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Our pick of some of the best events taking place across the region this week…
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.
Image: Alan Sparhawk by Sophia Photo Co
MUSIC
As someone who has been releasing music constantly for more than 30 years (primarily but not solely in Low), it’s no real surprise that Alan Sparhawk’s reaction to the devastating loss of his wife / bandmate Mimi Parker three years ago was to tour, record and find an outlet for his grief. Playing local gigs around Duluth and beyond with his Sparhawk family funk band Derecho Rhythm Section, and touring quickly with a mix of solo shows, supports (including for Circuits des Yeux) and playing in other bands. Last year Sub Pop released the beats-and-vocoders driven White Roses, My God – a strange and alienating album that caught everyone off guard. This spring there was Alan Sparhawk With Trampled By Turtles, an album as good as some Low albums that saw him recording with the Duluth string band, a set that includes several songs intended for Low. Currently touring and promoting both albums, it’s wonderful that The Cluny is bringing him to Newcastle on Tuesday 12th August, with a band likely to include his son Cyrus on bass and long-time collaborator Eric Pollard on drums. It’s going to be emotional. It’s going to be amazing. And now, just announced for support and playing their first Newcastle show for more than a decade, we get expansive, exploratory, sorta post-rock outfit Kogumaza too.
Tuesday 12th August @ The Cluny
MUSIC
I’m writing this on a coach home after seeing Arab Strap in Leeds – the first night of a sporadic mini-tour that’ll eventually visit Newcastle’s Boiler Shop on Tuesday 12th August. The novelty may have worn off, yet few reunions in recent times have proved as triumphant or durable as that of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. Beyond recapturing former glories, the Scots are now a highly evolved manifestation of the band who called it a day in the mid-‘00s, enjoying one of the most prosperous stretches in careers now spanning almost three decades. Though lacking the immediacy of 2021’s As Days Get Dark, last year’s I’m Totally Fine with It Don’t Give a Fuck Anymore – perhaps more than any previous Arab Strap record – has truly come to life on the live stage. It’s fitting that the high point in Leeds is a transition from old to new – from perennial staple New Birds, whose intimate storytelling and soaring crescendo remain infallibly goosebump-inducing, to Strawberry Moon, an instant Strap classic whose skittish beats have already carved a unique corner in their ever-evolving setlist. Hopefully that mini-review of a completely different show will have persuaded you to catch them at the Boiler Shop… I’ll be ruing my absence on a poorly timed holiday!
Tuesday 12th August @ Boiler Shop
MUSIC
Does skull-crushing death metal happen to be your jam? If so, the unrelenting New Yorkers Undeath will be tearing up the stage at Think Tank; they’re known for their signature gritty guitars, roaring riffs, wild drums with festering, face melting vocals. With support from Horrendous, Plague Rider and Inhuman Suffering.
Wednesday 13th August @ Think Tank
Image by: Geboren Wustmann
MUSIC
Across four albums, a dozen singles, endless touring and about eight years of existence (1992- 2000), Prolapse carved their names indelibly on the hearts of a certain kind of indie / noise fan (me, for instance). A friend once described Prolapse as a speed-addled couple having a row at a Stereolab gig, which is nonsense but there’s some truth to it: the music was often taut, ferocious, propulsive. The vocalists are what everyone remembers though: Linda Steelyard’s voice was sweet or disdainful by turn, big Mick Derrick was maniacal, surreal, frantic; with words delivered in a thick Weegie brogue. When they split after Ghosts Of Dead Airplanes, they were mourned and assumed to be done for good. But Prolapse tentatively reappeared in 2015 (for a Mogwai show) and have slowly returned to an active unit. Now, with the imminent, excellent new album I Wonder When They’re Going To Destroy Your Face, they’re playing a few shows. They hit Newcastle Cluny 2 on Thursday 14th August and judging by recent form, it’ll be as intense and joyful as ever. With the members spread across Europe and even the States, who knows how long this reunion will last so don’t take them for granted, you need a little Prolapse in your life.
Thursday 14th August @ The Cluny 2
Image: The Courettes by Søren Solkær
MUSIC
The Courettes are old school rock and roll. It’s fantastic and euphoric and frivolous and feisty and exactly what you want it to be. Expect enigmatic female vocals, punchy riffs and driving beats, with big choruses blasting out of a tiny band; their sound harks back to the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll, with a good healthy dollop of punk simultaneously cranking up the volume on brill-building sounds of the 60s, and thrusting contemporary swamp rock stylings of the likes of Black Keys back to their rootsy origins. The Courettes have a great sound that is instantly recognisable and uplifting. I challenge anyone not to be smiling when they hear the sounds of Want You! Like A Cigarette or Shake. As rebellious as it is indulgent, their 2024 album was a more modern interpretation of the sound they had created in 2021; this is a dirty, feisty bite of venomous blues rock, with some lurking synths and dirty bass lines, and a new slice of danger hidden in each track. The Courettes could very well be your next favourite band, and their performance at The Cluny on Thursday 14th August is an opportunity to cement that title.
Thursday 14th August @ The Cluny
EVENTS
Taking place across the country, Seed Talks are a series of events which focus on science, wellness, neurodiversity and more. They bring two interesting talks to the region this month, both of which have feminist values at their core First up at Newcastle’s Dance City on Thursday 14th August is Folklore & Women, which explores the enduring relevance of folklore, looking at how stories can be reimagined and reclaimed for the 21st Century feminist. Led by lecturer Dr Shelby Judge, the event will delve into how feminist thinkers have reshaped traditional figures into symbols of resilience. Later in the month at Middlesbrough Empire on Wednesday 27th August, The History of Witchcraft and Women is a fascinating folklore talk by historian and archaeologist Dr Debora Morretti, who will examine real life stories of both men and women accused of witchcraft through a feminist lens. The image of the witch is often portrayed as a female figure; throughout history, women were the main targets of accusations, trials and executions, reinforcing the connections between witchcraft and societal expectations of women. The talk will look at real-life stories of individuals that were tried by the Roman Inquisition, exploring the lives, beliefs and magical practices of both women and men accused of witchcraft by their communities.
Thursday 14th August @ Dance City/Middlesbrough Empire
MUSIC
Former Newcastle resident Chris Rollen released his poetic third album as Pea Sea in July, titled A Pyke Of Patina Slate and produced by Peter Brewis (Field Music) and Tom English (Maxïmo Park). He’ll be bringing it to life in Sunderland’s beloved Pop Recs this month, and you can’t possibly miss it.
Friday 15th August @ Pop Recs
EVENTS
Gateshead-based community-led organisation The Studio NE CIC is led by passionate and inspiring professional Ella Corsini-Riley. Through her organisation she focuses on improving the mental wellbeing of marginalised communities through pole dancing. Together with activist and educator Luna Minx, The Studio NE CIC is organising a radical and important weekend of workshops, talks, performances, and community connection this August. Their Sex Worker Weekender is designed to platform the voices and talents of sex worker artists, educate its visitors on sex worker rights, laws, and legislations, help people become better allies, and ultimately raise funds to support free workshops for sexworkers in the North East. They open their doors to the curious, the open-minded and those that are eager to learn more about sex work and how to support it respectfully and meaningfully. The event is taking place across Studio Space 6 and Vane Gallery on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th August, and is the first of its kind within the region. The Weekender brings together sex workers, artists, allies and educators and serves as a vital and timely reminder that sex work is work, and that sex workers deserve respect, safety, and autonomy. Sex Worker Weekender is an event as well as an empowering statement.
Saturday 16th August @ Studio Space 6/Vane Gallery
EVENTS
Hosted by local folk legend Groundbird, Songwriters In Conversation is a series which allows two artists to play Tiny Desk-style 30-minute sets, and then have a groundbreaking conversation about their craft. This night, the third in the series, welcomes the Young Property Developers and Nicky Bray, on the topic of comedy and music.
Sunday 17th August @ Baba Yaga’s, North Shields
MUSIC
Experimental, freaky, one-of-a-kind noise-making punks Round Eye will deliver a night like no other at Alphabetti Theatre on Wednesday 13th August. Straight from the Shanghai underground punk scene, Round Eye are noted as one of the driving forces bridging a gap between the eastern and western hemispheres of DIY punk rock. They radiate their own unique, multi-blended genre complete with warped, cool vocals ranging from classic punk to gentle laments to anarchic screams; bouncy addictive riffs; loud crispy rhythms; creepy little samples; chaotic guitars that tear through the stratosphere; and are unafraid to wield a discordant saxophone for good measure. The band’s tornado-like noise is an unconventional blend of 50s R&B, free jazz and punk which sounds like a recipe for disaster… but in the best possible way. You just don’t know what’s coming next, which makes seeing them live so intriguing. Having worked with the likes of Black Flag on their acclaimed EP, Full Circle, the band are an amalgamation of Captain Beefheart and The Stooges, yet in their own original, weird, brand. With support from local lo-fi experimental duo SQUARMS, this night will be a mint line-up of bands who are gripping tight onto the freedom of DIY punk ethos of just making noise, and you will be gutted to miss it.
Sunday 17th August @ Alphabetti
