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Our pick of some of the best events taking place across the region this week…
Image: Mr Funbles’ Sunday Portal by Robin Fodor
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.
MUSIC
From Wednesday 23rd April, Gateshead’s Glasshouse are opening exciting new opportunities to learn songwriting and music production. The courses, which run over four months, are led by supportive and experienced industry members who encourage collaboration in a practical environment and aim to cater for a wide variety of abilities, from beginners to those more advanced; singer-songwriter and instructor at The Glasshouse Studios Frankie Jobling has stressed there is room for everyone: “Whether you’re here to experiment, develop your craft, or take steps towards a music career, these courses are about unlocking your potential.” Courses available include a 10-week Introduction to Songwriting programme, as well as Intermediate Songwriting designed for more seasoned writers. Similarly, Music Technology and Production has three stages, offering progression through the levels. The latter course involves using a range of software such as Logic and GarageBand, and involves techniques with outboard hardware equipment as the course becomes more advanced. The most advanced course allows students to achieve professional quality mixes. The main goal, as Frankie says, is about being part of a like-minded community. “Whether you’re here to experiment, develop your craft, or take steps towards a music career, you’ll walk away with the confidence and skills to make your ideas a reality.”
Wednesday 23rd April @ The Glasshouse
Image: RUM by Grant Archer
STAGE
Masculinity, mental health and addiction in the building trade will be put under the spotlight in a new darkly humorous and powerful play, RUM, which takes to the stage at Stockton’s ARC from Thursday 24th-Saturday 26th April (returning to the region on Friday 6th-Saturday 7th June at Live Theatre in Newcastle). Actor/writer Joe Mallalieu’s one-person tragi-comic show is centered around the character of plasterer Danny, who glistens with stories of bravado and late night escapades yet struggles to deal with emotional situations and his own mental wellbeing. As the clock ticks by to finish a big job and give the speech of his life, how will he deal with unsettling childhood memories until now pushed away and avoided? Created in partnership with Andy’s Man Club, a men’s suicide prevention charity who offer free peer-to-peer support groups for men aged over 18 across the UK and online, the show is a plea to encourage men to begin to emotionally open up to each other, and to start tackling the men’s mental health crisis. Winner of the Broadway Baby’s Bobby award for the Edinburgh Fringe premiere of the show, it promises an entertaining, moving and polished story.
Thursday 24th April @ ARC Stockton
COMEDY
Fast paced comedy-two-hander Name of the Dame left audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe in stitches and is hitting the road with a duo of shows on Saturday 26th April at Laurels, Whitley Bay. The hour-long play is written and performed by comedians Kate McCabe and Adam Perrott who’ll be portraying dames, detectives and car chases using stylish hats… It’s a parody of the film noir genre and has got a gag rate that fires faster than a Tommy Gun, and is marginally less painful. If you like Airplane, the oeuvre of Mel Brooks, dicey puns and sight gags, this show is for you. The show’s core objective is entertainment, and makes a promise to teach its audience nothing, nor will it induce personal growth or important revelations. Pure and utterly mad humour is what Name of the Dame will be bringing to Laurels. It previously received the labels ‘silly’, ‘daft’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘highly entertaining’ which is all we would ever hope to find in a comedy play. Name of the Dame promises to be a workout for the laughing muscles, and who doesn’t want to be distracted from the drudgery of everyday life for at least an hour?
Saturday 26th @ Laurels, Whitley Bay
STAGE
What a time to be alive… With so many classic movies and TV shows getting a reboot in this century we have also been blessed with the return of the ethereal, metaphysical being and variety host, Mr Funbles, who will be reopening his portal into whimsical clown buffoonery on Saturday 26th April at Alphabetti Theatre. Described by audiences as “the sublime meets the ridiculous”, this bizarre take on the classic variety night is made for those with a flair for the surreal, silly, and… snails. Mr Funbles’ gang of goofs will be providing hysterical hi-jinks as a joyous escape from everyday life; packed full of laughs and strange surprises that may arrive in the form of sketch, stand-up, theatre, circus, drag and more. This playful, wondrous and experimental night celebrates all things alternative, noted as a “cosy home for weirdos”, and inviting audiences into a world of bizarre and curious cabaret acts. With nonsensical echoes of Monty Python and Aunty Donna, Mr Funbles dreams big and welcomes everyone into a kind space to try out new ideas in a safe, wholesome, relaxed atmosphere; which will have your faces aching from smiling, and brains warped from the weird. Let’s just hope Funbles actually turns up this time…
Saturday 26th April @ Alphabetti
Image by: Mark Holthusen
MUSIC
American Music Club were one of those bands who never turned critical acclaim and a slavish but compact fanbase into much commercial success, but those of us who cottoned on to quite how brilliant they are will still gather in small groups and talk in excited tones about the baroque swoon of Johnny Mathis’ Feet. Much of the San Francisco band’s appeal was the magnificent baritone voice of Mark Eitzel, which when paired with his often insightful, witty but bleak lyrics, was a thing of wonder. American Music Club called it a day in the early nineties before a new burst of activity in the noughties, and Eitzel has managed a sporadic but often impressive (and very varied) solo career since. But he’s been quiet for nearly a decade, which is why it’s a thrill to find out he’s including Newcastle on a short run of UK dates this month (part of a fairly hefty European tour). He’s bringing his Evening With Mark Eitzel show to Gosforth Civic Theatre on Sunday 27th April and promises a solo acoustic set covering his whole career (although presumably not the electronic stuff).
Sunday 27th April @ Gosforth Civic Theatre
Image by: Rob Blackham
MUSIC
Sari Schorr is a talent to be reckoned with; a vocalist with a staggering five-octave range who effortlessly navigates the various sounds of rock, blues, and soul. With every note Schorr is known for captivating audiences across the world, and now she brings her incredible talent to Newcastle, performing at Zerox, Newcastle on Sunday 27th April. Her music is steeped in the rich sounds of blues and rock, infused with a modern edge that sets her apart. Schorr has been described as a talent who makes the audience feel close to her, using her intense, soulful, and passionate sounds to draw them in. In fact, Schorr feels so close to her fans that her UK shows this spring will allow her fans to get a first listen to her new album out Friday 1st August. On her inspiring approach to music, and the industry, Schorr says. “I am putting my live audience first this year. My new studio album is the best thing I’ve done but rather than chase chart numbers, I want the people who support live shows to hear it first.” If you want to be one of the lucky first listeners to Schorr’s album, and get lost in a night of blues music, then get yourself down to Zerox this April.
Sunday 27th April @ Zerox
