Northeast Music Guide

A Simply Souper Evening A night to discover the answers to such mysteries as: "What is purple?" and "What happens when a gay lad from the country moves to the city and comes out as , shock horror, vegan?" Phil Ogg took full advantage of the intimate surroundings and attentive audience with his folksy pastiche filled with the calm remorse of relationships that have gone sour. Phil's long relationship with the acoustic guitar showed in his artistry with the instrument. Asa J Maddison , stepping in to cover an absent comic's slot and starting in a Jesus Christ pose, explained emphatically that he is NOT the second coming, despite his appearance. He gave a full, loud, energetic poetry performance that flew off the stage and drew the audience in. However, nothing prepared us for the sublime madness of Jeff Potts , who captured the tyranny of the mad world we live in with a full-on act that had some people flinching, in a good way. Dominic Berry  broug...

An Alcohol-Fuelled Free-For-All The Live Theatre in Newcastle has provided gritty drama in the past. Not known for "safe" theatre it faces issues head on and presents them with realism. This play, written by Paddy Campbell, a product of the Live Theatre writing course in 2007, and a one-time worker in such an establishment, is no exception. The "Wet House" is a homeless hostel where alcoholics are allowed to drink, providing them with a "safe" place to exist and be sheltered and to keep them off the streets. Andy, fresh from failing at university, and ready to be a useful citizen, walks into this alternative reality where normal social rules no longer apply and it isn't only the residents who are dysfuctional and damaged. The writing is exceptional, in my view, and one liners are delivered by the cast, especially Chris Connel with the skill of a seasoned stand-up. However this play, despite having laugh out loud moments had me close to tears w...

THE SOAKING OF VERA SHRIMP Written and performed by Alison Carr, Directed by Rosie Kellagher For fourteen year-old Vera Shrimp a rainstorm isn’t a soggy inconvenience, it’s an exhilarating, breath-taking whirl of colours and feelings and words. Because Vera has realised she has an extraordinary ability, a special gift that changes everything. Loss, grief and hope collide in this fantastical, funny and moving tale. Alison has had work staged in the region and beyond. Her credits include Can Cause Death , starring Olivier-Award winning actor David Bradley at the National Theatre; A Wondrous Place (2013 tour); Mam, Dad, Monkey & Me (New Writing North) and Dolly Would (BBC Radio 4).   Alison is currently on a year-long attachment to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre as part of its 50 th birthday celebrations. As a writer-performer her credits include Mary, Jesus’s Mam (Trashed Organ/Live) and she has been a two-time guest on BBC Radio 3’s Th...

Tyne   Created and edited by Michael Chaplin with contributions from Sid Chaplin, Tom Hadaway, Alan Plater and Julia Darling. Directed by Max Roberts.       Musical Director: Kathryn Tickell Live Theatre – until 20 th July 2013 .   Live Theatre reaches 40 and still continues to produce new theatre which both entertains and makes one think. This production has two parallel themes: the Tyne and family life.   The stories about life on the Tyne capture the spirit of the region and its identity. They cover the coal, shipbuilding and other manufacturing industries. Without getting party political the rise, fall and rebirth of the black river are traced. There is nod to the area's immigrants and the food that they brought with them. Stories of the people who worked on the Tyne are intertwined with short scenes written by Sid Chaplin, Tom Hadaway, Alan Plater and Julia Darling. These apparent detours add to rather than de...

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit   Live Theatre in association with Aurora Nova Productions http://www.live.org.uk/whats-book/white-rabbit-red-rabbit   The introduction of this play by Nassim Soleimanpour reads “Imagine being 29 and unable to leave your country. Nassim Soleimanpour dissects the experience of a whole generation in a wild, utterly original play from Iran. Forbidden to travel, he turns his isolation to his own advantage with a play that requires no director, no set and a different actor for every performance.”   As part of the Live Theatre’s 40 th birthday celebrations a different actor performs this play each night. On the stage is a step ladder, a chair and a table which has 2 glasses of water and a spoon. The script is delivered in a sealed envelope to the actor, who has never seen the script before, and they cold read it in front of the audience.   They have lined up a number of great actors who have links with the Theatre’s p...

A few words about the blog       I've said this is a work in progress, and while its been great creating each blog and then presenting a radio show about it, I have to realise what is a good use of my time. Every week I will bring you news of what's on in Newcastle and Gateshead on NE1fm at 12pm on a Monday. But I won't be putting all the dates and info on the blog. This is because this information is out there on listings sites, Facebook events pages, listings mags and I'm trying to do the job of a team of journalists doing this.The new Jowheretogo website will feature gigs that catch my eye, and artists and performers you need to know about. Every project has a time of evolution, and as it's not yet a business, its the right time to get things right. So I'll be writing more reviews, as I was hoping to before all this took over, and giving new music, comedy and theatre a PR boost as well. Finding my place in the Music Business       Last year I was m...