NE Online Magazine Issue 35

Hi Chris and welcome to NE Magazine, for the few readers who must be living in a cave somewhere and don’t know who you are how about giving th em a quick l ow- down o n yourself?

- Hello! Can’t help but think I’m writing your interview introduction for you here, oh well… I’m a stand-up comedian from South Shields and I’m also a bit of an actor now and then… but mainly a comedian… that might not come across as well as it should in print form, but I am.

So there.

At the moment it’s hard not seeing you on the TV when we switch it on as you’re everywhere, but what has been the highlight for you so far?

- Not everywhere though am I? If you turn on QVC and I’m selling a frying pan, just assume you’ll find me floating face down in a river very soon. The highlight for me so far was probably being in Hebburn. Since starting comedy I always wanted to try my hand at being in a sitcom too so I was over the moon to do one with my mate and so close to my heart, and I got to work with Vic Reeves.

I know you had a bit of a crazy time with fans wanting pics and autographs when you were having a few drinks in a South Shields bar recently, how are you finding this, does it put you off going out?

- Not at all. Any person in that position who has been on TV or whatever and people want photos (I’m trying my best not to say celebrity here!) who pretends they hate the attention is a liar. You don’t go for a career on TV because you don’t want anyone to notice you. As long as I’m not eating or having a shit when you want a photo then it’s no problem at all… I meant, like on the toilet, not just in the middle of the dancefloor.

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Have you had any weird fan requests or incidents?

- Not really. The odd person will show up to a gig with my face on a T-Shirt, or bake me a cake, or send me a dead animal in the post but other than that it’s just photos and autographs. A little kid in Hebburn when we were filming asked me to sign his micro scooter… that was a bit weird.

As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats you are now starring in the North East based sitcom Hebburn, how did that come about?

- My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decided to write a sitcom about the town he was from, Hebburn, and he actually wrote me a little side part which he named after me. But when it came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the main character, and when I got it, Jason took the part that he’d written for me! It came about so gradually that I didn’t really realise the enormity of being lead role in a BBC2 sitcom until I saw the advert on TV. I nearly passed out.

How has the response for Hebburn been so far?

- Overwhelmingly positive.

And we just won Best Drama at the RTS North awards too. And we’ve got a second series!

You are now embarking on your biggest tour to date, how do you feel about this?

- Yeah incredible! It’s an extension of my last tour, Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates in 2012 but the demand for tickets was so high and people enjoyed the show so much that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much bigger venues. I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

Are there any venues on the tour that you are looking forward to playing or any you’re quite nervous about?

- The Theatre Royal in Newcastle. I absolutely can’t wait. I used to watch panto there when I was a kid. I’m

We l c o m e N o t e .

We l l t h e y s a y i t s b e e n t h e h o t t e s t s u m m e r w e v e h a d s i n c e t h e 7 0 ’s and I have to say this heat is bloody killing me haha, so trying to work on this issue in this heat has been hard w o r k b u t l i ke e v e r y t h i n g e l s e , y o u j u s t h a v e t o g e t o n w i t h i t , s o h e r e ’s a n o t h e r j a m p a c ke d i s s u e fo r y o u a l l to enjoy ;-) As always, if you have something you want to see in a future issue then d o n ’ t fo r g e t t o d r o p u s a n e m a i l t o wayne. groves@neonlinemagazine. com P l u s r e m e m b e r t o fo l l o w u s o n Fa c e b o o k a n d Tw i t t e r fo r o u r r e g u l a r updates on events and competitions.

Till next time Ta ke c a r e Wa y n e

EDITOR & DESIGNER Wayne Groves wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com

The Theatre Royal Newcastle & Newcastle City Hall www.theatreroyal.co.uk/ Ocean Beach Pleasure Park www.oceanbeach.co.uk Quasar Elite South Shields www.quasarsouthshields.co.uk For all queries or if you would like to feature or advertise in NE Magazine email wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com Unless stated otherwise all competition entries should be sent to win@ neonlinemagazine.com Plus you can catch up with us online for news, events, blogs, competitions and more at www.neonlinemagazine.com Follow us on Facebook - www.facebook. com/pages/N-E-Online-Magazine Join us on Twitter @NEOnlineMag1 And Instagram @neonlinemagazine

CONTRIBUTORS Nicholas Dunn NJDunn Photography Peter Mann BSc Inside Mann Media & PR petermann78@hotmail.com SPONSORS Sergeant Clip www.sergeantclip.com Facebook - Sergeant Clip F.ound Digital Website: ino.digital Cineworld Boldon www.cineworld.co.uk

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THIS ISSUE P6 Charlie Pearson P14 Beth Macari P20 Chris Harrison Photography P30 Britain’s Next Bestseller P38 Sofia Barton – Inspiratori Art P52 Cineworld Film Round Up P66 Tyne Idols P74 EGH Radio Festival P80 Empire Records P86 Nethermined 4 P94 Sci-Fair 5

readers?

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Hi Colin, welcome to NE, can

you introduce yourself to our

Hi Charlie, welcome to the pages of NE, will you introduce yourself to our readers who might not know you?

Hello! Thanks for having me, My Name is Charlie Pearson, and I am an Actor/Author from Durham, I am rather infamous in the crime fiction world, which is a good thing, I think! I played DS John Perks on BBC 1’s Inspector George Gently, Dan White in Waterloo Road, Oh and I was killed in casualty, that was a lot of fun!

There are loads of things we could chat with you about, but the main reason you are here is for an upcoming event called Our Writers In The North presents The Naked Word, can you tell us more about that?

So, Our Writers In The North is my Literary baby (My first book to a mere mortal). I loved working on the book and I have always had this big extravagant launch event planned in my mind, but the book is taking too long! So one day I mentioned it to a very lovely group of friends if mine, and they were all very positive about me organizing something, and then Jessica Fairfax and Carol Walker swooped in and closed the deal, giving me the most amazing opportunity to

use ’The Naked Word’ Branding.

They asked if I had a charity in mind, I just had to choose the together forever trust!

You are on hosting duties for this one, is this the first time you have hosted an event?

Something of this sort yes, I’ve done the odd thing here and there but it doesn’t mean this any less terrifying!

So what can people expect from the night?

A good knees up! But in all

seriousness, this is a nice casual, relaxed event. Each author will be doing a reading from one of their books (or maybe more!). But the amazing thing about this is that it will be very intimate, there is no green room full of celebrities hiding, all of the authors will be sat in the bad area with the fans and are more than happy to chat and answer any questions, they don’t bite... Well, at least I don’t think they do!

Why should our readers buy a ticket and attend?

Because this is a once in a lifetime chance to attend an event like this, two amazing franchises coming together for an event like this is unheard of, they can meet their favorite authors and with every ticket you are entered into a draw for a signed books from the guests. All of the worldfamous authors we have coming up for this event have all agreed to do so for nothing, meaning every single penny goes to the Together Forever Trust.

Where can our readers get a ticket from?

Tickets will be available on the night from the venue.

You are also raising money for the Chloe and Liam Together

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park. We have an authors group chat, of the people that are ’our writers in the north’ so I popped a message and within about 5 minutes we had our line up!

Is this a one off event or have you got more events planned for the future, maybe even making this a regular event?

One of I’m afraid, one can hope in the future we could reunite.

But currently, we have no plans for another. However ’The Naked Word’ do run their own Author Events every few months.

Forever Trust on the night, is there a reason you chose this fantastic charity?

Because as you said, it’s fantastic!

They do so much amazing work funding tuition to get young people into the arts and sport, obviously being from an arts background I think this is a fabulous cause. I briefly attended the Performers stage school and

me and Chloe had quite a lot of mutual friends, and honestly, I have loved this charity from day one.

How difficult has it been trying to put this together?

Relatively easy if I’m being honest, we had some venue and copyright problems at first but getting guests was a walk in the

If you could have any author, past or present, at your event who would it be and why?

What a hard question!! It’s like asking a parent who their favourite child is. If I had to choose Id say Peter James, simply because I love his books!

When you are not working on this what else do you get up to?

Currently, I’m working on 4, yes FOUR, projects. I’m working on my crime novel ’The Missing Floor’ while I’m working on ITV’s Vera. And a super secret project with BBC Wales!

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

Erm, thinking of these is extremely hard! I’m really boring, So here goes nothing...

I was once stuck in a lift with Martin Shaw for 45 minutes while on location filming.

I once sailed one of the tall ships for 2 weeks.

I once went clubbing with the Doctor Who Cast and Crew.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you?

Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

T: Pearsonofficial I: Pearsonofficial_ F: Our Writers In The North F: Charlie Pearson Thanks for chatting with us today and we look forward to seeing you at Our Writers In The North presents The Naked Word at The Waterfront on the 23rd August.

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UK tour dates announced for March 2018 including London’s Alexandra Palace New album ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ due via Kobalt Music Recordings this February 9th 2018 Stream new track ‘Lemon To A Knife Fight’ HERE

You can pre-order the album HERE Having just detailed their fourth album ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ for a February 9th 2018 release via Kobalt Music Recordings, The Wombats have announced headline UK tour dates for March 2018, including Lon-

don’s Alexandra Palace.

2017 has already seen the Liverpool-bred trio headline O2 Academy Brixton (which sold-out in

under 24 hours), as well as two sold-out nights at the Sydney Opera House.

Having debuted as Annie Mac’s ‘Hottest Record’ on BBC Radio 1, and premiered online with The Fader, new single ‘Lemon to A Knife Fight’ is available to stream here.

2015’s ‘Glitterbug’ album, that debuted in the Top 5 UK Album Chart and Billboard 100, has received over 200 million digital streams, surpassing even the band’s euphoric hit singles ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’, ‘Moving To New York’ and ‘Kill The Director’, that established them as chart-quashing champions of the noughties guitar pop explosion.

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Set to headline North America this January, and join The PIxies and Weezer through the US in June and July, The Wombats will

play the following headline UK shows through March 2018.

UK Headline Tour Dates *ticketmaster.co.uk March 13 - Belfast - Limelight2 14 - Dublin - Academy 16 - Cardiff - Great Hall 17 - Sheffield - O2 Academy* 19 - Aberdeen - Beach Ballroom 20 - Newcastle - O2 Academy* 21 - Nottingham - Rock City 23 - Birmingham - O2 Institute* 24 - Manchester - Academy 25 - Norwich - UEA 27 - London - Alexandra Palace 28 - Bristol - O2 Academy* 29 - Southampton - O2 Guildhall* CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR THE O2 ACADEMY

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IF THE ANSWER IS YES THEN CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT

ino.digital

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[Macari’s Beat Continues]

It’s been a summer of dreams for the northern star, Beth Macari.

A new single, Clone, making waves on both sides of the Atlantic, and some fantastic outings across festival season and guess what, there’s more to come from the flame-haired Geordie.

So, what has she been up to, and what’s coming up, well the main thing is, there’s to be another

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new single from Macari later on in the year, as she alluded to on Pride World radio last month.

However, as is usually the case with this one, that new single, is in the background, for now at least, she keeping her lips tightly shut, anything else though, and she’ll talk for hours….

“Things are great and I’m loving festival season,” began Beth.

“And I’m so happy that my single

‘Clone’ is out there for the world to hear as well as being really excited to have more new music coming out really soon!

“It’s been a lush year so far!”

The past few months alone has seen appearances on Alan Robson’s iconic Nightowls show on Metro Radio as well as with Sam Dickinson on Pride World, and a cheeky appearance at West Side FM following her recent

three gig jaunt to the nations’ capital, add to that Geordie Moor, The Tall Ships, and her own little headline number at The Cluny 2, it’s more than understandable the beaming smile she wears.

“I’ve absolutely loved the shows I’ve have done so far,” Beth continued.

“The Cluny 2 (with support coming from Talk Like Tigers and Sam Rea) was super intimate which I loved, whereas The Tall Ships and Geordie Moor were on a massive stage where the audience were further back, but I also loved those!

“I’m just so happy to be on the road with my live band!

“I’m now looking forward to and really excited to be performing at Hardwick Live on August 18 th.

“I have my festival make-up ready, and my favourite band, Vintage Trouble, are playing the same day so I am really excited to see them live again.

“I love doing radio interviews as well, mainly because I love to chat and meet new people.

“I don’t think you really can prepare though, a lot of the questions generally asked aren’t massively different, and as I am a ‘people person’ I really enjoy going on them and just talking to people.

“It mostly comes really natural to me if I’m honest (I’ll stump you when I finally get you on my Midweek Crossover show on Nova Radio).”

It most certainly looks like Beth

has the gig side of a musicians life well and truly sewn up doesn’t it?

Putting the same amount of zest and exuberance into her day-today life and vocal coaching 2018 is turning into an amazing year, and with more to come.

“My main focus 9for the rest of the year) is releasing new music,” explains Beth.

“I should have another two singles out by the end of the year which I am so excited about, and I will be on the road with my live band which I LOVE doing, the stage is definitely my happy place!

“And, behind the scenes, I am working on my first album which feels a little scary and wonderful at the same time.”

What’s that, a DEBUT ALBUM in the pipeline for Miss Macari – WOW!! Something special to come indeed…..

Add that to her current single, ‘Clone,’ you’ll know where we’re coming from, but she still won’t let much out about the next one adding: “I can say that it is coming.

“It should be out in midSeptember but I can’t yet reveal the name.

“I can say that, if you enjoyed ‘Clone,’ then I think you will love this.”

Make sure you follow Beth’s Facebook and Twitter @ BethMacari IMAGES BY Photography

Rhiannon

Banks

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It is nearly time for another Screen-Con, the original and biggest North East convention that is ran by fans for the fans, bringing a whole host of guests from your favourite TV shows and Films giving you the chance to meet and chat with them all up close and personal as well lots to see and do both on stage and around the venue.

Screen-Con 2017 will have Hammer Horror and Bond star Martine Beswick and original Star Wars Stormtrooper Laurie Goode taking centre stage appearing, but unfortunately Spencer Wilding is not able to attend the event as he is now going to be filming over in America, but he has posted several messages on the Screen-Con event page apologising to his fans and promising to make it up to them by appearing at a future event.

Good luck Spencer and we will see you at the next one.

Al and Vicki, the people behind Screen-Con, are busy sorting a replacement as I type this so watch

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this space for a big announcement coming your way soon.

NE are always a regular feature at all of the Screen-Con events doing everything from taking photos for the magazine to getting on stage to judge the Cosplay Competitions.

This year we will be there but this time we will have our very own stall where we will be holding the NE Charity Tombola. We have

already taken this to a few of the SciFair events last year and it is always a huge success raising money for some great local charities. We have several boxes of great prizes already with more prizes still to come, with everything from Funko Pop Vinyl Figures to comic books and even sweets. So make sure you come pay us a visit.

Screen-Con is a fun day out for all of the family, with your host Markus Percy bringing you all manner of fun and games along with all of your favourite characters all wondering about and happy to pose with you for those great facebook profile pictures, so you really do not want to miss out, get your tickets HERE.

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Chris Harrison Photography

Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time to chat with us here at NE, it’s taken a while but we’ve finally got you in an issue haha. You are well known around the North East but can you give our readers a little introduction?

I am from near Hull originally but moved to Newcastle in 1983 (just for a couple of years and 35 years later I’m still here)!

I started doing photography about 12 years ago with a few years not really knowing what I wanted to shoot and then I moved towards shooting beautiful women which I have been doing since then. I also used to dip into street photography from time to time but

have been doing that seriously for nearly two years.

You are known for your various styles of photography, be it Grime & Glamour or your award winning Street photography, but how did your journey start?

I was at a staff Christmas party in 2006 (I think) and saw a friend using a digital point and shoot (an old Canon Ixus V). I hadn’t seen a digital camera before and I was completely knocked out by how cool it was, that you could see the photographs you had just taken. I bought that from him a month later and that was the start.

I moved on to a Fuji bridge camera very soon after that and then bought my first ‘real’ camera when I got the Canon 350d with kit lens.

When it comes to your photography what motivates you and drives you on?

I love making images. I love pro-

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cessing them and I love posting them on the web. The motivation is to get better. I am nowhere near as good as I want to be, not by a long shot, and so keep going until I get somewhere near where I want to be.

I am always trying to find new

ideas (not that there is anything ‘new’) like my ‘red’ series or the ‘voyeur’ series I did via Skype.

Something-hopefully-a little different that I enjoy shooting and people enjoy looking at.

The thing I have enjoyed the most recently is actually printing my photographs. Either as prints or in books. When I die most of my images will die with me when my pc gets chucked. This way at least there will be something physical that people can look at and actually hold in their hands.

You don’t have a studio like some photographers, is that a help or a hindrance for you and your style of photography?

I really don’t like studio shooting. To be honest I’m just not very good at it. When I started photographing models I didn’t even think about using a studio and so shooting outside was logical.

It seems an odd thing to say but I feel for my style I can use (and control) natural light way better than I can studio light. The last few times I shot in a studio I generally only used natural light anyway-kind of defeats the object

Photo of Chris taken by Ian Fraser of being there!

hassle.

Your street photography and your Grime & Glamour work are complete opposites from each other style wise, which do you prefer and why?

Well in reality Grime and Glamour doesn’t actually exist now. I stopped using the name early this year as I just didn’t like it anymore.

I know some people still call it “Grime and Glamour style” which is quite cool but it’s just plain ‘Chris Harrison Photography’ now.

I love both styles, but I find street a lot more relaxing and a lot less

You bring a unique look and style to all of your shoots, which makes your work unmistakeable, is this something you’ve worked on or has this just happened as you’ve progressed?

Thank you for saying that. It’s something I have always wanted and it was something I aimed for. I think changing to the Fuji system from Canon about 7 years ago has definitely helped with my creating a ‘distinct’ style and I feel that I shoot in the same way whether I am shooting models or street.

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get the shot. You have to rely on exactly what’s happening at any specific time. It’s certainly more of a challenge as you need to get the image *click* (‘scuse the pun) like that, or it’s gone and you won’t get another chance. It’s a lot more relaxing too as you can take a breather and get a coffee at any time. There is no time limit, no minimum amount of shots to make and you are only thinking of yourself and if you are happy with the results.

With your model stuff it’s all organised photoshoots with a model so you have something in mind or a plan of action, but with the street photography that can’t be planned, so how difficult is it to shoot on the street?

Street photography, for me, is the most ‘real’ style of photography you can do. There are no retakes or asking people to pose a certain way or look a certain way to

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Have you had any problems when you do your street photography?

In two years of shooting street every week I have only had one person ask me why I was taking his photograph. I explained I was doing street photography and I was taking lots of peoples photographs. He accepted that and that was the end of it. I’ve seen other people get responses they wouldn’t have enjoyed and I am sure at some point in the future I will too but so far it’s been pretty easy going.

You recently won an award for your street photography (see below image), can you tell us a bit more about that?

It was a Friday night and I decided to go down the Big market as I knew there would be something going on down there. I was only there 20 minutes but got what I knew was a great shot. Four lovely ladies having a cig break and waiting to go to the next bar. I took

the shot and left... It wasn’t until I got home that I noticed one of the girls looking directly at the camera…made the shot for me.

I entered the image into the http:// mytown.photography/ competition and won it! I knew it was a good shot but the other 5 finalists were incredible too. I was absolutely overjoyed when my name came out as the winner.

How do you go about organising a model shoot, do you approach the models with an idea, do they approach you with an idea?

I tend to get a lot of the models I shoot with from Facebook and Instagram these days. I used to be on a lot of the model/photography sites but left them all some time ago. I shoot a lot less models than I used to and have settled into a routine of only shooting with a select few who I know I can rely on. I’m shooting with one a lot at the moment and hoping to start a ‘project’ with another model who doesn’t actually model anymore!

(I’m trying to talk her into coming out of retirement).

How would someone get involved in one of your model shoots?

Ask me! Right now I am taking a break but I am sure I will go back to it at some point. I am looking for specific looks and ideas but

that depends on the individual models.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get into any kind of photography?

It’s simple really. Get a camera and start making photographs. Doesn’t matter if it’s a digital camera with all the bells and whistles, a film camera, a point and shoot or even a phone. Photography is more open to people now than it has ever been and it’s so much fun. I think there are some people out there using a phone who have way more talent than they realise and prove that it doesn’t matter what you use to make images.

Once you start, then you find your niche, and what you are best at and what you enjoy the most.

When you are not busy taking photos what do you get up to with your free time?

Pretty much nothing! I’m single, I don’t drink, I don’t go to the football anymore. I am an incredibly boring person - haha. I listen to music or watch you tube videos about photography. That’s pretty much it.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

This is the hardest question you have asked! I am pretty open about myself so there isn’t a lot that people don’t know.

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1 - I’m a Motorhead fanatic (they have more songs than ‘Ace of Spades’, you know)?

2 - I absolutely, 100% believe that pineapple belongs on pizza.

3 - I was a condom salesman for a week.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you?

I am on quite a lot of places on the

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web....

Here for my website Here for my books Here for my Instagram Street Here for my Instagram Models (and other stuff) Here for my Street Blog Here for my Model Blog Here for my Photoblog Here for my Facebook Here for my Twitter

Is there anything you would like to say to our readers?

Please check out my images if you get time. If you’re a model who wants to shoot with me then give me a shout.

Keep believing in whatever you believe in, (except flat earthersyou’re just ridiculous) and be good to each other.

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Teesside Publishers riding on the crest of a Wave Good things really do happen by chance, if you doubt that then just ask David and Kelly McCaffrey, the husband and wife owners of Redcar-based book publishers, Britain’s Next Bestseller.

Without that ‘chance’ purchase being bestowed upon them, local authors such as Charlotte Teece (Toxic City), Alan Robson (Walking in the Footsteps), Stephen Sayers (By Any Means Necessary) and Peter Mann (The Interviews & A Trip of a Lifetime), may not have

seen the light of day.

Even further afield, authors such as Ursula Matthews and Lucinda Lamont, Cynthia Austin, Phil Hipside and Leslie Clayden, have seen their works published across the nation by BNBS, proving them to be the go-to place for indie authors.

But how did such an opportunity even come about?

How does a loved-up, family orientated pair of medical professionals become book publishers?

Well, in their case, probably quite easily as it happens. David – an author in his own right – and Kelly, adding the brains and beauty behind the operation, (see last issue for more) have seen the past few years be nothing but an upward surge.

Having already released ‘Hellbound’ under the BNBS banner and with its previous owner, Murielle Maupoint, David had

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nothing but positive things to say about his experience as an author with BNBS. “I’d previously built up a great relationship with Murielle over the eighteen months before the purchase,” explained David.

“Then, in the October of 2016, Murielle confided in me that she was thinking of selling up and there was suddenly an opportunity presented to Kelly and I to purchase BNBS. “Three months later, in the December of 2016, we became the

co-owners; what Kelly, my wife, said to me then was so true as well – we should go ahead and do this as we’d kick ourselves later on if we didn’t.

“So, all of a sudden, and with Muriel staying on behind the scenes as a silent partner – we were nurses, authors, and now company owners, seemingly overnight.”

One of the first books published

by BNBS was that Stephen Sayers’ ‘By Any Means Necessary’, the Newcastle gangland figure having previously released his autobiography, Tried and Tested, and David having come across Tyneside publishers, Mojo Risin,’ at an event on the banks of the Tyne.

Suddenly, there was a way forward and, quite frankly, they’ve not looked back since.

“I was attending the Newcastle Noir in late 2015 when I met Steve Wraith and Stuart Wheatman,” continued David.

“However, months passed, and we just got on with things before I received a call, out of the blue, about putting out Stephen’s new book.

“It was in that time though, within months of buying the publishing company, that we realised how much we really needed to do and understand, as we actually didn’t know a thing when we started out.”

In those early days of purchas-

ing BNBS, David and Kelly took on board, in essence, over sixty authors, across different genres which led to the majority of last year mixing things up, publishing books and learning all about the industry, whilst raising a family and going about their day jobs.

Not an easy task at the best of times.

“We went through so many emotions, on a personal level as well as professionally,” admits David.

“Although it was a steep learning curve, it was something that we needed to do for us and the authors who had been entrusted to us. We spent all of 2017 learning about publishing, managing to publish seven titles, all of which

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we are extremely proud of.”

more grateful, or excited.

Including himself, several authors have had two books published under the BNBS logo including Ericka Waller and Alan Robson as they continue to break boundaries and meld the futures of many an aspiring author/writer from near, and far.

“We learn something new every day and it remains an honour, and privileg, to be working with so many wonderful people and we’ll always aim to do them and Muriell proud. Personally, I owe a lot to Steve Alten, my former writing coach and mentor,

“We’ve met some really lovely people along the way and, along with Murielle, had some great advice from bloggers, authors and publishers alike, especially Bloodhound Books publishing director, Betsy Reavley-Freeman,” David admitted.

but above all, Kelly – she always

“So many opportunities have since presented themselves to us over the past eighteen months, and moving forward, we couldn’t be

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says I’m the face of the company, but she’s definitely its heart and soul.”

Of those authors on the BNBS roster, several are already either award nominees, or winners, meaning that the future is a bright one indeed – and it’s only a matter of time before that bestseller, that number one smash hit, lands on their desk.

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NERG is the biggest retro gaming event in the North East, held at Gateshead Stadium over the course of 2 days, this event is as big as it gets for retro gamers or just the big kids re-living their youth playing the games they used to play, after all, they don’t make them like they used to. 2017 will be the fifth year of NERG and it will be a big one. With 100 video arcade machines, 35 pinball machines and 60 consoles and computers this really is an event you do not want to miss!.

The event is held over the weekend of 1st & 2nd of July.

Entrance is £15 per day or £25 for the full weekend. Children aged 5-13 years can also get in for only £10 on the Sunday.

All the machines are set to free play so once you pay the admission fee, it’s free gaming all day., so no need for those pockets full of change.

CLICK HERE TO TICKETS ONLINE.

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PURCHASE

or you can pay on the day if the event hasn’t sold out.

More details can be found at w w w.northeastretrogaming. com Machines are announced on a regular basis through the social feeds so make sure you keep checking to see what games will

be there, though with so many we are sure your favourites will be there.

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK For Twitter - @NERGOfficial

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NERG is the biggest retro gaming event in the North East, held at Gateshead Stadium over the course of 2 days, this event is as big as it gets for retro gamers or just the big kids reliving their youth playing the games they used to play, after all, they don’t make them like they used to. 2017 will be the fifth year of NERG and it will be

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a big one. With 100 video arcade machines, 35 pinball machines and 60 consoles and computers this really is an event you do not want to miss!.

The event is held over the weekend of 1st & 2nd of July.

Entrance is £15 per day or £25 for the full weekend. Children aged 5-13 years can also get in for only £10 on the Sunday.

All the machines are set to free play so once you pay the admission fee, it’s free gaming all day., so no need for those pockets full of change.

CLICK HERE TO TICKETS ONLINE.

PURCHASE

or you can pay on the day if the event hasn’t sold out.

regular basis through the social feeds so make sure you keep checking to see what games will be there, though with so many we are sure your favourites will be there.

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK For Twitter - @NERGOfficial

More details can be found at www.northeastretrogaming.com Machines are announced on a

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Hi Sofia and welcome to NE, can you give our readers a little introduction?

Hi there, my name is Sofia Barton.

I’m a born and bred Geordie who grew up in the West side of Newcastle. It was only after University in Edinburgh, that I moved back and got married to my best friend to move to the beautiful coast.

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You are the artist behind INSPIRATORI ART, can you tell us more about that and how you got started?

I started off painting when I was in my low moods during postnatal depression. It really helped alleviate everything and was my form of therapy at the time. I hadn’t actually drawn anything since I was 19 and went into photography instead. It was a massive turning point and I’m glad the Prince’s Trust supported me so much. They gave me a small grant to get started and a fantastic mentor called Lee Gilbert, who gives great advice. I would fully recommend them to any young people out there as they are so friendly and helpful.

asleep at the moment. It’s a challenge trying to get everything done on the evening but I see so many successful women and mothers give their businesses a go that it’s not hard being inspired through the likes of Instagram.

Is this a full time career for you or something that you do alongside work/family?

I only draw when my toddlers

You are becoming a well-known artist around the North East and the UK with your work for sale and featured in Exhibitions, how

does it feel to see your work hanging on the walls in galleries and on sale in shops?

It’s still a shock when I see my work in shops to be honest; I didn’t think I would be in that position when I started out. It’s definitely been a journey of selfdiscovery and building confidence through the amazing community we have here in the North East.

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Apart from having amazing art work, how did you end up getting your work in exhibitions all over the UK, were you asked, did you approach them, tell us a bit more about how this all came about?

My mentor initially got me to approach some places and told me not to give up. I think it’s important having those people in your life who encourage you to grow.

I asked some brazenly on social media and for Nasty Women UK I applied through a site called curator.com. It’s a good idea to try and categorise your work, write down what it means to you, before you apply for any exhibitions.

When people think of Art the first thing that comes to mind is an expensive price tag, but your aim is different to those who are out to sell a painting for crazy money, tell us more about your vision for your art and why you feel it is important to you?

I remember all too well being poor as a child but also loving art.

I went to a school called Dame Allan’s but was frequently alienated as the poor kid. My parents selected the school, and I went there on an assisted place from the government. It meant however, I

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was often unable to afford lunch and would read instead in the library. When I was old enough, the art room was my favourite hide out, I would read about paintings in galleries. I was often reminded of austerity and wanted art to be accessible to everyone.

You have a very colourful and

bold style, is this something you have worked on to get a specific look or is it just natural for you to paint in this way?

I’ve always been influenced by Eastern culture and bright colours.

I feel it would have been different if I hadn’t been saturated in Indian culture, with bold textiles and often rich pigments. My favourite

festival was Holi - where coloured dye is thrown onto people in the streets. I often made rainbow rice for my biryani dinners for friends and even dyed my hair pink by the time I was 16.

You have a mix of work, from pictures of animals to North East landmarks and even some sci-fi and fantasy mixed in. Is there anything in particular that you like to paint or do you just go with where your mood takes you at the time?

I’m so heavily influenced by Geeky culture. I grew up reading

H.G.Wells, Harry Potter, Marvel Comics and I played video games all the time. Hence trading at SunnyCon 2018 and 2019. I also love the vibrant North East Culture and I am very influenced by the beauty we have here. Living 5 minutes away from the Rising Sun and a short drive from Whitley Bay/ the coast makes me feel extremely lucky.

If I see something I’ll go sketch it, it’s purely coincidental with what mood I’m in.

Who would you say is the artist that you admire the most or who has inspired you the most?

I would say I’m more musically led to create, David Bowie, Deftones and the Pixies being the most inspirational.

However there are works from people such as Katharina Cibulka mounted on massive walls like ‘AS LONG AS THE ART MARKET IS A BOYS’ CLUB, I WILL BE A FEMINIST.’ As part of her ongoing public art project ‘Solange’, the Austrian artist Katharina

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Cibulka has turned her attention to her alma mater, the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

Cibulka has taken over the facade of the art school with a monumental embroidered message.

In a list of the top 100 most expensive works of art ever, the only woman, Georgia O’Keeff barely makes it in at number 100 and while female students make up to 75% of art graduates, they only make up around 25% of artists with gallery representation. We have a long way to go hence why works like this one are so important.

What advice would you give to anyone interested in becoming an artist?

Just do it. Throw yourself into it.

Draw and paint what you love.

I talk to so many young people at the market who want to start.... honestly just go for it. You have nothing to lose. Just have fun.

Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

I am a sushi monster.

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I have hashimotos disease.

I know five languages.

When you are not hard at work what do you like to get up to in your free time?

I’m pretty much a full time mum at the moment, but I love travelling and swimming. I love going to local events. You may see me out and about cosplaying at a geeky event or events such as the Sea Shepard’s Beach Clean up.

What does the future hold, what are your plans?

I hope to keep creating art whatever I do. I think of it as breathing so I won’t be stopping.

to add?

I think that’s all for now :) Thanks for taking the time to chat with us.

Is there anything you would like

Where can people follow you and see your work?

You can follow me on Instagram, Etsy or Facebook. I’m starting a blog soon too detailing how I do each piece with videos on Twitch :) Is it just the images on your website for sale or do you do any commission work?

I offer commission work mainly for portraits such as weddings.

These range from £80 to over and come with concept sketches

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We have double the fun now as we have teamed up with Cineworld Boldon and the new Cineworld Dalton Park to give you a quick run down on a few films that are coming soon and really have got us excited.

Plus make sure you check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with their daily competitions and updates. Boldon and Dalton Park

Christopher Robin Release date: 17 August 2018 Disney’s CHRISTOPHER ROBIN is directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder and a story by Perry based on characters created by A.A. Milne. The producers are Brigham Taylor and Kristin Burr with Renee Wolfe and Jeremy Johns serving as executive producers. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin; Hayley Atwell as his wife Evelyn; Bronte Carmichael as his daughter Madeline; and Mark Gatiss as Keith Winslow, Robin’s boss. The film also features the voices of: Jim Cummings

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as Winnie the Pooh; Chris O’Dowd as Tigger; Brad Garrett as Eeyore; Toby Jones as Owl; Nick Mohammed as Piglet; Peter Capaldi as Rabbit; and Sophie Okonedo as Kanga.

Cast: Brad Garrett, Chris O’Dowd, Ewan McGregor,

Hayley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Mark Gatiss, Nick Mohammed, Peter Capaldi, Sophie Okonedo, Toby Jones Director: Marc Forster CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

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The Predator Release date: 12 September 2018 From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black’s explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger,

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smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Alfie Allen, Jane Thomas, Augusto Aguilera, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski Director: Shane Black CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

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Venom Release date: 5 October 2018 One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes

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to the big screen, starring Academy Award nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott

Haze, Reid Scott Director: Ruben Fleischer CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

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Johnny English Strikes Again Release date: 12 October 2018 JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN is the third installment of the Johnny English comedy series, with Rowan Atkinson returning as the much loved accidental secret agent.

The new adventure begins

when a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all active undercover agents in Britain, leaving Johnny English as the secret service’s last hope.

Called out of retirement, English dives head first into action with the mission to find the mastermind hacker.

As a man with few skills and analogue methods, Johnny English must overcome

the challenges of modern technology to make this mission a success.

Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Emma Thompson, Jake Lacy Director: David Kerr CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

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Unlimited Card Love Cinema. Join the club - £17.90 a month. You will receive...

Preferential Discounts Unlimited members get 10% off all food and drink bought in-cinema at any time of day, every day!* Plus, you’ll also receive discounts for all nonfilm screenings such as Live Opera in HD, Live National Theatre, Live sport in 3D and live gigs etc. (All discounts subject to terms) Get access to Exclusive advance screenings

As an Unlimited member, you can be among the first to see great movies at our special screenings. Just keep an eye on our Unlimited newsletter for your invitation.

Discounted Meals & Shopping Unlimited members benefit from exclusive deals set up by their local cinema*. These offers vary from cinema to cinema, but are a great way to save pennies. (All deals are subject to terms) *Until further notice

Watch as many films as you like Are you mad about movies?

Feed your fascination by watching as many films as you like at Cineworld every month from just £17.90.

There’s literally no limit to the number of times you can visit!

Apply for your card now at www.unlimitedcineworld. com/uk/pages/apply. aspx?step=1 using promo code RAF-63KG-29XM-00SB31WU.

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STEPNEY Tyres

new premises Unit 4, maurice road ind est Newcastle upon Tyne, Ne28 6by

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The Beatles had the right idea when they said “Roll up,That’s an invitation, Roll up for the Mystery Tour, Roll up To make a reservation, Roll up for the Mystery Tour, The Magical Mystery Tour Is waiting to take you away”. Now the good news is you don’t have to go all the way to Liverpool for a Magical Mystery Tour because we actually have our very own North East version ran by Tyne Idols!

That’s right folks, Tyne Idols run a series of themed tours all around the North East and they are magical indeed! In fact I recently went on the Music and

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Movies tour with my 14 year old daughter, who like myself, loves her music, in fact she is a big Lindisfarne fan so this was ideal for her as she got to meet Ray Laidlaw as he was our tour guide. I have to say, we were not disappointed at all, in fact we both had so much fun and learnt loads about our amazing region and the talent that has come from it.

Now I won’t spoil it for anyone by giving the tour details away but what I can say is this tour really is for any age. Not only where the staff all brilliant and friendly from start to finish,

but they are passionate about what they do and that really shows in their tours. You can’t mistake the tour bus as it pulls up, after all this yellow double decker Leyland Atlanean used to be a common sight around our towns and cities a few years ago, though now replaced by the modern versions, but don’t let the old school bus put you off as it really adds to the tour bringing with it a nostalgia of its own that really sets the tone of the tour at the start. The tour itself is really relaxed and you are encouraged to bring drinks and snacks with you and to just enjoy it all.

Ray is funny and very knowledgeable as he tells you lots of facts and stories as you go past places that you may or may not realise hold so much importance to the regions culture and history, places you may even pass every day without even realising how much of an impact they have had, some of them really shocked me. But it is great hearing the stories that

are not common knowledge, it really does add to the night. He even brought a special guest on our tour, musician Marty Craggs, who was himself brilliant, it was great listening to them chat and tell stories.

Our tour was 3 hours long, but don’t worry as you are not stuck on the bus the whole time, we had 2 stops on our tour. One of which was a behind the scenes look at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal, a place I’ve been to many times with my daughter, but to see it from the stage looking out really was breath-taking, plus getting to hear stories about the history of the theatre and about shows that have been there was brilliant, you really get to see it from different perspective which makes you appreciate the work that goes into a show that you watch as a customer.

during the day or you can find something a bit livelier in one of the 2 rooms on a night time as they host a variety of live music, from your local up and coming singers and bands to those famous ones that already top the charts. We got a chance to chat more with Ray on this stop and him and Marty were only too happy to sign my daughters records that she brought with her and they asked if we wanted to have some pictures taken in front of the bus, which was

Our second stop on the tour was at The Cluny, which is itself an iconic Newcastle music venue and bar that you will find at 36 Lime St, Ouseburn. The bar is great if you want to pop down for a quiet drink or some food

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brilliant and really made her day.

We also bought a few bits from the gift section on the bus, Lainie got some signed drumsticks to add to her collection.

The Music and Movies tour is just one of the many tours they run during the year, others include tours with Simon Donald (Him from The Viz), Magician Chris Cross, Radio host and comedian Steffen Peddie, plus the Coastal Heroes Tour and even the Big Tyne Idols Xmas Party 2018 with Marty Craggs, so you really are spoilt for choice, though no tour is ever the same so you could

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easy attend the same one at a different date and you wouldn’t be disappointed, in fact several people on my tour had said they had been on multiple tours and always had a great time. Having experienced it for ourselves I know for a fact this is not the last Tyne Idols Tour me and my daughter will be going on, so take my advice and book up for yourself or maybe get a group of you on one, you can thank me after.

To find out more you can visit the website HERE or find them on Facebook HERE and on Twitter HERE.

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Probably the toughest edition we’ve produced yet - but when you strive for the stars, you have to climb those stairs Savour: Issue 7 is finally here with a complete NEW REDESIGN. Celeb chefs, The Artisans, recipes, top restaurants, the best hotel stays and lots of local talent too.

Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay, James Martin, Savour: The Cook Off (where we’ve challenged four chefs to cook dishes using sustainable food) and, of course, THE GIN EDIT. Well, it wouldn’t be my little (it’s becoming a monster!) magazine if I didn’t include my favourite things would it?

Nothing short of blood, sweat and tears has been put into this one. Massive thanks to all involved. I couldn’t do it without you. Y’all know who you are.

Georga Spottiswood

CLICK HERE TO GET ISSUE 7

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EGH ready to rock their maiden Festival

record label at one point – and yes, they have day jobs as well!

We hope the date is in your diary, if not then get it pencilled in – August 18 at The Cluny 2 is the place to be.

Beginning at noon the inaugural festival sees a plethora of artists from the region, across the UK, even one from the USA, take to The Cluny stage with Nikki Tyler opening proceedings – Nikki runs the EGH Pop show; then there’s the likes of Peesh Logoz, League of Souls, those Bitter Enemies guys, The Clarions, Anchor Detail and Panda Lasagne before the break, then the evening kicks off with Apollo Junction followed by Floodhounds, Red Light Revival, Erica, and headlined by Durham rockers, Twister.

Hosted by husband-and-wife duo, Stephen and Anne Lambert (or Lord and Lady Lambert to us mere mortals, oooooooooo) their station has gained a global, cult following over the years, including occasional delves into management, currently looking after Bitter Enemies.

They’ve even pushed their own

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Speaking to Lord and Lady Lambert they said of their first festival: “It’s really a party to bring together all our great artists that we have supported and who support us back.

“We didn’t want the pressure of having to sell tickets and be on the door so we are paying for the venue & sound guy ourselves and basically just asked anyone who would like to be a part of it to get in touch.

“We made it clear that we could not pay anyone but we still had loads more applications than we could possibly play on the night.

“We are a self-funding online radio station promoting unsigned artists.

“We have full time jobs to pay the bills and all our EGH Radio promotion is conducted in our spare time.”

That second-to-last point couldn’t be more true when you see not only the varied talents on show, but the appearance of Anchor Detail, from Charlotte, North Caroline, somewhere perhaps more known for giving the world the Flair’s, WWE Diva Charlotte Flair and her iconic father, the Nature Boy himself, Ric Flair – woooooo.

Having released Tiki Dreams back in 2015 the quartet earlier this year added Enabler to their back catalogue and the postpunk/rock band will bring their enigmatic style to Northern England for the first time.

Consisting of Jeff Tatu (vocals), Travis Brown (guitars), Seth Telles (bass) and Christian Loebs (drums) the American quartet are a band very much liked by the Lambert’s and their

listeners, they adding: “The band coming from America are very appreciative of the airplay we give them and it is their dream to come to the UK to play live.

“We would love to be part of their dream.”

But what of the other artists on show, after all there’s a dozen in total so, in order of appearance, here they are:-

Niki Tyler – host of the Unsigned Pop Show on EGH every Tuesday night, Niki is an artist in her own right as well. Having been there and done it all, whether in a band, or as a solo artist and her eleven track debut album, entitled All This Time, is available via her website and iTunes.

Peesh Logoz – poetic punk rock from the north-east, it’s unclear which version will appear come showtime; infectious, upbeat duo of Peesh (vocals) and Carlos (drums) will look to add their own brand of specialism to the event.

League of Souls – an original trio from Teesside, League of Souls consist of Gill, Mick and Paul having previously been more, this threesome will look to blow your mind, and maybe take your rock soul with them for added measure.

Bitter Enemies – original band members, Richie Hutchinson and Max Kreetcha bring Bitter Enemies to the forefront, the five-piece alt-rock band of Tyneside misfits are recording new material ready to unleash

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upon the masses. Their debut EP, Newborn, was released in 2016 and contains five tracks.

The Clarions – fronted by the lovely Claire Delamore this upand-coming band have recently added a new guitarist to move from a talented trio, to an unknown quartet; alongside Claire is that of Scott Gartshore and new addition Michael Kelly (guitars) and Adam Clarke (drums) and their sound is well worth a listen, just like their EP, Could Rise featuring the stunning track, What Then.

Panda Lasagne – they’re from Whitby, aye, the seaside, and class themselves as being; “Every mothers favourite punk rock dish. Best served cold, do not reheat” now that’s a description and a half…

The trio consists of James Forster (vocals/guitar), Lee Marchment (bass) and Sean Danby (drums) and released they stunningly named EP’s Fridgehead, and Three Choc Ices Please – we’ll let you pass judgement there…

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Apollo Junction – indie pop, electro dance, and all that’s in between, this Yorkshire fivepiece bring it all. Originally schoolmates, Leeds’ finest of Jamie, Matt, Ben, Jonathan and Sam can count airplay on BBC Radio 6, BBC Introducing, BBC Radio 2 amongst their bulging resume, the latter of which had Graham Norton enthusing, saying: ”These guys are very handsome and their music is tremendous,” oh, and they’ve featured on MTV. Floodhounds – an indie trio right out of the steel city; fastpaced, dynamic, with a sliver of blues rocking throughout, they consist of Jack Flynn (vocals/ guitar), Joel Hughes (bass), and Lauren Greaves (vocals/drums).

A perfect statement of the band comes from Exposed Magazine who said: “The frontman’s riffing mastery of a single guitar introduces hints of genius, whilst tracks such as ‘Cold Air’ and ‘The Fear’ possess basslines that Nick O’Malley would pay bottom dollar for. And it’s about time we had another female drummer on the scene.”

Red Light Revival – these are a Yorkshire trio with very much an Anglo-American influence to their no-nonsense style. A fivepiece, led by singer Matt and lead guitarist, Jon, there’s also the presence of Ben (keys), Phil (bass) and Charlie (drums); with a self-titled debut album added to by two further offerings of Caustic Soul Protection and Infinite Twin, this band will rock the soles of shoes and have you wanting more.

Appearing at the upcoming festival RLR said: “We are all very excited and very proud to have been invited to play the festival.

“EGH Radio has been an integral part of the promotion and development of Red Light Revival.

“Their radio show and live chatroom provides bands with a unique opportunity to enjoy and discuss the music produced by their peers.

“As a band we are privileged to have made some great friends from all over the world.

“Stephen and Anne work tirelessly to promote unsigned music, playing their festival is an honour.”

Erica – Gloucester-based trio, Erica are made up of Dalton Woodward (vocals/guitar), Jason Burger (bass) and Will Hall (drums) with a popularity enhanced by alt rock riffs, impressive vocals and their own, individual sounds. Aiming for a new direction the trio are currently working on a new album, with three very progressive singles for added measure.

Erica said of their appearance that: “We are looking forward to supporting EGH at the inaugural festival, allowing us to give something back to Stephen and Anne.

“They have been fantastic supporters of us over the last couple of years and we’re looking forward to playing with the other excellent bands on the line up.”

Twister – a vastly experienced quartet formed by vocalist, Stevie Stoker over a decade ago; now flanked by Jake Grimes, Ryan Lee and drummer Joe Major, the pop-rockers have headlined the O2 Academy on several occasions in recent years, travelled the length and breadth of the country, played Germany, oh and have just done the Lindos Rock Festival in Rhodes, Greece – their albums and entire back catalogue is well worth a listen.

With Anne running her Rock Show every Monday night from 9-10:30pm, and Stephen with his Unsigned Madness for added measure on a Wednesday night from 7-9pm, and with a chat room to boot, the impending festival could be the start of something special.

“This year is a first for us, a party bringing all our EGH supporters together,” added the Lambert’s.

beneficial to all involved so let’s see what happens on the 18th.”

A FREE ENTRY EVENT the inaugural EGH Festival takes places at The Cluny 2 on Saturday August 18 from noon until late, twelve acts, one radio show, an event to remember oooooooooo…..

“Any future events though will obviously have to be financially

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twenty somethings I started collecting britpop and indie but over the last 10 years my taste has certainly expanded - you’re more likely to find me digging through the jazz section these days!

Hi Chris, it’s great to feature you in NE, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m Chris from Gateshead and I’m the owner of Empire Records Newcastle.

You run Empire Records in Newcastle’s historic Grainger Market, can you tell us more about it?

You can find Empire records on Alley 2 of the Grainger Markey and we’re here Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm.

What made you first want to start up Empire Records, especially as

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vinyl wasn’t always as popular as it is now?

Empire Records was born out of the ashes of my previous business Long Play Cafe which was Newcastle’s first Record Store cafe. We’ve come a long way in 3 years, but I decided to sell the cafe and concentrate on the records, which is my real passion My passion for records stretches back to my uni days when i would dig around RPM and Beatdown. Like most young

Vinyl has seen a massive comeback in the last few years, why do you think that is?

We’ve seen a dramatic change in the public’s attitude to records over the last 10 years, I think this is ultimately down to the superior quality and theatre you get with vinyl, which you simply can’t recreate on digital formats.

Because vinyl is becoming popular again a lot of places are selling it again, even the likes of supermarkets are trying to cash in, how has that affected you?

Now that supermarkets have started selling records I don’t think it affects us that much, if anything it perhaps increases exposure of the format and maybe makes it more accessible.

I think really our biggest threat is Amazon and HMV.

What genre of music do you sell or is it literally anything on vinyl?

At Empire Records we specialise mainly in 60s/70s classic rock Beatles, Sabbath, Stones, Pink Floyd etc. As a second hand record seller I see myself as more an antique dealer. We buy, sell and trade collections and will always look to offer a fair price for those looking to sell there unwanted records.

When it comes to music, especially vinyl and being a collector, as I know you are one, there has to be that holy grail of records you really want to own, so what is your holy grail and have you found it yet or are you still searching?

For me there isn’t the one holy grail I look for but I do collect Bowie and Prince originals but they must be in near mint condition which can be difficult to find.

When you are not working in Empire Records what do you like to do with your spare time?

When I’m not at Empire you’re more likely to find me at my local boxing club, although I perhaps left it too late to make it pro!

Where can people follow Empire Records and keep up to date with news and offers?

You can keep up to date with Empire Records on Facebook and Instagram.

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK CLICK HERE FOR INSTAGRAM

Is there anything you would like to add?

We are helping to organise a Vinyl Market at the Tyne Bank Brewery at the end of this month

top slices!

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us and we wish you luck for the future

VINYL MARKET @ TYNE BANK BREWERY SATURDAY 25th AUGUST 12pm – Late FREE Entry and Child & Dog Friendly What better way to spend a Bank Holiday Saturday than with records, beer, DJs & street food!?

The Tap Room will be once more filled with sweet sweet music.

Stalls will occupy the room with an awesome variety of styles and genres and a selection of DJs will be spinning tracks from 4pm until midnight. Providing food throughout the day, we have our good friends at The Tower Cafe who will be with us serving up

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EVER EVER WANTED WANTED TO TO LEARN LEARN TO TO PLAY PLAY THE THE DRUMS? DRUMS?

www.rossgardnerdrums.com

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Nethermined is back!!!

If you have never been to Nethermined before then you are in for a real treat! This family friendly event is the biggest of its kind to come to the North East, featuring a mix of entertainment, stalls, Minecraft activities and the chance to

meet some of the biggest Youtubers in the UK. It’s safe to say every time Nethermined returns it always comes back even bigger than the last event and this one is no exception.

Last year’s event was a resounding success with both kids and parents

alike. The on stage tournaments were a huge hit as were the Youtubers , but this year’s event sees the introduction of extra Minecraft components as well as the popular game Fortnite. If you don’t know what Fortnite is, it’s one of the biggest online games going and is even responsible for bringing

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back flossing and turning it into a dance craze, it’s just one of the various dance moves from the game that have found their way onto playgrounds all over the UK and we are sure you will see plenty of these from people attending Nethermined ;-)

Park Hotel in Tynemouth with a whole host of new activities for both Minecraft and Fortnite mad kids. There are live shows, tournaments, free play, Youtubers, Minecraft Mentors, VR as well as a parents zone, FIFA and much more!

This year Nethermined 4 is back on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th August at the newly refurbished

You can also gain early access with the new VIP tickets which will get you in an hour before everyone

else so you can beat the queues to meet the youtubers, play on the games first or even get a head start on the Minecraft Tournaments.

For more information on the event and to buy tickets please visit the website www.nethermined.com

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Does Your Business Need Fire Curtains?

Fire safety has been brought to the fore this year. It has always been important, but business owners and landlords are now taking it a lot more seriously.

Beyond the risk to life, there is also a huge risk to property that can completely ruin a business – even if the business is well insured.

There are lots of ways to protect your workplace from fires; fire curtains are one of the lesserknown fire-safety features, yet they are extremely effective, so this brief article looks at how fire curtains work and the kinds of business that could benefit from installing them.

High-quality fire curtains have

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saved many lives by impeding the spread of fire. They are usually made from extremely flame-retardant materials that can prevent the spread of fire for at least two hours. They are installed close to areas that have a higher-than-normal risk of fire, such as factories, shops with a lot of flammable fuel (such as books or clothes), and any workplace with a lot of electrical equipment.

If you are unsure whether or not your business needs fire curtains, ask yourself if there are sources of ignition (electricity, heat, naked flames) and if there is enough fuel to help the fire spread quickly.

Fire curtains are fitted to an automatic system that

activates when local firewarning systems are set off.

Once activated, fire curtains can either close immediately or be set on a delayed timer. You can integrate this function into your workplace’s current automated fire alarm system.

If you want to go a step beyond fire curtains, you can invest in fire shutters, which have a soldered link design that melts when exposed to a fire, making an extremely fire-resistant barrier.

Local Sunderland-based company K & D Systems (www. kanddsystems.com) is a fire curtain specialist with a 3-day turnaround on fire curtain installations and a proven track record. Contact their Newcastle branch on 0191 204 9070 if you’d like to learn more.

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We’ve interviewed Keith from Scifair way back in 2014. After 6 long years Scifair has decided to take a break from events for a while to see how best to fit into the current convention and event arena. It’s been the birthplace of many local dealers selling cool sci-fi, fantasy and gaming products, including Pokepals, SR4orce Collectables, Super Geek Stuff and more. Their last event for the moment will be held at Stephenson’s Railway Museum on the August bank holiday Monday, 27th August.

Six years is a long time running events, how did it all start?

We’ve been to many arts and craft events and even helped run some scifi events (on tech crew) in the past including a few Wolf Events, Neutral Zones, Woodhorn Invasion and we wanted to create a scifi based craft fair style event which was on throughout the year in various locations. We didn’t want them to be cons as such, no major

TV or film guests as that would have added a lot more financial risk and we wouldn’t have been able to run as many events if that was the case. We also didn’t want to charge people on the door as that money could easily be spent with the dealers. For the dealers we also wanted to

keep table fees very reasonable.

So it was free, frequent and in an easily accessible and popular venue.

When did you hold your first event?

We held our first event at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens on the August bank holiday weekend in 2012.

This was actually two years after we organised the now popular and very nearly award winning (finalist in the Best Event Northumberland Journal Culture Awards 2018) Woodhorn Invasion.

We packed the now library rooms with dealers and Daleks and had great fun. We then expanded to gain a few more venues including South Shields museum (running twice a year) and the Seaburn

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Centre (multiple times a year).

How did it expand?

My initial idea based on what we did at Woodhorn, was to bring people into museums and other public spaces to visit the Scifair and, if they’ve never looked around the venue, they may as well do that too. South Shields museum event on most days gained 1300 people coming through the museum and seeing the stalls.

We did have a few rainy days so we tried to run the events, particularly on the seaside location Seaburn during summer months. That way visitors to Seaburn passing the Seaburn centre popped in to see Scifair as well as visit the arcades next door and build a few sandcastles.

We also run Galactic Invasions in Hebburn for a few years until the venue was closed down.

We’ve seen the cosplay scene become mainstream during our time with Scifair. When we started it was all about having

official costumers for photo ops, but two or three years in a few visitors started attending in cosplay and then a few more, and a few more, until it became a cosplay event as well as a collectors fair.

As well as trading you’ve also helped raise money for charity, can you tell us about that?

We are not big event so Scifair

hasn’t been our main source of income. Scifair itself is part of a larger organisation which we started to be an umbrella company for our other ideas and ventures including events and media productions. Screwball Media is our umbrella and not the one that distributes viruses and turns people into zombies, thankfully.

Any good memories?

We always have fun at the events, so we’ve got loads of great memories. Over the years we’ve met various people who always come back to our events day in and day out no matter where the venue is and we always love to see them. In a lot of cases we’ve known their interests and have pointed out what we’ve got at the Scifairs that might interest them.

Our dealers are always fun to be with and we all get on well together. Fun memories include one of our visitors and friend, who shall remain nameless getting stuck in a Dalek on our first event. One of our visitors,

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Bruce Viney who is sadly no longer with us, used to use his 3D camera to film the event and post up on Facebook for us to see. As Pokemon Go became more prevalent our Seaburn venue became a hot spot for Pokemon gyms.

There have also been lots of great costumers and cosplayers at the events over the years from Daleks, Stormtroopers, Terminators, mini Deadpool, our favourite Judges, Five Nights at Freddy, a certain White Rabbit, Ewoks, Klingons, Anime characters, Knights and loads more, including the now sadly departed Brian Dale whose War Doctor was region famous. It’s been great.

Any favourite dealers?

Ooh, we don’t have favourites!

We love all our dealers equally.

If it wasn’t for them coming back again and again, we wouldn’t have an event. It’s always felt like a fun family atmosphere with the dealers always having some fun between each other.

We’ve always bought stuff off each other in a lot of cases.

We certainly appreciate those that have been here from the beginning and it’s always great to see them at other events.

Where next?

We still have our Stephenson’s Railway event on the 27th August and we’d love to see as many of our old dealers and visitors as possible for a little celebration. There will be trains, so Scifi and a ride on a train has to be a great day.

However, we will now be taking a bit of a rest to regroup and refocus. Now that our kids are getting older this will give us more scope. Scifair will still have a presence at our Woodhorn

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Invasion event run every July in Ashington. Next year that will be 10 years old, eek. So the name will stick around and we’ll still be updating our Facebook page regularly. It’s not over for our Scifair events, it’s just a midseason finale.

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When you think of Bare Knuckle Boxing I’m sure most people will think of travellers fighting in car parks or some of the call out videos, both of which you often see popping up on youtube and facebook. What people don’t realise is that over the last few years a company called UBBAD have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring BKB out of the shadows and into the mainstream.

fight defeating Cowboys Michael who was undefeated in 200 BKB fights. There have been a few occasions where Terrill was due to face current UBBAD Champion Michael “The Real Deal” Ferry on other promotions but it has yet to happen, hopefully now that they are both signed to UBBAD there’s nowhere to hide and this eagerly awaited fight won’t be far away. It will be a fan favourite fight when it happens seeing as Ferry’s fans think there is no competition left for him to face, whilst Terril’s fans think Ferry is ducking Terril because he knows that he will lose his title and has been avoiding the hard fights to keep it. With this kind of talk there can only be one outcome and that is for the fight to take place, which will be great news for neutral BKB fans.

They already have some top level fighters on their books, but in recent months they really have pulled out all of the stops with signings like North East fighter Michael Terrill, who is a Champion Kickboxer and who this year won his first ever Bare Knuckle

Another of the big name signing is former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard who is a well-known striker and a massive household name to be added to the UBBAD roster.

He will be taking on the winner of the upcoming Jimmy Sweeney and Dann Henry-Welsh fight. Sweeney

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