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Our pick of some of the best events taking place across the region this week…
Detention by Joe Armitage
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.
STAGE
Kings of creepy comedy Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton tour their stage show, Inside No 9: Stage/Fright, oozing its way over to Sunderland Empire from Tuesday 16th-Saturday 20th September. A glorious goodbye to the much loved spooky anthology TV show, Stage/Fright delivers the laughs and frights with an added thrill of the aliveness of the theatre; an added intensity without the protection of the TV screen. This iteration of Inside No 9 will have you gasping in terror one moment, to gasping for breath because you can’t stop laughing the next, and comes complete with trademark twists, turns, a spectacular supporting cast and jaw dropping surprises. At the heart of it is the brilliant twosome, Reece and Steve, which if you haven’t yet experienced their wonderful dark comedy catalogue of The League of Gentlemen or Psychoville, I urge you to… There’s such joy in seeing these two incredibly talented comedy veterans together onstage, who at the end of the day, are just two best friends having a laugh. Stage/Fright is a fantastic farewell for fans of this incredible show, as well as a fun spooky gateway for those who have yet to creep through the doors of Inside No 9… You’ll be gutted to miss it (literally..?!)
Tuesday 16th – Saturday 20th September @ Sunderland Empire
STAGE
From the dance theatre company behind the multi-award-winning Coal and Wasteland, Detention is a new show by Gary Clarke Company that explores Section 28 – a piece of notorious legislation from Thatcher’s government. Well known to teachers of a certain age, but little known to others, Section 28 prohibited ‘the promotion of homosexuality’. In both education and the wider world this meant the suppression of conversations about LGBTQ+ lives and people being forced into isolation and shame. Set against the turmoil of industrial disputes across the North and at a time when AIDS was devastating the gay community, this piece promises to explore themes of loneliness, protest, violence and the stories of individuals and organisations during this time. Gary Clarke Company are known for their powerful and personal working-class storytelling, and this show combines dance choreography and evocative narration with a cast of local LGBTQ+ performers and an exciting music score, which includes tracks from band Test Dept. Add film, lighting, costume and a dynamic sound score, and Detention looks to be an all-encompassing experience. This is a history lesson not to be missed, with themes so relevant still today. Detention is performed at Northern Stage on Tuesday 16th-Wednesday 17th September.
Tuesday 16th September @ Northern Stage
Self Esteem by Scarlett Carlos Clarke
MUSIC
Wildly impressive, unapologetic pop star Self Esteem – aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor – has treated us to a second North East date on her biggest headline run yet, and it’s at none other than our favourite silver-mirrored music hub, The Glasshouse. The Mercury Prize-nominated artist tackles insecurity, misogyny and other powerful truths in her unmissable music.
Wednesday 17th September @ The Glasshouse
COMEDY
Back in 2005, we were introduced to Moz. The dishevelled dealer residing in his Salford dump of a flat was rife with a myriad of characters and oddballs who swung by to pick up their various vices, and throughout seven series the nation loved Moz and his ragtag assortment of curious friends and acquaintances. The TV show was quintessentially British, dirty and unpredictable. What was at one moment a fly-on-the-wall commentary about the underbelly of Manchester, could simultaneously be a madcap and surreal comedy that packed all the intensity and angry hilarity that we expect from its lead, the unstoppable force that is Johnny Vegas.Toeing a similar tightrope of absurdity and gritty realism as Sean Lock’s phenomenal 15 Storeys High, IDEAL became one of Britain’s greatest cult comedies. Having been cut down before the eighth series, and to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of IDEAL, Vegas and the gang are back to showcase the final episode on a live stage; the closing chapter they felt they never got the chance to show. Coming to The Fire Station in Sunderland on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th September, Vegas and the cast will bring a heartfelt revival to one of TV’s greatest shows.
Wednesday 17th – Friday 19th September @ Fire Station
STAGE
From Wednesday 17th-Saturday 20th September, a light will be shone on South Tyneside. In particular, on the story of Dolly Peel, the South Tyneside rebel. In an imaginative new collection of short plays taking place at South Shields’ Customs House, Peel’s famous historical story will be told by modern voices and set to original live music. There will be four plays featured in the project, each by a different writer and looking at Dolly Peel’s story from a new angle. There is John Dawson’s play Cleaning Up, which covers the cleaning of a bathroom and the loss of a child to a dangerous ideology; Tom Kelly’s play Finding Dolly, which follows a modern couple who go to Dolly Peel’s statue to discuss their relationship; Janet Plater’s play Dolly Peel of Shadwell Street, which explores Dolly’s secrets alongside her trade as a fishwife and smuggler in 1837; and Emma Zadow’s play The Smuggler’s Daughter, which showcases how Dolly became the voice of a silenced past via her stories and songs. Whether you’re a Dolly Peel expert or you’ve no clue of her significance, this may be the most entertaining way to educate yourself on this important and interesting local figure.
Wednesday 17th – Saturday 20th September @ Customs House
MUSIC
Alt. hip-hop royalty comes to the region in September, as Anticon legend Serengeti devotes two nights of his five date UK tour to the North East. Having collaborated with artists as diverse as Sufjan Stevens, Jenny Lewis and Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, Serengeti’s colourful, storytelling hip-hop has captured the imaginations of many across the world. His intricate, detailed narratives featuring most prominently on his Kenny Dennis LPs are concept albums about an ageing hardcore rap artist, filling their universes with pathos, humour and pinpoint attention to detail. It’s a remarkable opportunity to see a cult legend in magically intimate venues, as Serengeti lands at The Angel’s Cut in Darlington on Wednesday 17th and The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle on Thursday 18th September. Having not toured the UK since before the pandemic, Serengeti will be showcasing his absurdist take on consumerism from recent album Ajai. Happily, local legends Faithful Johannes plus Neocia and Ceiling Demons will provide support for the whole tour, taking in Leeds, London and Edinburgh. Both artists make suitably idiosyncratic and characterful hip-hop, and provide beautiful counterblasts to Serengeti’s work. Both shows are an astonishingly intimate opportunity to see a genuine cult icon, so make sure you check out this fascinating, alt. hip-hop legend.
Wednesday 17th – Thursday 18th September @ Angel’s Cut & Lubber Fiend
STAGE
One of the North East’s greatest independent theatres, Alphabetti, brings us Bruntwood-prize winning play Yen from Wednesday 3rd–Saturday 20th September. The play follows Hench (16) and Bobbie (13) who live with their dog, wasting the days away, not sure what the future really holds for them; occasionally their mum makes a visit – only to pass out on the lawn! It is only when a lady called Jenny shows up at the front door that they begin to find new meaning in life. She opens the pair up to a world of possibilities that they had previously been unable to see; taking the audience on a journey of love, friendship and introspection. After several successful runs in New York, Manchester and London, Anna Jordan’s era-defining production comes to town with a star-studded cast. Adam Owers (Biedermann und die Brandstifter, Roundhouse) takes on the role of Hench, Jonny Grogan (The Head, HBO) as Bobbie, Lucy Eve Mann (A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou, Netflix) as Jennifer and Vicky Binns (Coronation Street, ITV) as Maggie. With such talent oozing from this cast, it is sure to be a performance which will have audiences captivated from beginning to end. Described as unmissable, this is one of the touring plays coming to the North East this year which you will absolutely want to see. Taking the audience back to raw, real, and stripped back theatre it is sure to leave Newcastle in awe, as it has done the rest of the world.
Wednesday 17th September @ Alphabetti
MUSIC
The Globe in Newcastle are celebrating their regulars through a compilation album release and live event featuring artists such as Jade Mia Broadhead, Detroit Tourist Board, Katie Yossarian, The Hemp Queens and many more. The Globe’s cooperative approach to live gigs has ensured it has become a go-to venue in the city for music lovers and musicians alike thanks to their supportive, welcoming ethos. Their line-ups are eclectic, with everything from regular jazz clubs and cabaret to alt. rock and indie, jam nights and heavy rock gracing their stage. With the release of The Globe Collective Vol. 1 and the live event that pairs with it on Thursday 18th September, the venue are hoping to raise money for the repair of its first floor. The idea came from Patrick Lawrence, also known as Detroit Tourist Board, who worked with Martin Trollop at Harbourmaster Studios for the recordings. Many musicians worked together on creating the songs that have ended up on the album, showing the importance of collaboration and the strength of the North East music community; so much more than the sum of its parts, the album’s release shows an admirable spirit of camaraderie.
Thursday 18th September @ The Globe, Newcastle
Last and First Men by Miles Hart Photography
STAGE
It is a truth universally acknowledged: if the performance has a Tilda Swinton voiceover, shit is about to get very real. In this adaptation of Olaf Stapledon’s 1930 sci-fi novel of the same name, Last and First Men tells the tale of a race from the future, teetering on the verge of extinction (sound familiar?). All that remains of them is a series of strange, surreal monuments – yet, in this performance, they call to us from 2,000 million years in the future, offering help to humanity and asking only for our assistance in return. What they require is something that can only be revealed through a fusion of Swinton’s mysterious tones, contemporary dance, sci-fi film footage, and a haunting orchestral score. Last and First Men is a peculiar labour of love, built over seven years and completed by Yair Elazar Glotman following filmmaker Jóhann Jóhannsson’s untimely death. Even if dance isn’t necessarily your bag, we highly recommend giving this a go: the show promises to deliver a deeply moving combination of ‘movie, movement and music’, allowing us a glimpse behind the curtain of humanity’s dystopian future. Last and First Men lands at Dance City on Thursday 18th September.
Thursday 18th September @ Dance City
Whitney K by Tess Roby
MUSIC
Whitney K is the musical project of Konner Whitney, a striking Canadian songwriter who heads to Newcastle’s Lubber Fiend on Friday 19th September. Think a delicate concoction of profound folk, pop, country and rock music which flits between cool detachment and heated emotion, showcased through the vessel of raw recording techniques, even rawer, clever lyricism and the singer-songwriter’s staple rich, buttery baritone voice. Whitney’s brand new LP, Bubble, is set to be released on 12th September, and it’s likely chock full of all of these things – hence why it’s so special that he’s bringing the album’s world tour to Newcastle just seven days after it comes out. Bubble is the artist’s first LP via Fire Records, marking a new era of perhaps the most refined (but still remarkably naked and honest) music that Whitney K has been responsible for thus far – and to top his previous work is quite the statement. With a growing cult following, it’s exciting to see the Canadian head over the pond into our territory. Whitney K makes music for yearners, emotional nomads, or just people who appreciate a great song.
Friday 19th September @ Lubber Fiend
COMEDY
Edy Hurst’s Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Himself
Have you entered the mysterious and curiously shifting world of late-stage ADHD diagnosis? Edy Hurst has, and he wants to tell you about it, so follow him on this funny, wyrd and wonderful journey of self-discovery. Award-winning multi-hyphen comedian musician Edy has developed his own oddball style combining loop pedals, music and a neurodiverse view of the world, touring his shows country-wide to critical acclaim. This show was commissioned as part of Lowry’s Developed With programme and certainly sounds unique and entertaining. Having come across some startling revelations about his relatives and their witchy connections, Edy starts on a pathway to explore powers beyond our world. If his ancestor was one of the women accused of witchcraft in the Lancashire Trials of 1612, can he tap in and cast spells to the other side, seeking visions and wisdom? Combining comedy, clowning, live music and a giant cauldron on stage, Edy offers us a funny but heartfelt insight into his inner world, only slightly distracted by the sound of the Vengaboys. Catch this at the Gala Theatre in Durham on Friday 19th September and you’ll be in for a treat.
Friday 19th September @ Gala, Durham
COMEDY
One of our region’s top comedy promoters, Hilarity Bites, bring together some of your favourite as-seen-on-TV comedy connoisseurs for a remarkable stand-up show. The hilarious line-up includes legends of laughter Bridget Christie, Harriet Kemsley, Ignacio Lopez and Brennan Reece.
Saturday 20th September @ Darlington Hippodrome
MUSIC
A night of protest cloaked in electro hip-hop and synth-driven grit hits Pop Recs Ltd., Sunderland on Saturday 20th September featuring Senser and supporting act Ant Chapman. Rap rock pioneers Senser define cultural rebellion and 90s counterculture. Their politically-charged sound fuses rock, metal, hip-hop and electronica in a creatively colourful concoction. Synth beats meet equally rapid drums and guitar riffs in every track – a physical manifestation of their urgent message. Lyrically sharp with undeniably punk undertones, their tracks explore governmental control, media, censorship and identity. Their music is a call to action, a plea for resistance and a symbol of rebellion against the status quo. DJ Ant Chapman – founding member of Collapsed Lung and a driving force in musical genre blending – will bring his own flavour of rebellion to the stage. His work focuses on electronic music, driving people to their feet under the spell of the dancefloor – yet beneath the surface, his beats carry the allure of introspection and nuance. Genre-blending ethos; the wrath and rage of a political undertone; an energy of anarchy – redefining the music scene and forging a community fostered by rebellion. Both artists promise to deliver these aspects and more in a night of unruly musical resistance.
Saturday 20th September @ Pop Recs
FESTIVAL OF THRIFT Mud Plant Rave by Institute of Thrifty Ideas (c) Dominic Somers 2025. Courtesy Festival of Thrift
EVENTS
The award winning Tees Valley-based Festival of Thrift returns to Billingham, and they are ready to once again champion and celebrate sustainable living through community creativity and the power of imagination. Taking place on Saturday 20th-Sunday 21st September, the free weekend festival takes over Billingham town centre and John Whitehead Park, showcasing a range of performances and workshops with eco-friendly themes. With many outdoor performances and installations, including 10 North East premieres, visitors can expect a unique and exciting programme of live art, music and dance. Alongside this, there will be workshops, 90+ independent stalls, and creative zones for all ages. Whether you want to craft with natural materials or showcase your own style in Slow Fashion Alley, every part of the festival asks visitors to embrace the joys of thrifty living. Top highlights include the immersive Museum of Memorable Trees by Harry Pizzey, an art and sound installation exploring our relationship to nature; and Mud Plant Rave, a new production from the Institute of Thrifty Ideas, featuring original work by poet Helen Mort and sound artist Me Lost Me, following the journey through a plant’s lifecycle. Festival of Thrift invites everyone to explore creative, low-impact ways to live well, care for our planet, and build a better future together.
Saturday 20th September @ Billingham
MUSIC
Rufus Wainwright’s Want Symphonic with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ridiculously talented, professionally accomplished and critically esteemed: there’s very little that Rufus Wainwright hasn’t achieved over the course of his almost 40 year career. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter was born to and raised by music-makers, so his line of work is no surprise. But what he’s done by his skills, whether they’re God-given or the result of intensive training, is what has made Wainwright’s career wholly his own. With two Juno awards under his belt and too many prestigious international nominations to list, his reputation is cemented, and he can do basically whatever he wants – whether that’s imbibing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah with even more pathos (for a Shrek movie, no less), or paying tribute to Judy Garland with an absurdly well-received tribute concert and subsequent album. Rufus Wainwright’s latest tour blends baroque pop and symphonic grandeur with a special reimagining of his landmark albums Want One (2003) and Want Two (2004) with a little help from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to elevate the pop rock fusion tracks to new heights. Few venues would be better suited to such a sonic experiment than the custom-built music halls of Gateshead’s Glasshouse, so for one of the greatest songwriters of a generation to tread the floorboards of such an iconic stage may well result in a show for the ages on Sunday 21st September.
Sunday 21st September @ The Glasshouse
