WEEKLY ROUND-UP (01.05.23)

Image: Lord of the Flies – Aki Nakagawa, Ciaran O’Breen, Nate Leung, Sade Malone, Justice Ezi, Jason Connor, image by Anthony Robling

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 May issue of NARC. magazine – out now in print and online.

MUSIC The Lubber Fiend Celebrate 1^st Birthday
Kicking off May with a week of gigs and parties to celebrate their first birthday, The Fiend welcome Mexican space rock with El Universo (Tuesday 2^nd), industrial electronics from Enxin/Onyx (Wednesday 3^rd), heavy psych with Ecstatic Vision (Thursday 4^th), Yank hardcore outfit Bib (Friday 5^th); Penelope Trappes, Helm, Agnes Haus and a Slacks Radio Residents Party with Opal Tapes DJs (Saturday 6^th) and electronics composer Bridget Ferrill (Sunday 7^th)
From Tuesday 2^nd May @ The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle

STAGE Lord of the Flies
Director Amy Leach (Macbeth, Oliver Twist) and her creative team are set to bring William Golding’s 1954 classic story into the 21^st Century, reflecting the world we live in now while remaining faithful to his fascinating, thought-provoking central premise of a group of boys shipwrecked and trying to survive and achieve rescue on an island with no adults. The story seems almost topical in a fractured modern world of populist politics, as its central themes of tribalism and fear begetting aggression gain weight daily.
Wednesday 3^rd-Saturday 6^th May @ Northern Stage, Newcastle

STAGE How To Be A Better Human: Grief, Loss and Spoken Word
Chris Singleton’s deft exploration of loss and divorce, using PowerPoint comedy, autobiographical storytelling and poetry to reveal conversations around grief and mental health.
Thursday 4^th–Friday 5^th May @ Laurel’s, Whitley Bay

ART & LIT Metamorphosis Ex Libris Gallery at Newcastle University

Metamorphosis is a new exhibition taking place at Ex Libris Gallery at Newcastle University. The photographic works reflect on the ever-shifting identities of humanity in a world that is itself, in a state of transformation.

Artists included in the show include the  2022 turner prize nominee Heather Phillipson as well as acclaimed photographers Joanna Piotrowska, Tim Mitchell, Craig Ames, Katja Mayer & Peter Chadwick,  Nontsikeleo Veloko, Dow Wasiksiri, Chris Harrison, Michele Allen, Clarita Lulic, Daniel  Meadows and John Peter Askew.

Preview takes place Friday 5th May. Exhibition from Saturday 6th May until Saturday 20th May (excluding Sundays and bank holidays)

MUSIC Lost In The Woods 10th Anniversary
Promoters of psychedelic wonders Lost In The Woods celebrate their 10^th anniversary with a show featuring much-loved local space-disco duo Warm Digits, whose sound weaves elements of post-punk, Krautrock vibes and considerable heft in the synths-meets-beats department. Plus psychedelic rock band Black Helium, grungy rock ‘n’ rollers TV Death and brash rockers Frog Dylan.
Friday 5^th May @ The Studio, Hartlepool

MUSIC Tyne & Queer Acoustic AKT Night
Tyne & Queer presents a night of acoustic sounds featuring Mollie Birmingham, Jade Mia Broadhead, Anna Begins, Mark Wright, Robym Broadrick and River to help raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust, who support lgbtq+ young people aged 16-25 in the UK who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment.
Friday 5th May @ Mosaic Tap, Newcastle

ART & LIT Fiona Crisp: Weighting Time
Artist and photographer Fiona Crisp’s two-part survey exhibition offers a diverse, well-researched array of photographic and film work and includes a large-scale public artwork that is made for Sunderland’s Mowbray Park. The dual shows revolve around Crisp’s engagement with framing a ‘view’ – whether that be visual, political or philosophical, and work made in the other-world of underground and enclosed spaces including mines, theatres, laboratories and catacombs.
Until 3^rd June @ Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens / NGCA from 6^th May-3rd September

MUSIC The St. Pierre Snake Invasion
Frontman Damien Sayell’s screaming vocal presence, mixing satire and social commentary, is backed up by the band’s truly exciting energy. TSPSI’s reputation proceeds them and in the relatively intimate Bobiks setting things could get very sweaty indeed when they launch into songs like the chaotic Braindead and the dark intensity of Casanovacaine, they’ll have you by the throat. Support comes from sludge-heavy El Moono and the frenetic screamo of Shower of Teeth.
Saturday 6^th May @ Bobiks, Newcastle

MUSIC David Brewis presents: The Soft Struggles
Field Music’s David Brewis will present a live rendition of his new album, The Soft Struggles, accompanied by a ten-piece orchestral band. The Soft Struggles is a commentary on humanity, our relationships and the importance of community. Yet the album’s core focus is its discussion of growth: ageing and self-growth throughout the course of life, as we learn to overcome the trials and tribulations of each day.
Saturday 6^th May @ Customs House, South Shields

MUSIC CLT DRP
Self-described as “electro-punk renegades”, the group have created a style that is uniquely theirs, with their sound blending in elements of punk, electronica and pop. From techno horror synths and roaring horror screams from vocalist Annie Dorrett, to biting guitar riffs and punky roots. And yes, that is pronounced ‘clit drip’.
Saturday 6^th May @ Zerox, Newcastle

Image: CLT DRP

STAGE The Tiger Lillies
Expect the unexpected from this genre-defying group whose show is part cabaret part musical genius. The band’s hypnotic live shows are replete with dark and deviant theatrics, shot through with an innate musicality which draws as much from riotous punk as it does 1920s vaudeville. Expect a career-spanning set guaranteed to delight fans old and new.
Saturday 6^th May @ ARC, Stockton

MUSIC Hector Gannet
Fans of Hector Gannet’s gorgeous debut album, Big Harcar, may or may not know that some of the music from that album came from pieces they wrote to accompany archive footage relating to the industry and culture of the North East coast for a film with North East Film Archive (NEFA) and the British Film Institute (BFI). Hector Gannet have been granted exclusive licence by NEFA for a one-off performance of the soundtrack to the film at the fittingly grand venue.
Saturday 6^th May @ Sage Gateshead

MUSIC Bank Holiday Big One
This special show over the Bank Holiday weekend is part of the venue’s celebration of their 25^th anniversary. As always with their ‘big one’ shows, they aim to showcase the very best of Hartlepool’s up and coming talent, so expect sets from The Warrens, Burn The Valley, Detweiler, High Tide, Charlotte Grayson and the Shame Areas.
Sunday 7^th May @ The Studio, Hartlepool

MUSIC Magic Castles
American neo-psychedelic rockers Magic Castles make a pretty rare appearance in the UK, bringing their blissed-out blend of psychedelic rock and dreamy soundscapes to The Common Room. Drawing inspiration from the 60s psychedelic era, 80s indie, 90s shoegaze and beyond, they create a unique sonic experience with a sound that is comfortably familiar and yet completely their own.
Monday 8^th May @ The Common Room, Newcastle

MUSIC Saul Adamczeski
Peckham’s Fat White Family have been a fixture of the British indie scene for over a decade, having released three critically acclaimed albums and earning a reputation as one of the country’s most thrilling live acts. Now the band’s frontperson Saul Adamczewski is looking to further this musical legacy by embarking on a solo project, and is going on tour following the release of the future cult classic Adventures In Limbo. Saul’s influences have often come from his fierce interest in abrasive music and extreme culture; recent project Two Patheticists Can’t Be Wrong! is suitably experimental for a figure who has often been described as a tortured genius, with the recent Patheticist Manifesto being a bizarre, otherworldy soundscape of static, spoken word and brutality.
Monday 8^th May @ The Cluny 2, Newcastle

Image: Saul Adamczewski