Eight of the region’s brightest emerging artists perform at Middlesbrough Town Hall’s outdoor stage
Image: Moon Wax by Keavey Gamwell
For those who can’t face waiting another two months for Twisterella, the team behind Middlesbrough’s annual award-winning new music fix have concocted an enticing appetiser…
Coming to Middlesbrough Town Hall’s courtyard on Saturday 6th August, this first outdoor summer event brings together eight of the region’s brightest emerging artists (the titular ‘Class of 2022’) for a cracking all-ages all-dayer – and all for an inflation-busting £5 advance.
Curated with the same something-for-everyone mantra as its older sibling, the bill sports no lack of diversity. Specifically, listeners can enjoy ice-cool soulful funk from Moon Wax; the soaring, euphoric electronic pop of Twist Helix; relatable indie folk songsmith Joe Ramsey and Mt. Misery’s luscious, chiming indie pop, with the earliest birds sampling the bold, multifaceted wares of singer-songwriter Jen Dixon.
In addition, Class of 2022 offers a sneak-peek of the main festival with three acts also set to appear at Twisterella itself: dark and imaginative electro brat-pop band ZELA; the intimate, beautifully subdued songcraft of Jodie Nicholson; plus versatile socially-conscious hip-hop from Shakk.
Don’t be put off by the weather either – if the forecast looks iffy, the event will simply move indoors to the Town Hall Crypt (although, as I write this preview in a 37°C heatwave hothouse, the thought of being rained on for eight hours is heavenly).
Class of 2022 takes place at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Saturday 6th August.