Northeast Music Guide

Will Varley Announces UK Tour This Autumn Tickets for The Cluny WILL VARLEY is very pleased to announce he will be touring the UK again this autumn, with the majority of the shows taking place in seated theatres and venues.  Varley celebrated the release of his 5th studio album, "Spirit of Minnie", with a packed out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in February. He then spent the first part of this year playing his new album live around the world, touring extensively in the US, appearing at SXSW festival in Texas and selling out venues across the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy.  Culminating at London’s stunning Round Chapel in Hackney, this brand new tour will come after a busy summer of shows including appearances at Bearded Theory, BoomTown Fair, Green Man and the wonderful Cropredy Festival (at the request of members of Fairport Convention themselves). Described recently by Donovan as “The next generation” and counting the likes of Billy Br...

REDFACES  have announced a new set of spring live dates The Sheffield 4-piece will play a special instore for this year’s Record Store Day at Vinyl Junkee in their hometown, as well as several festival appearances including Liverpool’s Sound City and Newcastle’s Hit The North (full list of dates below).  The band recently released a new single Messed Up Feeling . Recorded at Miloco’s The Pool in London and produced by Carey Willetts (Athlete), it’s a driving, monster of a song, with nods to their RnB influences – the groove landing somewhere between Kasabian and Michael Jackson, bass guitar and drums pushed right to the front of the mix.  Chosen by NME as one of their essential picks for 2018, the year is already shaping up to be a busy one for the band. Previous single Take It Or Leave It was chosen as BBC Radio 1’s ‘Introducing Track Of The Week’ and MTV marked them out as a ‘One To Watch’.  RedFaces are Harry Lyon, Isaac White, Charlie Yapp and Rya...

Mouth of the Tyne Festival 2018 Suzanne Vega Sunday 22nd July 2018 7.30 pm TICKETS ad The PLAYHOUSE Whitley Bay, in partnership with North Tyneside Council, is delighted to announce that Suzanne Vega will appear as part of the Mouth of the Tyne Festival 2018 on Sunday the 22nd of July. Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been labeled contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since Suzanne’s critically acclaimed debut album 32 years ago she has sold over 7 million albums and has been nominated for 7 Grammy awards. She tours constantly and continues to play sold-out concerts in many of the world's best-known halls and arenas. We'd definitely like to be at this show.  Tickets costing £30 will be available at 10 am on Thursday the 26th...

Collabro At Whitley Bay Playhouse Friday 6th July 2018 7.30 pm TICKETS Collabro are the world’s most successful Musical Theatre group. In 2014 they met for their first rehearsal above a pub in London and just a month later went on to rouse the whole of Hammersmith Apollo into a standing ovation during their first ever public performance of ‘Stars’ for the Britain’s Got Talent judges. Having triumphed in their Semi-Final heat with over 63% of the votes, they then won the overall competition with one of the biggest majorities ever. This subsequently led to them joining Simon Cowell’s label Syco, and hence becoming label-mates with the likes of One Direction, Little Mix, Susan Boyle and Il Divo. In the three years since the competition, Collabro have released a Number 1 debut album “Stars”, followed by “Act Two” which peaked at Number 2 in the charts in the summer of 2015. They have performed at the Royal Variety Performance; twice on Britain’s Got Talent (most r...

GUITAR LEGEND  HONOURED IN TRIBUTE SHOW Guitar legend Paul Kossoff will be honoured by a former bandmate at the weekend. Singer Terry Slesser takes to the stage in Kossoff: The Band Plays On at The Customs House on Saturday, April 28, at 7.45pm. The frontman sang alongside Kossoff in Back Street Crawler and they were close friends. He will be joined on stage by drummer  Clive Edwards (UFO, Pat Travers, Wild Horses), highly-respected keyboard player Dave Chapman and bassist Rick Hunt. John Buckton takes on the daunting task of replicating Kossoff’s unique guitar sound on tracks from Back Street Crawler’s back catalogue, as well as some hits from his previous band, Free, including the classic rock anthem All Right Now. Slesser, from South Shields, is keen to keep the memory of Kossoff and his music alive. He said: “ I’m constantly being asked about Paul. The interest in him even after all this time is phenomenal. His totally distinctive style of p...

THE VAMPS SET TO  ROCK BENTS PARK THIS SUMMER BRITISH boy band The Vamps will return to the North East this summer to headline the second of this year’s Sunday concert series shows.  The teen favourites – who appeared in Newcastle last week as part of their latest UK tour - will top the bill on Sunday 15 July as they are joined by last year’s X Factor semi-finalists, The Cutkelvins. The Vamps – Brad Simpson, James McVey, Connor Ball and Tristan Evans - got their first taste of fame in 2012 when they posted videos performing cover songs onto YouTube. Instantly billed as the new One Direction, they signed with Mercury Records later that year and supported McFly on their Memory Lane Tour in early 2013. After a summer hitting the festival scene up and down the country, they released their debut single Can We Dance in September, which peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart, and further hits followed. “We can’t wait to head to South Shields this July to per...

R&B legend Alexander O’Neal comes to Tyne Theatre & Opera House! Monday 8th October 2018 Tickets available 27/04/18 Tyne Theatre & Opera House are thrilled to welcome American R&B superstar Alexander O’Neal to their stage on Monday 8th October. With a music career that spans more than 40 years, Alexander O’Neal has come a long way since he was signed by Prince back in 1981.  One of R&;B’s most iconic names, he has 14 singles to his name with chart smash Criticize still lighting up dance floors and airwaves across the world thirty years after its release. With two Gold albums – the eponymously titled Alexander O’Neal and All True Man – as well as the triple platinum selling album Hearsay , his place in the R&B Hall of Fame is well and truly deserved. 2018 will see the release of Alexander’s first album in almost ten years, and fans are in for a treat when they hear how one of the great soul voices has matured since he last ventured into the...

FESTIVAL fans in the North East  still have time to secure the best views  for an array of musical stars this summer. Newcastle Pride, sponsored by business improvement district NE1, is returning from 20 – 22 July with the new addition of a big top tent – and an even bigger musical line-up, with Alexandra Burke and S Club headlining over the weekend. And there are a limited number of Golden Circle and VIP tickets remaining for those wanting to guarantee a prime viewing spot close to the stage at Nuns Moor. As well as the best views of the Manchester Airport San Francisco Stage, Golden Circle ticket holders will have access to private toilets and the Gold Circle bar, to minimise queueing time. Those purchasing VIP tickets will have access to the VIP area next to the stage, with a private bar and garden area, separate toilets and full access to the Golden Circle area in front of the stage. “We’re always looking for ways to improve the New...

THE BONNEVILLES CONFIRM UK & EIRE TOUR FOR MAY & JUNE  Newcastle Tickets THE BONNEVILLES have announced a series of UK & Ireland shows for this spring. The Bonnevilles are shaking Northern Ireland in a way it hasn't felt since Van Morrison & Them obliterated Club Rado in 1964 and Stiff Little Fingers blew apart The Trident in 1977! The Bonnevilles don't so much play punk blues as use it as a springboard to create a completely new genre. And now they release their 4th studio album Dirty Photographs with LA based Alive Natural Sound Records. The Lurgan duo take Mississippi Hill Blues and Punk Rock and mix their own unique dark Northern Irish Punk Blues stew which drew the attention of the fore mentioned Alive Natural Sound which saw them release the award nominated “Arrow Pierce My Heart” on the label in 2016.  The Bonnevilles formed in 2009 and quickly released their debut, and now, legendary album Good Suits & Fightin’ Boots on Mot...

MADNESS  ANNOUNCE THE SOUND OF MADNESS UK ARENA TOUR PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS THE FRATELLIS METRO RADIO ARENA SATURDAY 8TH DECEMBER 2018 “THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MADNESS!!” Britain’s favourite pop band Madness will be embarking on a major UK arena tour this December and will be joined by special guests The Fratellis live at the Metro Radio Arena Newcastle on Saturday 8th December 2018. The Sound of Madness is a combination of people from North London that got together in the mid to late ‘70s and came up with a cacophony of music, noise, clothes, dressing up and having fun.  We caught Suggs on his spoken word tour at the Tyne Opera House earlier this year and his solo performance of some Madness tracks whetted our appetites for something much bigger, and here it comes! Suggs at Tyne Opera House Madness are one of the top 20 selling UK groups of all time, with seven top ten albums, 22 top 20 hits and over six million album sales to their nam...

Two new gigs at Tyne Theatre: Sam Bailey in Concert and Boyzlife Tuesday 9th October (Boyzlife) Saturday 3rd November (Sam Bailey) Tyne Theatre & Opera House have just announced the addition of two brilliant gigs to their programme for 2018. Tuesday 9th October will see Boyzlife take to the stage, while The X Factor winner Sam Bailey will perform on Saturday 3rd November. Boyzlife brings together members of two of the biggest boybands in history, Boyzone and Westlife, to perform a whole host of their biggest chart hits. Brian McFadden enjoyed 12 UK and Ireland number ones as a member of Westlife, including a record breaking seven top spots in a row. The band also boast four number 1 albums and over 30 million record sales in total. Since Westlife, Brian has enjoyed international solo success, including a UK number 1 with Real to Me. With Boyzone, Keith Duffy has enjoyed similar success, including six UK number one singles and 16 out of 17 of their first ...

The Feeling bring their Twelve Years and Home Tour to Tyne Theatre & Opera House Friday 26th October Following the success of their very special intimate performance at London’s Apollo Theatre at the weekend (which sold out in under a minute), The Feeling have announced that they will perform their celebrated million-selling album Twelve Stops And Home in full across the UK this October, the band’s first tour for over two years. The Feeling will be bringing the show to Tyne Theatre & Opera House on Friday 26th October. The Feeling have also announced the reissue of Twelve Stops And Home, to celebrate 12 years since the acclaimed album’s release. Having been newly mastered from the original tapes, Twelve Stops And Home will be reissued as a Deluxe 3CD + DVD digibook, and a limited edition double yellow vinyl. Twelve Stops And Home - named after the Piccadilly Line journey from Leicester Square to Gillespie Sells’ home stop of Bounds Green - was originally rele...

For ONE NIGHT ONLY THIS SUNDAY! Soul Unlimited - Heatwave & Odyssey (Sunday 22 April, 7.30pm) Return to the glory days of disco, funk and soul with real dance music legends and enjoy a sensational evening of non-stop, dancefloor anthems including Boogie Nights, Going Back to My Roots and Use It Up Wear It Out. Live in Concert for One Night Only Heatwave and Oddysey Live in concert, Heatwave present with spine-tingling falsettos on Mind Blowing Decisions, Always and Forever, Gangsters of the Groove, The Groove Line and Too Hot to Handle. While direct from the Big Apple, special guests Odyssey take us back to our roots with Native New Yorker, Inside Out and If You’re Looking for a Way Out. Prepare to use up and wear out the dancefloor one last time in the definitive boogie night! Heatwave: '...delivered the hits, plus a few cover versions, with verve and style' Sunday Express Odyssey: '...backed by an incredibly tight and funky band – a...

Boy George and Culture Club to Play Newcastle Arena TICKETS:  http://bit.ly/CultureClubNCL Since their inception in 1981 Culture Club have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, lead by their classic hits, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," "Karma Chameleon," and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya".  The group is fronted by British singer/songwriter Boy George, who is universally recognized as one of music's iconic artists. George was recently presented with the Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award in 2015 for his contribution to the music industry. Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss make up the remaining original line up set to tour. Their recent shows have garnered rave reviews from the press since reforming:  Culture Club is…."a true show band, with a master at its centre. If you like to go out, if you like to feel good, if you like to be transported by music, if you are in search of authenticity in a land inundated by fake, …..then this ...