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OUR PICK OF SOME OF THE BEST EVENTS TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE REGION THIS WEEK…
Image: David Lance Callahan by James Fry
Every week we pull together some of the best events taking place across the region, from music and theatre, to comedy, art and film. Read more on these, and other events, in the latest issue of NARC. magazine in print and online.
STAGE
What happens when your dream country doesn’t dream of you? This is exactly what playwright Mohit Mathur and director Phil Willmott seek to explore in this hilarious and touching new play, which heads to Alphabetti on Wednesday 6thAugust. Through the long nights spent handling panicked calls from British customers on a Crypto helpline in New Delhi, Uday Kumar dreams about a more sophisticated life in the UK. His visions are filled with tea, crumpets and royal encounters – though he isn’t aware of it yet, his notions of British life are considerably more romantic than the harsh reality of drizzly skies, concrete roundabouts and John Smiths. Taking these visions to YouTube, he quickly ascends to influencer status and, after a chance conversation over a tea break, finds himself en-route to his dream life in the UK.
What he finds there is a ‘Hounslow Humbling’: stripped of his influencer status and launched into the dismal realities of the UK care sector, the one-man-play follows the twists and turns of Uday’s new life, whilst also exploring how hundreds of young men just like him can disappear every day in the UK, without a trace.
Wednesday 6th August @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
ART
Newcastle-based multimedia artist Carolina Rosas heads to BottleWorks with a new exhibition which covers the ideas of memory, growth and the beauty of everyday moments. Using oil, acrylic and digital methods, expect impressionism, florals, bursts of colour and visual feelings of warmth and renewal. No excuses, it’s free! Runs until 12th Aug.
Thursday 7th August @ Bottleworks, Newcastle
Image: Carolina Rosas
MUSIC
If you have heard of The Myrrors, it may be fair to assume that you are a fan of The Myrrors. Not because theirs is a commercial, easy to love sound – but because it is the epitome of underground,shrouded in mystery and only for those who have deliberately hunted it down.
Conjuring up a haunted savannah, with the sound drawing as many images of graveyards and the occult as it does vast deserts and baron wastelands – the ambient stylings of The Myrrors takes the listener on a magnificent journey. Each album is a new voyage, with distant, hypnotic grooves etching their way into the listener’s psyche. With an extensive catalogue, the band pull from a myriad of inspirations that cultivate distinct drawings in the mind, as if scrawled with charcoal. There’s a darkness, there’s a beauty and there is a spirit trapped within the visions.
2018’s Borderlands initially pricked my ears to the band, but their albums each encompass a different vessel for their musical passages, which toe a distinct line between droning post-punk like Godspeed! You Black Emperor and spiritualist jazz-fusion. The repeating motifs warp and distort as the grooves wrap around your imagination in an intrinsic, fascinating way.The Myrrors make their return to Newcastle, arriving at The Cluny 2 on Thursday 7thAugust – a must experience for fans or for the curious alike.
Thursday 7th August @ Cluny 2, Newcastle
EVENTS
The Curator Series: Redressing The Balance
In 1869, The Bowes Museum was conceived on the principle of sharing a love of the arts with the general public. Its founders, Joséphine and John Bowes, collaborated on the creation of a public museum which would be open to the people of Teesdale, and not subject to the whims of private collectors. For over 100 years since the museum opened its doors, this institution has been at the forefront of challenging the role of archives and collections to their audiences. Behind every exhibit has been a curator establishing the role of The Bowes Museum within its community.
Now, The Bowes Museum is reflecting on the changing nature of the curation and interpretation of its collection’s items. The Curator Series gives museum patrons the opportunity to gain insight into the Bowes’ legacy through in-depth talks by those who work behind its scenes. Taking place on Thursday 7th August, Redressing the Balance tackles the issue of representation head-on with Co-Production Curator Eleanor Thirlway, who asks us to look at collections through the lens of feminist, queer and radical perspectives to rethink the stories museums tell us, reimagine these narratives within their new contexts, and reshape our understanding of history and art.
Thursday 7th August @ Bowes Museum, Durham
MUSIC
Norwegian pop punk rockers Ramona’s Tea Party have been charming UK audiences for years, and their Newcastle show this August will be no anomaly. Punchy, bouncy, colourful music, not complete without a bit of depth and a flash of hair dye. Support comes from local indie rock legend Holly Rees.
Friday 8th August @ Cluny 2, Newcastle
Image: Ramona’s Tea Party by Pernille J Sæther
STAGE
Drag Idol winner and ‘Geriatric twink of the town’, drag royalty Gladys Duffy brings a brand new, completely improvised, totally unscripted and utterly hilarious solo show to Gosforth Civic Theatre. Expect wicked humour, hysterical hi-jinks, zero plot and glamorous chaos. Gladys might just need your help to pull it all off…
Friday 8th August @ Gosforth Civic Theatre
STAGE
After a fantastic sell-out show last year, Big Gay Cabaret returns with more sublime queer joy-filled cabaret and comedy at The Cumberland Arms on Friday 8th August.Hosted by local comedy fave and theatre maker Rhian Jade and with queerness, community and marginalised voices at its centre, this evening promises to be a raucous celebration of LGBTQIA+ expression.
Expect a night of big laughs, buzzing energy and a brilliant cast of performers including theatre from the talented Lydia Kavanagh, Harrison Rowell-Lynn and Rhian themself; laid-back cat-loving comic Sean Barnham; the Hartlepool harlequin Alex Redman; multitalented poet and creative Amy Langdown explores identity and politics; The Hell Poet digs through body horror, gothicism, religion, race and a love for Willem Dafoe; and glorious drag from Bippity P, as well many more queer treats. Celebrating intersectionality and equity is so important, and to be able to share with friends and community in a safe, kind and joyous space will be such a beautiful time. If you missed it last year, make sure you join in on the big gay fun this time around!
Friday 8th August @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle
EVENTS
Darlington Pride is set to host an inclusive and community-focused weekend of sensational Pride activities including cabaret performances, tribute acts, a pride picnic and more. Take the time to relax, have fun and hang out with friends and loved ones celebrating all the things that make up wonderful you. Runs until 11th Aug.
Saturday 9th August @ Various Venues
STAGE
Catch Me if You Cabaret promises to be a glorious night of joyous live performance, featuring an all-star line-up of cabaret delights, including music, poetry, dance, spoken word and more. It’s all in aid of North East Autism Society, an essential charity supporting young learning disabled and autistic people.
Saturday 9th August @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
MUSIC
The Yummy Fur emerged from Glasgow in the early 90s alongside equally angular and obtuse bands like the Country Teasers and Male Nurse. It was within this microcosm that The Yummy Fur began to gain traction, thanks in no small part to the patron saint of bedroom bands the world over, John Peel.However, to say John Peel was responsible for Yummy Fur’s success would be a discredit to the band’s drive and talent. Full to the brim with caustic lyricism and jerky, distorted guitars, the end result is infectiousas it is scathing. Think of a Willaim Burroughs novel, set to music.
The Yummy Fur play the famous Pop Recs in Sunderland on Saturday 9th August, complete with all the original members. Having not played a show in Sunderland since the late 90s, such an opportunity is too good to miss. It would seem that the band’s influence has stretched beyond just Scotland to here in the North East with the night’s support, Sunderland’s own Roxy Girls, undoubtedly a reference to the Yummy Fur song of the same name.
Saturday 9th August @ Pop Recs, Sunderland
STAGE
Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance
Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance have announced their line-up. One of the country’s oldest international folklore festivals is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with a nine-day dance party which runs at venues across Billingham from Saturday 9th-Sunday 17th August.
The festival’s line-up will range from headline theatrical folklore events to international dance workshops, museum costume exhibitions, a children’s club, free bandstand taster performances and daily arena showcases located in Billingham town centre. A plethora of countries’ traditional dance styles will be represented this year and performed during the opening weekend. These international dancers aim to captivate their audiences with jaw-dropping dance techniques, live music and stunning traditional costumes.
Some of this year’s highlights include The Parade of Nations which is taking place at Billingham town centre; The Carriage of Dreams’ Family Show which will be taking place at the Billingham Arena; the Live Traditional World Costume Exhibition will be taking over Preston Park Museum; The Spirit of the Railways show, which is based on the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead, at Billingham Arena; while at the Forum Theatre, Departing and the World Dance Gala will be taking place.
Saturday 9th August @ Various Venues
Image: Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, Mexico
EVENTS
Cosmic Frequencies Festival offers an out-of-this-world series of events, taking place across venues in the Tyne Valley from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th August. This immersive spectacle fuses film, music, science and sound, curated by the region’s very own musical space cadets SKX Funkanauts.
Kicking off at Hexham’s Tannery Pub, expect an intergalactic pub quiz and cosmic cocktails to start the weekend off in style. On Saturday daytime at Queen’s Hall you’ll hear from Allendale Sci-Fi Museum and former head of technology at BBC, spotlighting the wonders of science fiction and special effects. The Forum Cinema presents a live cosmic funk performance featuring mind blowing visuals with SKX Funkanauts, blending their grooves with sounds of synths and cosmos fuelled vibes. The band will also mark the release of their new vinyl EP Transmission 1, packed with deep-space sounds and their on-brand funk. The event will also play host to a Q&A from the group, featuring leading voices from the worlds of astronomy and UFO research including Dan Pye (Kielder Observatory), Steve Crabtree (Emmy nominated film producer), and Dr Beatriz Villarroel (astrophysicist) and more, who together will explore humanity’s fascination with the stars and the great unknown.The weekend ends ona suitably cosmic tip on Sunday with a film screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Saturday 9th August @ Forum Cinema, Hexham
MUSIC
Like a Byker oasis, The Cumby Arms has long been heralded as one of the best boozers in town, nestled away under the Byker Bridge, the pub has a traditional vibe that brilliantly typifies the charm and character of the Ouseburn that remains so brilliantly preserved despite its long standing popularity, and this embodiment of the Ouseburn spirit extends to the varied gigs the venue offers, which includes David Lance Callahan’s appearance on Sunday 10th August.
As the frontman of The Wolfhounds, David Lance Callahan first gained recognition thanks to the band’s appearance on the legendary C86 (Class of ‘86) compilation, a cassette packaged with an issue of NME in the same year, which still casts a huge shadow over guitar music, with so many of its acts going on to enjoy a storied legacy in the indie pop pantheon. Beyond his stint with The Wolfhounds,Dave has also toured and collaborated with PJ Harvey, Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine, and has gone on to enjoy a prolific solo career as well, which finds him touring last year’s LP Down to the Marshes.Support comes from Billy And Johnny Sing Songs of Joy (an off-shoot of Band of Holy Joy) and Ukulele Dave.
Sunday 10th August @ The Cumberland Arms
