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Tracy Hyman enjoys a celebration of up-and-coming northern artists at a Mercury Prize fringe event
Image by Tracy Hyman
It was a big week for the North East, with the spotlight shining brightly as the Mercury Prize Awards came to Newcastle. It’s not just about the award ceremony itself though, some amazing fringe events showed how vibrant the cultural scene is here. Three bands on the rise shared the stage at The Grove, in Byker, their roots firmly in the North; Adult DVD, Finn Forster and Rye.
Lithuanian-born Rye kicked-off the evening. Based in Newcastle, she crafts her multi-lingual songs with a gentle beauty, full of soulful and heartfelt vocals, melancholic and reflective. Bowed and percussive xylophone highlights the songs. Ending on her ‘saddest song’ she combines Spanish and English together, touching on the emotions of not being accepted or seen.
Finn Forster has had a huge year so far, having toured with the Stereophonics playing to arenas full of people, thus we are incredibly lucky that he is still able to play on a smaller scale for us tonight at The Grove. He has star quality with powerful vocals, anthemic songs and singalong tracks. In fact, the front row are here just for him, adorned with t-shirts and singing along to every word. He finishes with Stay Right Til The End, his six-piece band fill the room with the upbeat Middlesbrough anthem.
This is the second time I’ve seen Adult DVD in a week, shortly after they headlined Twisterella Festival in Middlesbrough. There’s something very cathartic about the pulsing synths and the kaleidoscopic sounds, that always shift just before boredom sinks in. The songs are always moving, rhythmic, dancing and sonically satisfying. A melting pot of dance, electronic and rock they consequently have one of the most fun audiences. From the riffs and the synth hooks of Yacht Money and Doomsday Prepper, to the earworm chorus of Bill Murray, all around, people are dancing and bopping away. My only complaint was that it was too short, with no encore. Hopefully it was ‘lit’ enough and they just ran out of time.
