday 25th), who will all be streaming from 6.30pm via The Studio’s Facebook page.

The #LockDownTakeOver sessions take place every Saturday on The Studio’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/thestudiohartlepool

Chad McCail - Toy, image by Colin Davison

ART & LIT

CHAD MCCAIL EXHIBITION @ NGCA ONLINE

Words: Sophie Bell

The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland is currently home to the monumental new work of Chad McCail, whose exhibition Toy opened in February and is now available to view online.

Chad spent three years creating an enormous three dimensional surreal cityscape from humble everyday materials. This detailed gallery-scaled installation features many recognisable everyday institutions such as hospitals, schools and factories but this is no architectural model. Raging above the buildings are gigantic mythical creatures, fighting to take control of the city’s resources and its soul. These figures are the colossi of capital, the 1% to whom the world is a plaything, yet they are facing armies of the city’s residents who unite to fight, alongside a snake that Chad states symbolises their desire for freedom.

McCail has provided an online audio guide for NGCA alongside several images of his work, which allow you to follow him through each section of the exhibition as he discusses his inspirations and ideology, making for an incredibly immersive and engrossing exhibition. www.sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/ chad-mccail-toy

MUSIC

THE UNION CHOIR RELEASE THE DECADE DISSOLVE EP

Words: Tom McLean

When The Union Choir’s The Decade Dissolve EP makes its way to streaming services on 31st July, it’ll be the first material the band has released since 2017’s The Ghost In The Room. Recorded over the course of 2019, the South Shields’ group’s efforts have yielded four tracks that will enhance their reputation and do nothing to banish comparisons with greats such as Elbow and Arcade Fire.

When like-minded creatives come together like this, they often forge a new niche in the industry, and while comparisons can and will always be drawn, The Union Choir’s sound encapsulates something distinctly North East.

Headlining the EP is The Decade Dissolve, a charming, pacy slice of indie riffs that would be at home on Glastonbury’s The Other Stage, while following track The Lady Lowered offers a fine aperitif to the more thoughtful Be Warm. Be Kind. The latter is a slow burner with pathos and guides us through handsomely to number four, Witching Hour, a sobering commentary on the darker side and suffering of North Eastern society. Close to home for some. Quality for all. Together, these tracks form an EP wringing with The Union Choir DNA. This collective should reconvene more often.

The Union Choir release The Decade Dissolve EP on 31st July www.facebook.com/theunionchoir

ART & LIT

LADY KITT: #PORTRAITS4PPE

Words: Laura Doyle

At the start of this pandemic, we were all bombarded with fears surrounding PPE shortages in the NHS and the care sector. There simply wasn’t – and frankly, still isn’t – enough to go around to make everyone safe and there aren’t the supplies available to dish them out willy nilly.

North East artist, maker, performer and Drag King Lady Kitt will curate an online exhibition for Disability Arts Online, entitled #Portraits4PPE. This project seeks to raise awareness of PPE shortages in the care sector, and hopes to also raise money to help bridge the gap.

Submissions are open to any disabled artists over the age of 18 from across the UK, and the guidelines are simple: create portraits of people who, during this lockdown, have done exceptional things. The criteria for exceptionalism is broad and inclusive: if you want to commemorate anyone for their work and efforts, now may be the time. Any artistic format is accepted, as long as it can be sent via email for a contact free, online exhibition hosted by Disability Arts Online.

The deadline for submissions is 6th July. #Portraits4PPE will be exhibited online from Monday 20th July via Disability Arts Online www.lladykitt.com