WEEKLY ROUND-UP (26.06.23)

Image: Menstrual Rage – The Taming of the Shrew

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

STAGE
Menstrual Rage present: The Taming of the Shrew
Feminist theatre company Menstrual Rage are reimagining Shakespeare’s comedy, which follows two sisters, unable to marry unless the other does, with the meddling of bachelors and the patriarchal structure of wedded expectations. As a contemporary, feminist theatre company, Menstrual Rage take the story and attach a modern lens to interrogate the expectations of gender and ‘undesirability’ within the play.
Tuesday 27^th June @ Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre

MUSIC
Harriet
Singer-songwriter Harriet brings her melodic sounds to the Fire Station in Sunderland to promote her much-lauded new album, The Outcome, which is out now. 
Wednesday 28th June @ The Fire Station, Sunderland

MUSIC
Alien Nose Job
For those familiar with Australia’s punk scene, the man behind Alien Nose Job has also been behind Ausmuteants, Hierophants, Smarts and School Damage. Jake Roberts is the multi-instrumentalist who has his finger prints across the punk scene, with his vast and eclectic exploration of the genre, ranging from anxious, bubbly punk rock to the more broody dirt of the new wave movement.
Thursday 29^th June @ The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle

MUSIC
The Globe Summer Festival
Friday’s line-up includes Brierdene, a young group who grew out of the folk community based around Sage Gateshead; La Sonora Boreal, who marry Colombian music to other styles originating from the Caribbean to Pacific coasts; and Ostar Sound, a Glasgow meets Newcastle project from Ross Hull and Nicky Kirk that throws the folk music of Scotland, Ireland, North Africa and the Middle East into a big melting pot along with beats, synths and plenty of dancefloor sounds.
Saturday sees performances from Tommy Arch, Holy Moly drummer but gifted songsmith in his own right; fiddle-augmented singer-songwriter magic from Anna Hughes & Jessie Howard; the wonderful Iris Brickfield, a fairly new, fairly excellent indie pop outfit emerging from the fertile scene around the Cumberland Arms; rootsy singer and guitarist Memphis Gerald; indie rock outfit The Timewasters; Americana-tinged Newcastle band Lovely Assistant; and garage punk upstarts Pink Poison, plus No Wow DJs till 3am. Sunday includes Scottish outfit Figiro Quartet, popular local trio Abbie Finn Trio, almost telepathically connected duo James Birkett & Bradley Johnston and headliners Origin, a new and already acclaimed jazz fusion quartet pushing the boundaries of UK jazz.
Friday 30^th June-Sunday 2^nd July @ The Globe, Newcastle

ART & LIT
The Amazonian Rubber Boom
Curated by Giuliana Borea and Erna von der Walde, in partnership with Newcastle University’s Centre of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), The Amazonian Rubber Boom: Industrialisation, Extractivism and Violence is a profound, thought-provoking and vivid exploration of the many links between rubber exploitation in the Amazon and its circulation in Europe.
Friday 30th June-Saturday 12th August @ NewBridge Project, Newcastle

ART & LIT
7Seven
The Auxiliary have teamed up with local galleries and artists to present a series of one night exhibition openings in their garden gallery pod. Running every night from Friday 30th June until Thursday 6th July, expect to see collabs with the likes of Navigator North, Platform A Gallery, Wild Vision Collective, Pink Collar Gallery, The Spaghetti Factory, Pineapple Black and more.
Friday 30th June-Thursday 6th July @ The Auxiliary, Middlesbrough

EVENTS
Nat Sharp’s EcoSex Fun House
The maverick artist and performer has put together an evening of lewd entertainment where single, ethically non-monogamous or relationship anarchic Queer folk are invited to partake in the odd dating game or two, all with some delightful punnery. “Through tree glory hole,” anyone? While nudity isn’t obligatory, it is apparently encouraged – so those of the faint of heart may want to stick with the ol’ swiping left ‘n’ right. Those who don’t mind getting their kit off and/or being in the presence of others with said kit off, whatever your tastes and preferences, can let Nat Sharp guide you through this evening-long interactive event to find your Mr/Mrs/Miss/Mx Right (or just have a damn good bit of fun in the process.)
Friday 30^th June @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle

Image: The Ligeti Quartet

MUSIC
The Mixer
An experimental and intriguing event which is spearheaded by the internationally-renowned Ligeti Quartet, who present two unique and adventurous sets; a minimal performance of Steve Reich’s seminal avant garde piece Different Trains, which uses ‘speech melody’ as a tool for melodic development and was one of the first classical music compositions to include digital sampling; while for their second set, they’ll perform music by award-winning artist Anna Meredith. The supporting cast includes The Peter Brewis Trio, who will debut songs from the Field Music songwriter’s new album, Blow Dry Colossus, which focuses on contemporary instrumental music and synth-based compositions; plus there’s an interesting collaboration from The Futureheads’ Ross Millard, who’s fast becoming a sonic innovator with musical and theatrical projects under his belt, and composer, improviser and saxophonist Faye MacCalman.
Friday 30^th June @ The Fire Station, Sunderland

MUSIC
Holme Festival
Returning for its second year, Holme Festival will be transforming a secret location in County Durham into a magical playground for a weekend of music and wellness, promising to be full of partying, dancing and relaxation.The Glamour Ghouls perform a spooky, yet sensuous burlesque set. For the music lovers and ravers, Holme Festival will play host to some of the North East’s most well regarded DJs, with a colossal sound system powering the party. The line-up includes Pad Thai HiFi, Cosmifrica, DJ Mayonnaise, Dynamite Disco Club, Cole Newton, Cass Lamb, Random Mat, Diz, Richard Finch, Becky Woodcock and more. If you’re looking to find your Zen, there is a healthy roster of wellness sessions, led by yoga and meditation teacher Hanna Truu.
Friday 30^th June @ Venue TBA, County Durham

MUSIC
Youth Sector
Youth Sector are an emerging art rock five-piece emanating from one of the country’s musical and cultural hotspots, Brighton. According to the band themselves, they’ve been “combining beeps with boops” since 2018 and have been on a thrilling musical journey ever since. Their debut EP, Mundanity, features four fun, snappy tracks lamenting the frustrations of modern living. Having taken much of their musical inspiration from Parquet Courts and Talking Heads, their sound is similarly tuneful and interesting, but with an added twist of upbeat, positive melody. More recently, the band have leaned into a post-punk sound, with April’s release containing three excellent tunes – keep an ear out for The Ball and Benign Fire In A Small Room, as they represent the band’s best work yet.
Friday 30^th June @ The Engine Room, North Shields

EVENTS
Curious Ball
Produced by Newcastle-based charity Curious Arts and launching a summer of Curious activities, the return of the Curious Ball promises to be an unforgettable celebration of the North East’s LGBTQ+ culture with incredible fashions, fierce and inventive performances, and all-round queer excellence.
Saturday 1st July @ Dance City, Newcastle

MUSIC
Electric Six
With over 30 million streams on Spotify, Electric Six are one of a long line of Detroit legends, from Diana Ross and Iggy Pop to Eminem and Kid Rock. Since 1996 the genre bashing rock, disco and glam party-starters have released 14 studio albums headed up by charismatic frontman Dick Valentine.
Sunday 2nd July @ KU, Stockton

MUSIC
MUNRO Festival
Headliners include the legendary likes of feisty rockers Bilk, dreamy indie artist Mollie Coddled, North East favourites Avalanche Party, fuzzy rockers Pit Pony and Mancunian indie band The Covasettes, along with Portsmouth’s excitable four-piece Crystal Tides, alt. rockers Spyres, singer-songwriter Rianne Downey, Brighton‘s art rock five-piece Youth Sector, and some homegrown talent including the likes of high energy madcap indie band The Peevie Wonders, Sunderland’s The Voyd, rowdy five-piece Dossers, the synth-tastic noyou, engaging singer-songwriter Patrick Gosling, impressive singer Chloe & The Brainwaves, evocative songwriter Eve Cole, rising pop star Lauren Amour, excitable popsters Marketplace and a complete wealth of other quality, talented artists.
Saturday 1^st July @ The Georgian Theatre, The Green Room, KU and The Social Room

Image: BILK, who play MUNRO