Northeast Music Guide

Great Man Theory release their new single M.O.B. M.O.B. is bursting onto the rock scene on 31st January 2013. And it is another work of brilliance from this band. Great Man Theory are all about delivering a commanding live show, brimming with energy, tenacity and captivating performance. The powerful drums combined with deep, groove-laden bass lines provide a dynamic rhythm section to accompany a unique vocal sound and attention grabbing lead section. With influence from the likes of Black Stone Cherry, Stone Temple Pilots and Heavens Basement, Great Man Theory serve up a new breed of modern, alternative rock music. Undiluted attitude and sincere song-writing, alongside an unrelenting drive to be at the forefront of British rock music, make Great Man Theory one of the most exciting unsigned bands in the UK. 2013 saw the release of their debut single Let Him In which proved to be an overwhelming success, receiving critical acclaim and the video being shown at a rare one of...

RUSSELL KANE COMES TO TOWN TV star brings work-in-progress show to Barnard Castle Join award-winning comedian Russell Kane as he tries out material ahead of a national tour in 2015. In his first ever appearance in Barnard Castle , Kane will play the newly-refurbished Witham Hall on Saturday 7 June for Funny Way To Be Comedy Club . This is your chance to see the host of BBC Three’s Live At The Electric in an intimate setting, back on stage, doing what he does best. Peter Dixon, of Funny Way To Be Comedy Club, said: "We are delighted to have Russell Kane perform for us as he prepares for his next show.  “I was thrilled when Russell got in touch himself having heard good things about our previous shows.  “The evening is going to be an intimate experience and a great chance for his fans in the North East to see him in a much smaller venue than he usually performs in." Winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2010 and the Barry Award the following year , ...

Headlining the Main Stage at Corbridge Festival 2014 Big Country are an Internationally renowned Scottish Rock Band originally formed in 1981 by guitar playing founder members Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson.  The band broke massively worldwide with the release of the album’s classic singles ‘Fields Of Fire’, ‘Chance’ and their signature song ‘In A Big Country’, which went on to become massive worldwide hits, selling over 2 million copies and driving ‘The Crossing’ to 3 prestigious Grammy nominations in the USA.  The run of success continued throughout the 1980′s with the release of the anthemic single ‘Wonderland’ and the second album ‘Steeltown’ (1984), which debuted at No1 in the UK. The third album 'The Seer' included the No1 hit 'Look Away'. The band continued their success through the 90’s taking the total record sales to well over five million copies.  In the summer of 2010, to celebrate 30 years of Big Country, the band reunited and two years of intense a...

In the cosy surroundings of the Dog and Parrot the gigs was opened by the female-fronted and largely acoustically driven King's Collection. The audience participation bit came from This House, This Home , with syncopated clappy bits.The five-piece don't shy away from rock fuelled drama, however, as demonstrated in Drunk . They have an EP coming out soon, keep an eye on their website . The King's Collection Photo ©Jowheretogo Next up were new indie rockers Coquin Migale. They were kindly giving away their new EP Yellow Room and you can still get hold of it on their Bandcamp Page . They specialise in songs that move from the ethereal, with ringing guitars and angelic vocals(I'm sure he'll hate that description) from Alex Soper, to dramatic . My current favourite of theirs is Icarus  with its shifts and turns and catchy guitars and chorus. Like King's Collection before them, though, Coquin were plagued by poor sound. This sometimes cannot be helped. I know th...

CBeebies presenter Alex Winters will be in town next week when he hosts the first relaxed performance of the Theatre Royal’s pantomime,  Jack and the Beanstalk. Many of us in the North East join a queu e at Newcastle Theatre Royal each year to experience the magic of one of the biggest and best pantomimes in the country, but this year that magic will be spread even further as the Theatre Royal puts on their first ‘Relaxed Performance’. Relaxed Performances are specifically designed to welcome people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder into theatres to give those who otherwise might feel excluded the chance to experience live theatre. This is a specialist provision created to provide an opportunity for people who would otherwise find it difficult to go and see a show  – for example people who make involuntary noise, or are likely to need to talk a lot, or move around. During a regular performance this can...

Using Drama to Solve All Those Workplace.....Dramas! Your office, your shop, your lab, or call centre at times can be a little fraught. Maybe there's an atmosphere you just can't put your finger on. Whatever it is it is affecting your colleagues' performance. Some people may be unduly stressed, a bit fed up with their jobs, or even depressed. In-house training can help. Staff training can be dull, let's face it. Being told the obvious by people who don't know you or your workplace environment. There is another way. Act Positive works with you to find exactly to right kind of training. A bespoke package that deals with the issues in your particular workplace. Using fiction and drama with professional actors, behaviours that damage the working environment can be challenged without pointing the finger at real people. Watching a situation unfold helps people question their own behaviours and their reactions to other people's behaviours. At the same time sta...

Gateshead Beer Festival 2014...get those tickets! Happy new year folks, do you realise that it's 4 months to the day that the Gateshead Beer & Music Festival takes place... It's hard to image it's 8 months since the last one. The team are currently in the latter of the planning stages however they are " still looking for Sponsors " ..... If you are interested then please contact us at  admin@gatesheadbeerfestival.co.uk One thing we can report, is yet another exciting music line up for our fifth festival... Each year Their music line-ups get bigger and better whilst still supporting the every growing local music scene... Let's start by previewing the line up for  Friday 2nd May 2014 Local boys  Smoove & Turrell  will be headlining on  Friday 2nd May  in which promises to be an amazing night.  Smoove & Turrell  have quickly become the nation’s favourite live funk & soul outfit &...

SCOTTISH BALLET PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HANSEL & GRETEL This winter, unwrap a tasty new treat with Scottish Ballet’s fantastical  Hansel & Gretel  at Newcastle Theatre Royal, 29 Jan – 1 Feb. This delightfully inventive, brand new  Hansel & Gretel  takes creative twists and turns inspired by the Grimm Brother's famous fairy tale – and the stories and imagination of the people of Scotland, gathered from a year-long country-wide initiative called  Hansel & Gretel, and Me . Hansel & Gretel  is Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director Christopher Hampson’s first choreography for the company and Scottish Ballet’s first new Christmas ballet in six years - it promises a carousel of delicious treats from start to finish! “I’d had ideas about Hansel & Gretel as a ballet for a number of years.  But it wasn’t until I joined Scottish Ballet and realised the potential to involve the people of Scotland that I began to think abou...

Pam Royle steps out in support of the Theatre Royal ITV Tyne Tees anchorwoman, Pam Royle is to host a special fundraising event at Newcastle Theatre Royal next week. Pam has been a familiar face in the north for 30 years and is known for giving much of her personal time and support to a number of North East charities, and the Theatre Royal is set to join the list. Pam Royle will host the event at the Theatre Royal on Monday 13 January alongside local artist Alexander Millar, who has produced a brand new oil painting featuring his infamous ‘gadgie’ in support of the Theatre Royal, the auction of which will begin on the evening. Alexander Millar is one of the UK's most popular contemporary artists. His paintings, collected by art lovers and celebrities across the globe, are inspired by the working men and women of his childhood, affectionately termed ‘gadgie’. In this new piece,  My Way , the ‘gadgie’ takes centre stage and has been proudly produced in support of ...