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Issue 13 of our E-ZINE continues to bring you multimedia diversions aplenty
By NARC. on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024
Welcome to edition 13 of our digital ‘zine! Right here you’ll find all kinds of interesting and unusual diversions, designed to keep you entertained and informed on the region’s alt. music and culture scenes. Video interviews and sound clips, mini-documentaries, live performances, playlists, reportage, reviews and much more are all created exclusively by us as well as by some of the region’s talented creatives.
Spanning music, theatre, comedy, film, art and everything in between, the NARC. E-ZINE is designed as an antidote to doom-scrolling! With the aim of entertaining and informing, we will provide you with a constant source of exciting, surprising and unusual content continually evolving throughout the issue’s lifespan. Dip back in regularly, there’s new content uploaded all the time!
Newcastle’s fast-rising rapper NE-O is riding high after a productive summer spent playing festivals including Reading & Leeds and Kendal Calling, not to mention selling out a hometown show. He enters the Autumn season with a track which shows off the artist’s versatility; Headliner Freestyle is a reflection on his journey, blending humble introspection with gratitude for the support of his family and the community that shaped him. NE-O plays Generator Live at the Boiler Shop on Saturday 5th October.
Check out the video here, which features a few backstage behind-the-scenes snippets of his fantastic summer.
North East-based tech training company Crew Gal have been working alongside a group of adult learners on a skills bootcamp programme which aims to provide grass root job skills for the TV and film industry. Tutored by industry professionals, groups have been working alongside emerging North East bands to produce a quality music video.
This vid, for ‘radgewave mamgaze’ band Snakes With Tits, was filmed at King Street Social and directed by Barnaby Fairley of Livestock Studios. Crew Gal Academy are seeking adult learners aged 19+ to participate in future courses through to March 2025 together with artists and bands interested in taking part in the programme. Email: [email protected] for more info.
Gateshead-based production company Candle & Bell’s comedy series Tom And Lauren Are Going OOT! has recently been named as BBC Radio 4’s Comedy of the Week. The show stars the dynamic duo Lauren Pattison and Tom Machell, who also penned the series, promising a delightful blend of wit, humour, and charm, complete with guest stars Louise Young and Julian Clary. The show follows the misadventures of Tom and Lauren, a millennial couple from Newcastle, as they navigate one of life’s greatest challenges – leaving the house on time. Known for their sharp comedic timing and relatable humour, it’s no wonder the show is doing so well.
This video offers a behind the scenes peek at the show with the stars themselves, and you can listen to all the episodes on BBC Sounds now.
During August, Gateshead’s Glasshouse venue goes mysteriously dormant, with no gigs taking place. The venue is anything but quiet though, as the building is taken over by artists taking part in the Summer Studios programme, which provides space and resources for exciting musicians to test new projects, make current work even better, and collaborate with like-minded people on the programme.
This year, 19 artists, a mix of soloists and bands, worked with local filmmaker Rob Irish and sound engineer Dan Miller to record videos of their work. Check out the full playlist on The Glasshouse’s YouTube channel, and enjoy one of our favourites from Northumberland songwriter The Early Purple below…
Music duo PSiMiTAR drop their latest track (and the lead single from their upcoming EP), Memory Lapse, a song based around the concept of having warped memories of a bad relationship. The UK garage-influenced track with its sharp beats, glitchy vocals and soulful earworm chorus features smooth vocals supplied by LKP and energetic rhymes from Baron Von Alias.
With a passion for sharing her love of music with her fans, North East artist Ami Leigh’s new single is a sweetly sentimental feel-good summer song with Americana vibes, and fits well within the artist’s varied roster of work.
“You’ll Find The One is about finding the perfect partner, the love of your life and throwing off the fear and anxiety to make it happen.” She says.
Newcastle-based musician ERNIE presents another slice of fuzzy indie rock on his new single, Vineyard Towns.
Discussing the new single, ERNIE revealed: “Vineyard Towns is set in a small town and follows the group of misguided drunks who prop up the bars there. The song recounts funny tales of these young men getting into all sorts of bother, with an air of sadness washing over the whole thing as ultimately they are destined to be stuck in these little towns forever. It was loosely inspired by my hometown in the North East of England, the heavy drinking culture that exists there and how difficult it is to break the cycle and leave town.”
North East musician and artist Du Blonde announces the release of her fourth album, Sniff More Gritty, due to be released on her own imprint Daemon TV on 1st November.
On lead single TV Star, Du Blonde recounts a tale of two people, one of whom submits to the clutches of fame and the inflated ego that so often develops after a short, sharp rise to the top, ruminating on the dark side of fame. An understated opening develops in typical Du Blonde style into a pop-grunge chorus that’s a real ear-worm. Du Blonde’s impressive DIY aesthetic continues with the well-produced and fun video.
Du Blonde tours the UK in 2025, with a show at The Cluny, Newcastle on 24th January.
A new fortnightly podcast hosted by Newcastle-based actor and presenter Chris Connel focuses on prison life and the criminal justice system, with an ultimate message of hope and challenging stigma. Alongside co-host and CEO of Positive Directions NE Gary Crooks, Hope In Hell meets people who have endured hardship, made mistakes and overcome demons, as well as getting an insight from some of the frontline professionals who help them. From criminal justice and mental illness to trauma and adversity, these authentic, no holds-barred conversations are a must for anyone who has ever thought they didn’t have a hope in hell.
A couple of weeks back, Sunderland announced its bid to become a UK Music City. The ambitious project will see activity taking place across the city, with the aim of establishing Sunderland as a globally recognised music hub. Part of the launch event at The Fire Station included a set from talented Sunderland songwriter Lottie Willis, who performs her beautiful track, Begging For Me Back. Watch the video here, courtesy of Tynesight Photography.
Everyone’s favourite Teesside party-starters, Avalanche Party have announced their signing to AMK, Kartel Music Group’s alternative music imprint. The celebrate, the band reveal their brand new single Collateral Damage, a frenzied, pounding track that navigates isolation, rebirth and secrecy.
“Collateral Damage is our deep inhale, eyes fixed, lockjaw latest offering”, comments Avalanche Party vocalist and guitarist Jordan Ray, “The sound of a glitch in the matrix.First thought, best thought. There comes a time when it is necessary to climb the mountain of absolute certainty. This is an ode to that time.”
Rubber Oh return with yet another tapestry of fuzz and groove taken from their new album, which is slated for a September release. Circles features the inimitable Rozi Plain; Rubber Oh’s Sam Grant explains more…
“Circles is maybe one of my favourite arrangements from the new record. I had this idea about close-miced, drunk, Beatles-esque strings over a proper groove of a track – something super melodic, almost too much. And the whole thing just fell into place.
“Across the album there’s various collaborations with different artists, but this one had a particular feel to it. I’m a massive fan of Rozi Plain and pretty much anything she works on, and this felt like it would really suit her vibe. The lyrics and vocal she came back with, these dense rhythmic harmonies are so good. It’s been a really exciting track to see come alive.”
On World Music Day, the city of Sunderland announced the launch of its bid to become a Music City, joining other cities like Berlin, Manchester, Sydney and Valencia, which are famous for their music scenes and, crucially, how they support and encourage music to thrive.
With the aim of exposing more people on Wearside to music, the Music City bid will mean there’s a renewed focus on creativity in the city, with more support for musicians, events for music lovers and opportunities for those looking to make a career from their skills. They’ve gotten off to a great start with newly appointed Music City Officers Marty Longstaff and Frankie Francis, and they enlisted a couple of other well-known local artists to launch the initiative…
Check out their introductory video, courtesy of Sunderland Music City and Thomas Jackson.
Hard-working Newcastle rapper Kay Greyson releases her first single since signing to EMI North. On The Table is a typically soulful and charismatic track from the well-respected artist, and provides a tasty insight into her forthcoming album, due later this year. Insisting that the track draws as much from a DIY punk spirit as her hip-hop and R&B roots, it’s another enthralling release from an artist with an even brighter future.
Newcastle songwriter Darren Burdis returns to his favoured ballad style on new single The Surface. Often compared to the likes of Elliott Smith, thanks to lush vocals and gentle finger-picked guitar, The Surface conveys messages of support, hope and happiness, as he describes. “On one hand, the song conveys the feelings of someone being in a relationship and finding true comfort, solace and happiness with another person, while also delivering the message of ‘no matter whether times or good or bad, I’ll be right there with you, and whenever I’m in need of support I need you to be all in as well’.”
Newcastle-based chamber/alt-pop artist Jodie Nicholson drops not one, but two live videos from her show at The Glasshouse International Centre For Music. Both tracks, You Wanted This and Bad Dream feature on Jodie’s latest album Safe Hands and are filmed by Rob Irish, who perfectly captures Jodie’s tender, haunting melodies and the intimate feel of her shows.
As part of her tour, Jodie will be performing at The Georgian Theatre, Stockton on Saturday 8th June (supporting Amelia Coburn) and The Fire Station, Sunderland on Friday 21st June. Tickets are available via her website.
A brand new NARC. TV mini-doc has landed! Our pal Art Mouse followed two of the region’s finest up and coming songwriters, Sisi and Tom A Smith, as they were paired with brass bands The Original Pinettes and Loud Noises, to create a one-off collaborative performance at Durham Brass Festival. Watch our mini-doc on Brassed On, discover how the collaborations came about and enjoy the thrilling live performances!
In the latest episode of My Writing Life, in which Fran Harvey chats with authors about their work, Fran talks to Middlesbrough writer Amy Lord about her debut novel, The Disappeared. They chat about the complexities of writing a dystopian novel that reflects the realities of life in some other countries; why having support that allows to both the time AND crucial head space to write makes such a massive difference and paying back to the writing community. Read the transcript here.
Listen to their chat via our Spotify Podcast channel.
Newcastle producer and musician Sam Grant announces a new album for his weirded-out psych project Rubber Oh, due to land in September. The album contains collaborations with Rozi Plain, Voka Gentle, Me Lost Me and Ceitidh Mac and offers a vivid journey through Grant’s otherworldly machinations. New single Bloodlust is a driving psych journey, layered with fuzzed out bass, soaring strings, and community vocals; Bloodlust is a real statement of intent, with a video to match.
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