DECEMBER & JANUARY PREVIEWS

Image: Emma 2 by Josie Brookes

ART & LIT

ART STOPS

Words: Helen Redfern

During lockdown in 2020, artist Peter McAdam showcased new national and international artwork, jazzing up bus stops all over County Durham. Art Stops had the aim of delivering works of art directly to an audience on the street rather than in a gallery, as McAdam explained: “I wanted people to see international artist’s work on display at the end of their street.” This exciting, innovative project attracted local press and TV coverage and is set to do the same once again this December when it returns to bus stops throughout Durham.

This year, alongside some of the artists from the previous iteration of the project, McAdam is bringing together two community groups – a mental health group based in Gilesgate and a children’s care charity – who will design their own posters. Using a public platform such as bus stop panels to display artwork is a great way to reach people where they are and communicate original ideas.

An interactive map will indicate the unique artwork on selected bus panels in Chester-leStreet. Framwellgate Moor and Gilesgate. Set up to source exciting and thought-provoking images to display in public spaces such as bus shelter panels, adverting billboards, interior and exterior projections, art rentals and public art commissions, Art Stops is committed to bringing art out onto the streets so keep an eye out! You never know what treasures you may stumble across.

www.artstops.org

MUSIC

CARIBOU @ SAGE GATESHEAD

Words: Cameron Wright

Two decades on from his debut release Start Breaking My Heart, Dan Snaith shows few signs of slowing down. As the years have seen him adopt several monikers, from Manitoba to Daphni, it is the Caribou title which carries the most acclaim, and the one he’ll be performing under at Sage Gateshead on Saturday 22nd January.

Caribou’s sound has been a progressive and expansive journey, over time shifting from an almost Krautrock blur of psychedelic, meandering pop tracks to his more recent stance in funky, Balearic deep-house releases. The indie-tronica giant is constantly evolving his own sound, pushing the genre into beautifully accessible yet unexplored territory.

Highlighted on his latest release, Suddenly, Snaith’s mastery is demonstrated in the way the producer plucks from threads across a plethora of influences, weaving the eclectic smorgasbord of genres and ideas into one cohesive vision. Sparks of flavour, ranging from Sufjan Stevens to J-Dilla freely dance across the tongue, never distracting from the delicately prepared meal. Suddenly is peppered with uncharacteristic turns which texture its sound in a way few Caribou releases have been, resulting in Snaith becoming known as one of the genre’s most prolific and acclaimed contributors.

Caribou performs at Sage Gateshead on Saturday 22nd January www.caribou.fm

Caribou by Thomas Neukum. Mural, Stamford Hill Estate, by artist Amber Elise

MUSIC

JAY ELECTRONICA @ BOILER SHOP

Words: Ikenna Offor

To call Jay Electronica a mystery wrapped in an enigma would certainly be putting it mildly. Since emerging from the primordial badlands of the mid-aughts Interwebs, the New Orleans MC has ostensibly espoused ascetic equilibrium over the trappings of mainstream success.

Along the way, he’s cultivated a cult fanbase that counts none other than Jay Z – who giddily played sidekick on Electronica’s long-gestated debut album – among its ranks. And, despite having what some might consider an incomplete career, it really ain’t hard to fathom why he’s your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper.

For one thing, there’s genuinely never a dull moment with the man – just ask anyone who recalls the many controversies and uncouth humour of his (now scrubbed) epic drunk tweets between 2012 and 2018. For another, his deceptively dynamic rhymes deftly unspool a wealth of esoteric knowledge covering everything from atoms, Buddha and the Bible, to voodoo and UFOs with a distinctly Southern unpretentiousness.

Fair to say then that the Bayou people’s champ embodies the answer to ‘what if Louisiana blues was rap and funny’. A reluctant hero whose didactic punchlines evince a deep conscience, introspection and generosity of spirit. An elusive yet forthright legend.

Jay Electronica plays Boiler Shop, Newcastle on Saturday 15th January www.awrittentestimony.com

MUSIC

ENTER SHIKARI @ MIDDLESBROUGH TOWN HALL

Words: Jake Anderson

Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds will try to tell you that Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible on the title of the band’s latest album, but he is wrong. As it’s true that the band will be performing at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Sunday 19th December and it won’t be possible to see them there any other night.

The band will be touring the previously mentioned album, a project with a soundscape akin to an apocalypse movie with its risk-taking instrumentation. Fans should expect tracks such as the haunting The Great Unknown and hostile Sorry You’re Not A Winner.

Joining them on the night will be grungy rock band Dinosaur Pile-Up and rap rockers Nova Twins. Dinosaur Pile-Up’s last album was 2019’s boisterous album Celebrity Mansions, with the single Back Foot being a stand-out for its snappy hooks and pop-infused instrumentation. Similarly, Nova Twins received much praise for their 2020 album Who Are The Girls?, and for incorporated elements of hip-hop, glam and synth funk into their rock-based tunes.

Enter Shikari, Dinosaur Pile-Up and Nova Twins play Middlesbrough Town Hall on Sunday 19th December www.entershikari.com

Enter Shikari by Tom Martin

ART & LIT

STUDIO GROUP SHOW @ THE AUXILIARY

Words: Claire Dupree

While many art lovers will be used to visiting Middlesbrough’s independent gallery The Auxiliary for exhibitions, the space is also a more permanent home to several artists who house their studios in the warehouse space. This month they’re celebrating the work of their studio holders by inviting them to get involved in the curatorial aspects of the gallery. The Studio Group Show will take place from Thursday 9th-Saturday 11th December, and will provide an insight into the wonderful work which goes on in the space behind closed doors.

Artists taking part include painter and current director of Cultivate Tees Valley, Mark Mullis; sculptor Loucey Bain, whose recent exhibition was a large scale solo show at The Auxiliary; highly regarded painter Gordon Dalton; artist and performer John James Perangie, who showcases sculpture, painting, installation and fashion in their work; Arts Lab Teesside founder Lisa Lovebucket; queer collective We The Queers will be exhibiting their individual disciplines – text/performance-based artist Dyad’s pieces often have a strong political stance, while Andy Newcombe’s work centres around noise/performance; award-winning sculptor Cameron Lings; ceramicist Chris Suttie, who’s currently working on a year-long project which focuses on art, health and well-being; photography collective WAX; Auxiliary co-founder and sound artist Liam Slevin, and many others.

In addition to the main gallery exhibition, there will also be a small art shop where attendees can buy prints and merchandise – perfect for that unique Christmas gift!

Studio Group Show takes place at The Auxiliary, Middlesbrough from Thursday 9th-Saturday 11th December www.theauxiliary.co.uk

Wolf Alice by Jordan Hemingway

MUSIC

WOLF ALICE @ O2 CITY HALL

Words: Cameron Wright

With their third album, Blue Weekend, released in June this year, Wolf Alice have their reputation solidified as a tour de force alternative rock experience.

Where previous albums saw them climbing up the festival ladder, playing everywhere from Leeds festival to Glastonbury, as well as tracks cropping up in films such as Trainspotting 2, Blue Weekend saw the London band at their most emotionally indulgent. With every track striking with affecting impact, the album spins through an array of genres and ideas that only Wolf Alice could weave into a cohesive experience.

Proving themselves constantly as a band that refuse to be pigeonholed or categorised, the record leaps from folk introspection to the dynamic and urgent purges of emotion on the heavier tracks such as Play The Greatest Hits. Threading the album together is the genuine and potently magnetic vocals of Ellie Roswell, who captures and amplifies the essence of each emotional direction the band veer off into beautifully.

Finally touring the newest chapter of the band’s progression, Wolf Alice come to Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on Sunday 9th January. Blasting through their now established and acclaimed assortment of hits, the band promise a night of anthemic tracks that will be sure to immortalised in the alternative conversation for years to come.

Wolf Alice play O2 City Hall, Newcastle on Sunday 9th January www.wolfalice.co.uk

STAGE

WINK @ LAUREL’S

Words: Nicola Owen

Phoebe Eclair Powell’s debut play WINK will be performed at Laurel’s, Whitley Bay in early 2022. First seen in 2015 at Theatre 503 in London, the idea for the play was seeded after Eclair-Powell spotted a news story about a teenage boy who had killed himself following a revenge porn incident. Back in 2015 revenge porn and the dissemination of it via the internet was still a fairly new concept, and the trauma which victims suffer was not fully acknowledged by either the public or our institutions. This new iteration of the play has been set in Whitley Bay, and is directed by Live Theatre’s executive producer Graeme Thompson. The play asks questions around the role of technology and the separation between being a man, and a boy.

Eclair-Powell has moved on professionally since WINK, writing for Hollyoaks and debuting further well-received theatre pieces. Her media spotlight moment came in 2019 when her play SHED: EXPLODED VIEW made off with the top prize in the Bruntwood Playwriting Awards and she has further projects in development for film and TV. Her new play HARM opened in May at the Bush Theatre in London to songs of praise for its “twisted and razor sharp comedy”. Lyn Gardner in the Guardian acknowledged the sharp wit and believable characters Eclair-Powell created back in 2015 with WINK, and it will be interesting to see how it rates with local audiences half decade or so later.

WINK is at Laurel’s, Whitley Bay from Tuesday 25th January-Saturday 5th February www.laurelswhitley.co.uk

Viagra Boys by Marcus Wilen

MUSIC

VIAGRA BOYS @ NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION

Words: Cameron Wright

Though the 2018 debut Street Worms may have started their trajectory, it was Viagra Boys’ 2021 release Welfare Jazz that threw the Swedish post-punks into the zeitgeist. The crazed record holds a magnifying glass to a disillusioned world of a fetishised rock ‘n’ roll persona that is beginning to crumble into reality. Telling stories of addiction and chaos, the album narrates the turmoil-fuelled fall into hopelessness; spinning off into wild, impassioned tangents, the album translates this disparity into danceable and moving punk hits.

With low, rumbling rhythms and guttural noise of Sebastian Murphy’s archetypal vocals that almost begin to parody machismo and power, the velocity unleashed on the album provides a violent sense of escapism that entraps you in its desperate and lost world.

Welfare Jazz sees the band establishing their credentials as a daring new commotion and their live shows refuse to diminish that reputation; North East audiences can find out for themselves at Newcastle University Students’ Union on Thursday 16th December. With all the emotions barging against the audience throughout the show, the band are sighted as an invigorating and rowdy experience. Jumping between potent storytelling and filthy, brazen instrumentation, they disguise their cynicism under an array of deliriously giddy and enthused hits.

Viagra Boys play Newcastle University Students’ Union on Thursday 16th December www.vboysstockholm.com

The Orielles by Neelam Khan Vela

MUSIC

THE ORIELLES @ NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION

Words: Hope Lynes The Orielles take to Newcastle University Students’ Union on Friday 28th January. The trio from Halifax have been making music since they were teenagers, and throughout the years have developed their funky and danceable indie pop sound.

The band, consisting of two sisters and their best friend, combine the sounds of 90’s post punk, danceable indie, Afropop, disco funk and pop, all culminating in a fascinating experimentation of sound through a classic bass, drums and guitar combo.

Track Bobbi’s New World is a perfect example of the style of music you can expect from them; it’s a funky masterpiece, with a playful bassline that collides with vocals that sound like spoken-word poetry.

This isn’t just an ordinary tour however, as in 2021 the band released La Vita Olistica, an artistic project which is both a film and a soundtrack. Highlight song Come Down On Jupiter has very different instrumentals to the band’s usual groove, with a more muted and low-key soundscape. The visionary experience of the film is sure to be brought to the live show, as the band rethink the performance format through multi-sensory exploration, performing songs across a range of different styles and influences.

The Orielles play Newcastle University Students’ Union on Friday 28th January www.theorielles.co.uk

The Surfing Magazines

MUSIC

THE SURFING MAGAZINES @ THE CLUNY 2

Words: Laura Doyle

It’s good to see musicians take the environmental cause so seriously. Did you know that our humble badger is subject to random culling in the name of bovine TB, despite there being little scientific evidence to demonstrate its necessity or efficacy?

Thankfully, pan-musical ensemble alliance The Surfing Magazines have released a pro-badger record, Badgers of Wymeswold, in honour of their local brocks.

Okay – so maybe there’s only one song on the record that explicitly mentions badgers, and maybe it’s a bass-driven ode to our stripy neighbours that John Carpenter would be proud of, but at least they’re respecting one of our countryside’s most recognisable residents. The band, which is made up of one half of Slow Club and two thirds of The Wave Pictures, have got other songs for those of you less moved by the plight of the badger, like a train ride through 1960s rock ‘n’ roll in Locomotive Cheer, or a new contender for primary school disco dance staple Nostaw Boogie. It’s unclear if there is already a set of moves to go along with this one, but any such choreography surely has the potential to become a Tik-Tok trend. (That’s how these things work, right?)

Perhaps we can suggest this lucrative business model to the trio at their Cluny 2 gig on Sunday 16th January, and go down as a viral internet sensation.

The Surfing Magazines play The Cluny 2, Newcastle on Sunday 16th January www.thesurfingmagazines.bandcamp.com

Ghost//Signals

MUSIC

AVOID SHIT XMAS PARTIES @ ANARCHY BREWERY/BASE CAMP

Words: Michael O’Neill

Ghost//Signals, the Toon’s finest purveyors of widescreen anthemic rock, initially started their infamous Avoid Shit Xmas Parties event as, what vocalist/guitarist Rick Lanning considers, “a bit of a non-serious end of year bash for all my mates in bands”. It has quickly evolved into a marvellous showcase for the thriving pool of talent brewing in the North East.

They’ve been that spoiled for choice that this year’s (long overdue) instalment arrives in two separate editions, with a show at Newcastle’s Anarchy Brewery on Saturday 4th and another at Boro’s Base Camp on Saturday 11th December. Both editions feature sets from the quintet alongside a broad and eclectic line-up of the region’s finest acts; pop rockers bigfatbig co-headline the Newcastle edition alongside synth-pop duo Talk Like Tigers, shoegazers Waves of Dread and indie darlings Deep.Sleep, plus there’s sets from St. Buryan, Holly Rees, Pacer and William Denton Wilde. Meanwhile in Middlesbrough, legendary rockers Pit Pony and electronic folk artist Me Lost Me lead proceedings alongside the likes of the delightfully left-field spoken word punk of Faithful Johannes, odd pop band Head of Light Entertainment and garage rockers Wax Heart Sodality, plus The Golden Age of Nothing and The Scarlet Hour. To add further sweetness to an already-unbelievable deal, the band adopting a ‘pay as you feel’ ticket model, although early booking is advised.

Avoid Shit Xmas Parties takes place at Anarchy Brewery, Newcastle on Saturday 4th December and Base Camp, Middlesbrough on Saturday 11th December www.musicglue.com/ghostsignals/listings

ART & LIT

NEWCASTLE NOIR @ NEWCASTLE CITY LIBRARY

Words: Helen Redfern

On Sunday 5th December, Newcastle Noir 2021 will celebrate the best in contemporary crime writing. Rooted in the North East of England, this one-day, in person literary festival at Newcastle City Library will bring together writers from the North East, across the UK and further afield. Throughout the day, there will be eight panels, each exploring a different aspect of crime writing with your favourite authors.

In The Line of Duty with Robert Scragg, Howard Linskey and Tariq Ashkanani explores what makes a great fictional detective and our fascination with watching them uncover the truth; best-selling authors LJ Ross, Judith O’Reilly and Fiona Erskine reveal aspects of their lives before turning to crime fiction and how these earlier experiences may have influenced their work; and the day also includes sessions with Ann Cleeves and SJ Watson, Rob Parker and SE Moorhead, and Chris McGeorge and DL Marshall.

Thought-provoking authors Michael J Malone, Louise Beech and Sarah Sultoon examine how bringing the reader face to face with the shocking and unthinkable requires great skill and sensitivity. After exploring darkly atmospheric and chilling tales with a grippingly Gothic touch with Matt Wesolowski and ES Thomson, the festival wraps up with three writers who dare to be different – Mari Hannah, Trevor Wood and Harriet Tyce.

Newcastle Noir takes place at Newcastle City Library on Sunday 5th December www.newcastlenoir.co.uk Ghost//Signals

Fatt Butcher

MUSIC

CURIOUS WINTER CABARET @ MIDDLESBROUGH TOWN HALL/SAGE GATESHEAD

Words: Nicola Owen

In December Curious Arts present their Curious Winter Cabaret with visits to Middlesbrough Town Hall on Wednesday 15th and Sage Gateshead on Thursday 16th December, welcoming a double header of queer performing legends which should provide a festive refuge from the usual consumerist onslaught and traditional Christmas party nonsense.

North East singer songwriter Beccy Owen opens the performing bill; Beccy’s music has won high acclaim over the years thanks to her use of rich harmony, playful vocal techniques and mesmeric rhythms, which place listeners and audiences at the heart of a singular musical experience.

Also performing will be Birmingham-based cabaret performer, host and vocalist Fatt Butcher. Created by artist Adam Carver, Fatt celebrates body positivity and queerness and seeks to engage with low culture and camp, using them as weapons to disrupt normativity. Expect disco, glitter, songs and politics!

Curious Winter Cabaret takes place at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Wednesday 15th and Sage Gateshead on Thursday 16th December www.curiousarts.org.uk

MUSIC

PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS @ THE CLUNY

Words: Linsey Teggert

By the time sludge rock behemoths Pigsx7 play The Cluny this December to celebrate their third album, Viscerals, it will be over 20 months since the release of the record. Until Covid-enforced isolation, it seemed they were on an unstoppable rise, achieving the sort of mainstream success that is relatively unheard of for a band with riffs so heavy you feel like your eyeballs may melt: Viscerals reached number one in the UK independent record store chart, number two in the UK vinyl charts and dominated the 6Music airwaves.

To say the anticipation surrounding their three homecoming gigs (two of which are already sold out) is palpable is something of an understatement. To best appreciate the power of Pigsx7 is to witness their incendiary live show – there’s something almost ritualistic about their wall of noise sonics and vocalist Matt Baty’s guttural howls delivered barefoot and bare-chested.

“It’s been liberating being back on tour,” explains guitarist Adam Ian Sykes. “We’re very glad the Newcastle dates are the last of the tour, there’s something special about hometown shows, something I struggle to put my finger on, but signing the tour off at home will be a good feeling. The dates have changed venue three times. For them to have finally landed at The Cluny and having the need to add a third date is a very pleasant surprise.”

Pigsx7 play The Cluny, Newcastle on Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th December (Fri & Sun sold out). Support comes from Grandma’s House (Fri), Pentecostal Party (Sat) and Mai Mai Mai and Kulk (Sunday) www.pigsx7.com

Zuzu by Robin Clewley

MUSIC

ZUZU @ THE CLUNY

Words: Hope Lynes

Excellent Scouse singer-songwriter Zuzu brings her debut album to The Cluny on Monday 6th December. The recently released Queensway Tunnel tackles themes of change, science fiction, identity and escapism. The influence of science fiction reigns the strongest; with eclectic synths mixing with indie rock and creating an undeniably cool and bizarre soundscape.

The album’s title track, and recent single, brings the listener back to early Lorde; the dainty tune highlights the vocal range of Zuzu’s fruitful accent-laden voice and the story is heartfelt despite the beat, with a similar playfulness around emotional topics seen throughout the album. Zuzu’s mastery of sound and emotion makes for an earnest yet thrilling performance that fans can still rock out to.

Having previously supported the likes of Courteeners on tour, catch this talented and established songwriter, producer, director and illustrator, alongside her band for a night of funky rock goodness from an iconic millennial woman in music.

Support comes from emerging artist Heidi Curtis, whose rocky sound has endeared fans across the country on her recent tour with Sam Fender.

Zuzu and Heidi Curtis play The Cluny, Newcastle on Monday 6th December www.thisiszuzuofficial.com

MUSIC

DAMON ALBARN @ BOILER SHOP

Words: Cameron Wright

Prior to the release of his new solo release, Britpop luminary Damon Albarn will perform a small string of tour dates, choosing to shy away from the stadiums and arenas that his career has taken him to, opting instead to play at intimate venues including Newcastle’s Boiler Shop on Sunday 5th December.

Penning numbers that have been engraved into the heart of the nation, Albarn’s myriad of cultural classics include Blur’s revered catalogue and Gorillaz defiantly intriguing repertoire, yet on this tour Damon pares down to just him and a piano. Plucking tracks from across the three decades of Albarn’s prolific career, the set list will merge the old with his recently launched record, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows.

As the melancholic and meditative release produces expansive, meandering orchestral passages to soundscape the conceptual lyricism, hearing these tracks stripped of Albarn’s grandiose and hedonist tendencies will be a heart-rendering insight into the musician and his world.

Witness some of the country’s most monumental narrations of British culture transposed to nothing more than a piano and a vocal, fresh from the emotive writer himself. Albarn’s introspective and tender interpretations of his own songs guarantee to be a fascinating and poignant moment in his career and ensure a raw, visceral concert experience for each fortunate member of his intimate, devout audience.

Damon Albarn performs at Boiler Shop, Newcastle on Sunday 5th December www.damonalbarnmusic.com

GULZ

MUSIC

GULZ @ THE CLUNY

Words: Jake Anderson

Before we all spend January in a haze waiting for the year to actually begin in February, December comes knocking around with its Christmas carols and hour-long queues at Card Factory. But what else is the festive season about if not giving? And for those of us that are in a charitable mood, there’s no better way to support our local communities than attending Gulz’s return to the Toon with their charity gig at The Cluny on Tuesday 21st December.

Gulz have recently spread their infectious North East indie pop across London, with recently released tracks like the gorgeous Wait. What? and the joyful Welcome Home. Now returning to Newcastle, they’ll be aiding Newcastle West End Food Bank with a few of their mates, including Finn Forster, The Ilfords and Robinin providing musical support.

Gulz are known for their warm indie pop, best seen on vibrant track Shady Sady, therefore having the likes of Finn Forster and his mellow indie folk, the rebellious indie rock of The Illfords and the bright beats from Robinin seems like a no brainer. Together they’ll create an atmosphere that’ll make you long for those beer garden July nights.

Gulz, Finn Forster, The Ilfords and Robinin play The Cluny, Newcastle on Tuesday 21st December www.gulz.bandcamp.com

Plans for Plants (Roscoe Road) Courtesy of Annie O’Donnell

ART & LIT

CHEMICAL CITY @ MIMA

Words: Caitlin Disken

Synthetic production has been a feature of the Tees Valley for the past century. Major global companies such as Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) have shaped the Tees Valley’s local environment, influencing everything from its ecology to sense of place. Now, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art will be presenting Chemical City, an exhibition which explores the legacies of synthetics production in the Tees Valley, focusing on the development of plastics in the area, before expanding into broader social, economic and ecological themes.

Hosting commissions from artists based in the Tees Valley, London and Rotterdam, the exhibition will comprise of exhibits in three galleries. The first gallery will feature company magazines, archival film footage, material samples and personal memorabilia from ICI’s heyday. Gallery two will feature newly commissioned artworks, whilst gallery three includes blown glass sculptures, a video piece and a floor installation that explores themes of conflict and memory.

Elinor Morgan, MIMA’s Artistic Director, comments: “For the first time, we are combining contemporary mainstream fashion products with newly commissioned artworks and historical archival materials. We hope this will create a rich experience for our visitors and community of learners, leading to new understandings of material innovation and environmental concerns.”

Featured artists include painter Onya McCausland, whose practice involves repurposing waste material from post-industrial landscapes into paint pigment; Billinghambased Annie O’Donnell investigates histories of place, identity and belonging through sculpture, movement, performance and collaboration, and moving image artist Katarina Zdjelar, who makes work which examines the human body’s potential for resistance and collective action.

Chemical City is at MIMA, Middlesbrough until Sunday 24th April www.mima.art

The Lost Words

MUSIC

THE LOST WORDS: SPELL SONGS @ SAGE GATESHEAD

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy

How can you know the power of words until you lose them? Back in 2017, The Lost Words was published; an unusual dictionary which presented forgotten words from the natural world and called for their appreciation and celebration, alongside beautiful artwork. The poetic writing of Robert Macfarlane and illustrative genius of Jackie Morris has been an inspiration to thousands.

Following its success a group of eight musicians, including Karine Polwart, Kris Drever and Jim Molyneux, were commissioned to create the album Spell Songs, which acts as a companion piece to the beloved book.

This enlightening set of folk songs makes use of acoustic instruments and warm vocals that are able to blend seamlessly from the rich and powerful tones of many voices to a soft and sweet sound, similar to mother’s lullaby. Lyrically, the words share a love of the natural world but also hold the warning notes often found in traditional Celtic melodies. This pairing creates an album which inspires hope and calls for caring action.

Over the course of 2019, the band played to sold out shows across the UK, and now they’re taking their music out again, with a show coming up at Sage Gateshead on Saturday 29th January. Inspired by the original book, but also by its recent follow up, the group are releasing a new album Spell Songs 2: Let The Light In on 10th December, before kicking off their tour.

The Lost Words: Spell Songs play Sage Gateshead on Saturday 29th January www.thelostwords.org

Artwork by George Fearon

ART & LIT

TANJA VUKASINOVICPOWELL AND GEORGE FEARON @ ARTS CENTRE WASHINGTON

Words: Helen Redfern

From Tuesday 7th December, Arts Centre Washington is shining a light on two local artists, Tanja Vukasinovic-Powell and George Fearon. The exhibition showcases works which explore patterns in nature and the impact of climate change on our planet.

For Tanja Vukasinovic-Powell, an artist living in Washington, this is her very first exhibition. Due to confidence issues, Tanja only started making art again in the last five years, supported by her autism diagnosis which helped her zone into her abilities with pattern design and details. Her intricate and detailed work is inspired by patterns in nature and designs found in old buildings, such as church windows and ancient temples.

George Fearon is an artist, musician and poet from Sunderland who produces work that is hand-painted in gouache and is both contemporary and classic in production. During lockdown, George explored the hope and destruction that is facing our planet today. His psychedelic material has a depth of vibrancy and beauty, much like the natural world that inspires him.

As the world emerges from COP 26 with a renewed passion for protecting the planet, visiting this exhibition is a great way to view the natural world with fresh eyes through the unique perspectives of these two very different North East artists.

Tanja Vukasinovic-Powell and George Fearon’s work is on display at Arts Centre Washington from Tuesday 7th December-Friday 21st January www.sunderlandculture.org.uk

Rats on Rafts by Jasmijn Slegh

MUSIC

RATS ON RAFTS @ THE ENGINE ROOM

Words: Ali Welford

Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos – truly a man of impeccable taste – once stated: “I love Rats on Rafts. Go see them play live, even if you have to travel to Rotterdam!”

Fortunately, fans on our shores needn’t go to such lengths this December, as the Dutch noiseniks round off a fruitful 2021 with a full UK tour. The jaunt follows a sprawling, ambitious third record that’s pushed their sound into fresh realms – and spreads their wings once more with a maiden visit to North Shields’ The Engine Room on Thursday 9th December.

A huge musical and conceptual stride from their scrappy beginnings, the new album – Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs a Net of Rabbit Paths, to give its full title – epitomises the group’s “weirder the better” mantra, adding venturesome psychedelic dollops to a melting pot already bearing influence from the likes of Van Dyke Parks, Scott Walker and The Beach Boys.

Support, meanwhile, comes courtesy of James Leonard Hewitson – a perennial local favourite who’s enjoyed a sonic makeover of his own of late. Embracing angular rhythms and plush post-punk synths, recent EP Commercial adds fresh depth to the trademark indie pop gloss showcased on last year’s terrific debut album Only The Noise Will Save Me; a fine opener on a terrific double-bill!

Rats on Rafts and James Leonard Hewitson play The Engine Room, North Shields on Thursday 9th December www.ratsonrafts.bandcamp.com

MUSIC

CORTO.ALTO @ THE CLUNY 2

Words: Michael O’Neill

Led by multi-instrumentalist Liam Shortall, the Glasgow-hailing collective corto.alto are a diverse and genre-bending group of musicians who take greater influence from the Native Tongues, drum and bass and jungle than they do from the Blue Note back catalogue.

The band take the boundaries of ‘prolific’ to new heights, having released a staggering 19 singles in their first year of existence. They’re fresh from the release of their Not For Now EP, and are taking their eclectic grooves and gloriously singular sound to The Cluny 2 on Sunday 12th December.

If the recent five-track release alone is anything to go by, prepare yourself for a ferocious sonic assault; choice cut Mayday highlights corto.alto’s gift for effortlessly tying up disparate styles and time signature shifts and making it look like a fool’s errand, with an onslaught of textures and abrupt tempo changes gracefully careening together in a neat and tidy four minutes. It’s relentless fun, brilliantly replicating the anything-goes mentality that made sacred texts out of Miles Davis’ On The Corner, Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters, Erykah Badu’s Baduizm and D’Angelo’s Voodoo. It’s unpretentious without being tongue-in-cheek, and virtuosic without being overwrought, and an essential addition to the UK’s thriving new jazz scene.

corto.alto play The Cluny 2, Newcastle on Sunday 12th December www.cortoalto.bandcamp.com

118 Women, 118 Flowers by Rosie Stronach

ART & LIT

THIS IS NOT A MEMORIAL @ DURHAM CASTLE

Words: Claire Dupree

Continuing their artistic investigation into challenging and changing the narrative around femicide, Mexico-based Las Illuministas and the North East’s Pink Collar Gallery present an exhibition at Durham Castle.

This Is Not A Memorial by Rosie Stronach is part of the Re-Imagine feminist art collaboration project, in which over 100 artists from the UK and Mexico have created artwork which tells a different story about femicide, highlighting it as a global pandemic.

Rosie Stronach’s work was already exhibited in two of the online exhibitions, and has been further developed into public art. The North Shields-based artist’s activist work will go on display at Durham Castle’s historic Tunstall Gallery, where she will replace some of the artefacts in the gallery with contemporary works which address the startling statistics of femicide in the 21st Century. Motivated by the misrepresented female narratives in the media and many of the missing or hidden female histories in our records, she confronts the invisible and erased lives of women in our world heritage sites. 118 Women is a clay bust engraved with the names of 118 women who have lost their lives at the hands of men, while partner piece 118 Flowers takes an environmental stand point while also adhering to the classic iconography of a memorial, with the seed paper flowers due to be planted in spring 2022.

This Is Not A Memorial is at Tunstall Gallery, Durham Castle until Monday 7th February www.pink-collargallery.com www.instagram.com/rosie.the.artist

Tommy Alexander

MUSIC

USA MEETS UK: SONGWRITER SPECIAL @ THE GLOBE

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy

No music tells a story in quite the same way as country. Hearts break to the sound of plucked guitar strings and a distinctive vocal twang. In 2022, country, rock and blues promoters Jumpin’ Hot Club are proud to present Santa Barbara born alternative country star Tommy Alexander and the North East’s own country music representative, Tony Bengtsson, at The Globe, Newcastle.

The pair will perform on Friday 14th January at a songwriter special, sharing what both the USA and UK have to offer in musical story telling brilliance. Both musicians write songs that analyse society and the nature of human relationships. Asking questions about our place in the world and provoking us to think while we listen rather than zone out. Tony Bengtsson describes his own music is “socially conscious modern country folk”; from the beautiful violin of Sometimes A Man to the raw and gruff vocals of The River, it’s easy to understand why he uses that description. Tommy Alexander released his own album independently in 2020. Using a range of unexpected metaphors, Tommy’s lyrics take his observations of the world and turn them into a narrative that is easy listening, yet hard hitting. Just one man and his guitar, the composition is simple and the impact is heartfelt. No one else could make a song that starts with two chickens pecking at the ground a tear-jerker.

Join these skilled songwriters in Newcastle for a night of authentic folk and Americana, because who says the North East can’t be a home for Country music? USA meets UK: Songwriter Special takes place at The Globe, Newcastle on Friday 14th January www.jumpinhot.com

Lucero by Bob Bayne

MUSIC

LUCERO @ THE CLUNY

Words: Laura Doyle

Twenty-three years is a long time to be a band, but it means there’s plenty of room for evolution in that time. Alt. country band Lucero have made it their mission to never stagnate, but to keep moving forward with their sound on each new release.

A pandemic was no match for their decades long dedication: the five-piece kept working through the period of uncertainty, masks-on and quarantined. Their work ethic has resulted in their tenth release, When You Found Me, which came out in January, and which they’ll performing tracks from at their gig at The Cluny on Friday 21st January.

When the world has been shaken to its core, what it really needs is a new take on nostalgia, and frontman Ben Nichols found inspiration in the music of his youth. Looking back was a symptom of big life changes: Nichols’ new experience as a father had him reminiscing about his own status as a son as he saw his own daughter grow. Maybe that’s why he sought out a classic rock sound for this adventure into uncharted territories, as this record delves into what it means to be a husband and a father. The uncertainty and fear of this pandemic has been but a drop in the ocean in terms of experience for the veteran rockers, but it’s given them the time for introspection. Their conclusions warm the heart: family is forever.

Lucero play The Cluny, Newcastle on Friday 21st January www.luceromusic.com

Fehdah

MUSIC

FEHDAH @ COBALT STUDIOS

Words: Ali Welford

Pairing superb, envelope-pushing sounds with tasty, wholesome scran, Cobalt Studios’ FRESH programme has become a staple for those seeking to expand horizons and spruce up their Thursday evenings. They’re also reliably ahead of the curve with their bookings – a pattern which continues on Thursday 16th December with a visit from hotly-tipped Afrofuturist soul artist Fehdah.

Born and based in Dublin with Sierra Leonean heritage, this vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist (real name Emma Garnett) offers a fresh, idiosyncratic take on electro soul, incorporating various strands of her identity from Wassoulou music to traditional Irish singing. While often hailed as a spiritual daughter to the likes of Erykah Badu and Oumou Sangare, it’s a palette which feels entirely of her own making, as showcased to ample effect on sterling recent single Buffer Fly.

The evening provides an additional treat in the shape of local lo-fi extraordinaire Georgia May. Inspired by the sounds of ‘90s hip-hop, R&B and acoustic soul, her opening set will showcase music from last year’s warmlyreceived debut album Mood Daze, setting her absorbing vocal against an inviting bed of soothing timbres, jazzy chords and gospel influences.

Food is served from 7pm, with the music beginning an hour later. For a guaranteed winter warmer, look no further!

Fehdah and Georgia May play Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Thursday 16th December www.facebook.com/fehdah

MUSIC

MELTS @ HEAD OF STEAM

Words: Chris Maltby

Promoting an album can take many forms but amongst all, regardless of commercial success, performing is a part of the process that truly connects the artist to their audience (and vice versa); what could cause more frustration for artists everywhere than a social climate ripe with inspiration but lacking in the primary source of performance? Yes, we’ve all adapted, and many of us have adapted well, but nothing beats a live show.

Having had two sold out attempts at getting the ball rolling again postponed, Dublin’s MELTS are chomping at the bit to get back on stage. They’ve an album coming out in 2022 and their first UK headline tour this December drops in to Newcastle’s Head of Steam on Saturday 11th December.

Recent single Maelstrom, a song about a storm sweeping through a town making irreversible changes, is a statement of intent, a scorning narrative delivered amidst a regimented soundscape of in your face synthesisers and driving guitars. Catch them in the flesh, plus excellent support from noisy post-punks Witness Protection Programme, and discover a band excelling at what they do best.

MELTS and Witness Protection Programme play Head of Steam, Newcastle on Saturday 11th December www.wearemelts.com

Yellow bird on box, white earthenware clay, 22cm tall by Julia Roxburgh

ART & LIT

OPEN EXHIBITION @ GALLAGHER & TURNER

Words: Claire Dupree

With the aim of showcasing the abundance of cultural talent in the North East, Gallagher & Turner’s second open exhibition will run at their Newcastle gallery until Saturday 22nd January.

The exhibition is the result of an open call out for submissions, as gallery manager Jenny McNamara explains: “We welcomed submissions from artists in the North East working in most two-dimensional media (painting, mixed media, collage, textiles, printmaking and drawing), jewellery, as well as small sculpture, ceramics and glass. We encouraged applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are keen to produce an exhibition that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities. We value the positive impact that differences have on our organisation.”

The gallery were inundated with responses, and the exhibition will feature work by over 50 local artists across a vast range of practices, with familiar names like Narbi Price, Deborah Snell and Janet E Davis rubbing alongside emerging artists. Jenny’s interest was piqued in particular by Errol Theunissen’s vibrant painting, Brenda Watson’s investigation of colour, and the surreal qualities of ceramic artist Julia Roxburgh.

Jenny explains that the gallery are passionate about supporting and developing work by local artists: “There is a vibrant art community in the North East and the North in general. This is a great place for excellent creative work to happen by a massive range of diverse artists and something I feel strongly about and will continue to advocate for.”

Gallagher & Turner’s Open Exhibition takes place at the Newcastle gallery until Saturday 22nd January www.gallagherandturner.co.uk

COMEDY

BILL BAILEY @ UTILITA ARENA

Words: Jake Anderson

Over the last decade, the concept of sitting down and watching the telly has disappeared as fast as my enthusiasm for education did in my first week of university. But for those of us that do enjoy the occasional sit down in front of the idiot box, Bill Bailey might be a face that you recognise.

The comedian is a frequent participant on UK favourites such as Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and QI (not to mention Strictly Come Dancing, if that’s your cuppa), and will be bringing all his wit and charm with him when he visits Newcastle’s Utilita Arena for his En Route To Normal Tour on Monday 20th December.

The comedian and musician will be exploring the deeper meanings of life from the perspective of lockdown through his charismatic performances, looking at parallels in human history, to a newfound appreciation of bird song – there’s nothing lockdown-related he won’t be tackling. And if that sounds too deep for you, fear not because there’ll also be plentiful amounts of singing and dancing – including a remix of video call ringtones!

Bill Bailey is at Utilita Arena, Newcastle on Monday 20th December www.billbailey.co.uk

John Robertson’s Dark Room

COMEDY

JOHN ROBERTSON’S THE DARK ROOM @ THE STAND

Words: Hope Lynes

Sadism – with jokes; John Robertson brings ‘comedy through fear’ to The Stand on Wednesday 8th December. Rescheduled from earlier this year, fans can finally see Robertson perform his famous show The Dark Room. Initially a YouTube sensation back in 2012, Robertson’s interactive game The Dark Room received over four million hits, and was then transformed into a live comedy show and a live-action video game. If you liked Netflix’s interactive Bandersnatch, the premise is similar but in real life. Don’t go getting sucked into any portals, gamers!

The phenomenon takes its audience and challenges them to a bizarre experience, trapped in an old video game where the choices they make affect how the show pans out. The interesting concept, which takes traditional video game motifs and applies them to a live comedy show audience, combines healthy amounts of fun, fear and the fantastical.

Robertson’s creative nonsense is unique and popular at both comedy and gaming festivals around the world. Join the cult of fans (who call themselves ‘Darrens’) in being immersed in a physiological experience like no other. With Robertson as the end-of-level boss, can you outsmart and defeat the quirky improv king?

John Robertson’s The Dark Room is at The Stand, Newcastle on Wednesday 8th December www.thejohnrobertson.com

MUSIC

PRESS ON VINYL ANNOUNCE KOMPARRISON’S DEBUT EP AS THEIR FIRST PRESSING

Words: Claire Dupree

Earlier in the year we reported some good news for vinyl junkies and independent artists alike; a brand new vinyl production plant, Press On Vinyl, have set up shop in Middlesbrough and they’re committed to working with small-run releases and grassroots artists and labels.

To further support their investment in the region, their very first pressing will be the debut EP from Teesside indie pop band Komparrison, You Say She’s Satisfied is due for release in the first quarter of 2022. To celebrate the news, the band have digitally released a stripped-back version of their single Dancing With Demons, reimagined as a ballad and set to a cinematic arrangement of piano and strings, with Elise Harrison and Kaitlyn Kempen’s gorgeous harmonies at the forefront of the track. The announcement is a real shot in the arm for the Teesside quintet, whose stunning songwriting and engaging sound has seen them rightfully take their place among the region’s most treasured artists, it’s undeniable that 2022 will be a year to remember for the band.

Press On Vinyl’s co-founder Danny Lowe commented: “We’ve watched this band evolve, grow and create music that makes our hearts sing, feet move and arms go goosebumpy. We started Press On to support independent music and the incredible scene we have here in the North East, so we’re so proud to have Komparrison as the first off the press because it shows exactly what we can do. There’s loads more to come. Onwards!”

Komparrison release a stripped-back version of Dancing With Demons on 2nd December www.pressonvinyl.com www.facebook.com/komparrison