The Swell Season – featuring Academy Award winners Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, known for their breakout roles in the film ‘Once’ – are coming to The Glasshouse in Gateshead this May to weave their folky spell. I love ‘Once’. Scratch that. I adore…

Cult Japanese singer/songwriter Kaneko Ayano is coming to Cluny 2 in Newcastle this May and bringing her lauded band with her. Gonna be good! First up: Kaneko Ayano is the woman pictured, laughing at the world in all its absurdities. But kanekoayano (o…

The wondrous Jadu Heart are bringing their sumptuously eclectic sound to The Grove in Newcastle on 6 June. Jadu Heart are playing Newcastle on D-Day; and, in their case, that D might very well sound for dreamy. The duo, comprised of Diva Jeffrey and A…

The awesome Gimp Fist will be bringing the tunes and the fury when they visit The Georgian Theatre in Stockton this early June. I remember first catching Gimp Fist – ooh, maybe over a decade ago – at a punk festival. They weren’t among the headliners –…

Norwich’s Floral Image are at the vanguard of the very delectable new psych movement sweeping the UK at the moment (ok, half-sweeping), and they’ll be pushing all my buttons at Zerox in Newcastle this May. I’ve been eagerly feasting on Floral Image’s e…

Sharp tongued and instrumentally bright, Grace Petrie is wooing the nation all over again. Disillusioned with the long-standing reign of right-wing politics and remarkably talented in the lyrics department, Grace Petrie is loved across the nation and ha…

Cobalt Studios are hosting a gorgeous celebration of musical influence from across the globe this May with Mina & Bryte (pictured) + Azula Bandit. Cobalt Studios never fail to find a bit of something for everyone, and this melting pot of multicultural i…

Sunderland has recently been termed a ‘music city’ and making good on all that that entails are artists like Isabel Maria, who is pushing pop music into some very exciting places. Isabel Maria was a recent recipient of The Crack’s ‘Single of the Month’…

Is this young fellow the next huge breakout star to emerge from the north-east? After listening to his second album – released in May – I’m saying “YES!” Andrew Cushin is doing well. Better than well. I mean, he’s already played a sold-out gig at the C…

The Glasshouse is hosting a rare appearance from folk supergroup Spell Songs this May as they present the musical evolution of the iconic ‘The Lost Words’ and ‘The Lost Spells’ books by acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane and award-winning artist Jackie Mo…

Jumpin’ Hot Club’s annual jamboree of roots-driven music – the ‘Jumpin’ Hot Country Cantina’ – is coming to County Durham again in early June. The Jumpin’ Hot Country Cantina is at the very top of any “Must Attend Festivals” lists, particularly among …

Sacred Paws make hopped-up indie-pop that is good for your head, heart and gyrating hips. Watch them kick up a right old fuss when they play Newcastle this May. Glasgow post-punks Ray Aggs and Eilidh Rodgers hit the ground running when they released ‘S…

The uproarious force of nature that is Panic Shack is crash-landing in Newcastle this May for a right royal knees. If Ken Loach had moved into performing fizz-bomb-fuelled punk rock, instead of directing films that spoke of economic and social deprivat…

It’s amazing how many people, on hearing I was going to see The Flying Dutchman, gave the same response – “At least that’s one of Wagner’s shorter operas.” Yup, it may not go to the same bladder-testing lengths as The Ring Cycle, but its taut three-act…

I know it’s a cliché to say this sort of thing, but it REALLY doesn’t seem possible that Matthew Bourne’s innovative re-imagining of that perennial favourite Swan Lake had its premiere thirty years ago. The buzz at the time considered whether it might all…

Tchaikovsky’s 1892 Nutcracker Suite must provide the most gloriously inconsequential excuse for a ballet ever, offering quite literally a sumptuous feast of sugar plums that still delights sweet-toothed audiences today. It’s also a fabulous excuse for co…

Shockingly, despite having lived in Newcastle for 5 and a half years, this was my first ever gig at The Cluny. It definitely won’t be my last, as I was genuinely taken aback by how lovely the atmosphere is there. I could tell most of the crowd was made up…

Brace yourself! JustKing Jones’ latest tour – the GENESIS Tour – sees him offering punters more than a concert. He’s offering punters nothing less than a transformative journey of sound, spirit and connection. Oh, yes! Jump aboard when he comes to Cluny 2…

The Candlelit Concerts at Newcastle Cathedral – featuring music by the likes of Taylor Swift, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and ABBA – are proving huge hits and you can win tickets to one of these shows of your choice if you fill in their simple survey. I’m …

Newcastle’s Nauta are being talked about in hushed tones in jazz circles and with good reason – they’re immense. What’s more, they’re all set to host an exciting new night at Gateshead’s The Central bar – beginning early May. I’ve no hesitation in labe…

Sunderland will write its own history when ‘Public Record’ – a new production developed in collaboration with the National Theatre, Sunderland Culture and Sunderland Empire – transforms The Fire Station for three days in April. The Fire Station is bei…

Durham-based Hayley McKay knows how to wear the hell out of a pair of trousers – does she not? She’s also one of the brightest stars on the UK country music scene. The sterling work that Hayley McKay has been doing on the Americana/country front hasn’t…

Do Newcastle’s Decrepit Youths look like they do things by half? (Answer: no.) There’s a moment midway through Decrepit Youths’ song ‘Black Dove’, when the monumental riffs drop out of the mix and a Geordie voice implores: “If this torture is so goddam…

Rabble-rousers extraordinaire Kelsey Karter & The Heroines are coming to The Grove in Newcastle this April. This four-piece Australian/British band are one of the most electrifying live acts you’ll find anywhere, and their rock and roll credentials are…

Greentea Peng’s much-anticipated ‘Tell Dem It’s Sunny’ tour lands in Newcastle this April, a tour that’s sure to be bountiful with psychedelic R’n’B delights. With longer days on the horizon, the aptly named ‘Tell Dem It’s Sunny’ album – and extensive …

Did you know that My Fair Lady is based on a play? I didn’t. George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, in turn inspired by the Greek myth about the man who makes a woman out of clay and then falls in love with her, is somewhat darker than the beloved film. It foll…

When Marius Muller killed a man by slowly beheading him, he was haunted by the sound of the man’s soul leaving his body, almost like the hum of a moth's wings. When he tells this story to John Josana, he becomes similarly haunted by the sound. When I watc…

If a combination of southern gothic, country pop and punk can exist in harmony, there could be nowhere better to catch it than at Mattiel’s performance at the Cluny this Tuesday gone. Another American to brave the great Atlantic leap over to the Cluny, An…

With support from Sunnbrella, an equally moody but more pop-leaning British counterpart, this Wednesday saw Texas-based alt-rock band Glare bring a bit of that Rio Grande sunshine to the Ouseburn. It's easy to sum up a band like Glare to alternative rock …

Is there anything more enjoyable than cat videos? I don’t think so, and the Star and Shadow Cinema seems to agree with me. In order to raise money for Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter, they’ve edited together an hour-long montage of cats knocking things over…

Now that Christmas is over and pantomime season has passed, I got a chance to go down to the Theatre Royal and watch everybody’s favourite moustachioed Belgian detective do his thing. In this stage adaptation of the famous novel, Hercule Poirot tries to h…

I last went to see Dylan John Thomas just over 2 years ago at a venue that was exactly half the capacity of NX, which is where he was performing this time around. This is a testament to the Glaswegian artist’s remarkable ability to attract a rapidly growi…

It may only have been around since 1843, so a mere newcomer to Festive Season traditions, but “A Christmas Carol” does manage to pack in all the things we think Christmas ought to be about, from fond memories, forgiveness and happy endings to gigantic ro…

The Damned kicked off the first night of their UK tour in Newcastle, and everyone was excited to see that 1980s line-up back together again with David Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies, Paul Gray and Monty Oxymoron all present and correct. First up…

As we waited for The Jesus and Mary Chain to appear on stage, a huge cloud of dry ice floated towards us. The excitement was palpable. The band – who have a new album out (‘Glasgow Eyes’) along with a memoir from founding members and song writing partners…

Given how swiftly styles of choreography and stage design can change, this revival of Ballet North’s 1992 production of “Romeo and Juliet (originally directed and devised by the late, great Christopher Gable) might have been perceived as a trip down memor…

Richard Hawley, one of the UK`s best singer/songwriters, returned to the Firestation, Sunderland on 03/12/2024, as previously promised, for a rare and intimate show for the start of his latest 2024 tour promoting his superb new 9th album “In This City The…

With our constant re-evaluation of just what “traditional” fairy tales might really be about, it was interesting to see balletLORENT offering a family-friendly dance version of Snow White, but also a grittier, more visceral variant freshly retold in words…

Benjamin Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Doesn’t so much set Shakespeare’s play to music as release the music inherent in the text, the drama and most of all, the characters. It brays, it soothes, it tricks and it celebrates, matching and enhancing …

Of the many pantos I’ve attended down through the years, this was the first time I’d seen ‘The Little Mermaid’ given the full glitzy treatment. Needless to say, fans of fish-based puns certainly weren’t left feeling short-changed. Once again – for the 19t…

It feels a bit odd writing a review of a performance by a restaurant critic. Celebrity chef Jay Rayner is at his funniest when giving hilariously scathing accounts of bad restaurants, but unfortunately there’s nothing for me to be scathing about here. Ray…

When she did her routine at Live Theatre, most of Karen Dunbar’s audience members were her fellow Scottish people, and there was a level of audience participation that was starting to make me a bit nervous. Spectators were announcing their bathroom trips,…

The Aussie four-piece shed/pub punk rock band – who have just released their ‘Cartoon Darkness’ album – are renowned for their energetic and chaotic live shows and videos, and an expectant, sold- out, Newcastle crowd certainly weren’t disappointed tonig…

It’s a relief to find Opera North director James Brining describing Mozart’s The Magic Flute as, stylistically, a bit of a jumble sale. The mad plot by Schikaneder (the original Papageno) is both fairy-tale simple (the daughter of the Queen of Night, Pami…

After recently releasing his 17th solo album ‘66’ – the title a reference to its release, which was a day after his 66th birthday – Paul Weller played two sold out nights in a row at Newcastle O2 City Hall. Weller, of course, is a bit of a music legend ha…

Put together as much through a rehearsal process of improvisation and experimentation as through a set script, director/playwright Mike Leigh’s “Abigail’s Party” was the London stage hit of the season in 1977, with the production revived within the same y…