FEATURE
L-R, T-B: bigfatbig, HYYTS, Dylan Cartlidge, Venus Grrrls by Milly Hewitt
STOCKTON CALLING 2022 FESTIVAL SEASON HAS ARRIVED! CLAIRE DUPREE CHECKS OUT THE OFFERING FROM STOCKTON’S ORIGINAL MULTIVENUE FESTIVAL Taking place across eleven venues throughout Stockton on Saturday 16th April, over 80 bands and artists representing all manner of genres will fill the town with glorious sounds in what promises to be a joyous celebration of live music. Chief among the cache of superb bookings this year is a headline set from experimental pop artist, Self Esteem. Capable of veering between cutting, propulsive wit and expressive, poppy delights, all wrapped up in iconic feminist bangers, Rebecca Lucy Taylor has cemented her status as a bona fide star. If you want to see her headline set at The Georgian Theatre, I’d start queuing now if I were you. Also at the Georgian, expect glam gothic pop courtesy of Glaswegian rabble-rousers Walt Disco; indie rock lushness from English Teacher; heartfelt and soulful rap from Luke Royalty; sparkling indie joy from Hartlepool’s Marketplace; Mr Matthew Fisher demonstrates his lyrical pop rock; Newcastle’s Pave The Jungle offer up their effortlessly cool fuzzy rock sound; and The Shakin’ Nightmares bring some garage rock ‘n’ roll to kick off the day in style. Next door at The Green Room, the NARC. stage features some of the most exciting artists in the North East right now. Headliners are this month’s cover stars Komparrison, whose intelligent and infectious poppy rock tells relatable tales of being a young woman in the 21st Century. Also at The Green Room are bouncy pop
30
punks bigfatbig; mysterious and intense garage rock act Wax Heart Sodality; Newcastle’s melodic rockers Pit Pony; MXYM adds a touch of glamour with a fusion of emo, rock, punk, pop and everything in between; Mouses frontman stebee ratchets up the social discourse with his acoustic punk tunes; while opener Sarah Johnsone’s full band show demonstrates her astonishing vocal talent and canny songwriting knack. Things get rowdy over at ARC, as indie party starters The Pigeon Detectives bring their catchy and anthemic hits to their headline slot. Also performing will be stylish R&B multi-instrumentalist Brooke Coombe; dreamy Scottish rock ‘n’ rollers Shambolics; highly regarded local songwriter Jodie Nicholson; thoughtful pop rock artist Joe Ramsey and the beautiful and highly lyrical pastoral folk of Nel Unlit. On the ARC 2 stage, Glasgow-based duo HYYTS bring tongue-in-cheek lyrics and delicious retro synth pop to their headline slot for super-promoters The Kids Are Solid Gold. There’s also vibrant guitar-led anthems courtesy of Retro Video Club; hazy indie from Swim School; the psychedelic pop of moa moa; lo-fi songwriter Frankie Beetlestone; indie pop band Moy; socially-aware lyricist Cara Rose and local indie folk popsters Mt. Misery. Over the road at KU, there’s an opportunity to revel in the
