INTERVIEW
L-R, T-B: Blamire, Psydove, Badger by Tom Harvey
NORTHERN ELECTRIC FESTIVAL ALI WELFORD TALKS TO STEVEN CHELL TO FIND OUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BRING A COMMUNITY BACK TOGETHER, AS NORTHERN ELECTRIC FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THE OUSEBURN VALLEY It may be next year before we experience Ouseburn’s own summer festival season in full swing, yet the lifting of restrictions has at least allowed a handful of the Valley’s staples to make a return. Among those taking the plunge is Northern Electric Festival, a passionately curated and strikingly diverse showcase of North East electronic music, held at Cobalt Studios on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st August. “We can’t wait!” Enthuses co-organiser Steven Chell. “Like most people, it’s not just the live music we’re excited for – it’s seeing our friends, getting back in those environments and being part of the ecosystem again. I think people have been reminded how big a part of their lives the music scene is, and whatever was valuable to us at the beginning of the pandemic is all the more so now.”
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Usually a sprawling, multi-venue beast, Steven and company have – perhaps sensibly – kept things simple for NEF’s 2021 comeback – though even this scaled back edition presents a substantial taste of the creative zest the region has to offer. For most acts, it’ll be a first performance before an audience for some 18 months. The layoff has proved trying for musicians of every hue, but far from ring rustiness Steven backs this year’s line-up to kick back stronger than ever. “The artists have had time to reflect on what’s really important to them as well. A lot have mentioned to me that this period been an opportunity to brush up on skills, learn new ones, hone their musical identity and refine their sound. With so many artists having worked on distilling what makes them special, I think every performance is going to be more distinctly ‘them’ than
