WEEKLY ROUND-UP (29.05.23)

Image: Nice Biscuit

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 our latest issue in print and online.

ART & LIT
Walk The Line – Documenting The HSHAZ
Since 2020 Middlesbrough-based artist and photographer Rachel Deakin has been documenting Middlesbrough’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) through cultural engagement work and photography focused on public spaces. She presents her work which captures historic buildings, alternative views, abstract compositions, colours and textures, inviting the viewer to ‘walk the line’ and notice something new.
Runs until Saturday 1^st July @ The Masham, Middlesbrough

MUSIC
Amy May Ellis
With a slew of singles and EPs under her belt, Amy May Ellis has been building up a reputation for her pristine, gentle folk tracks that are all encompassing and transporting, and succeed in relocating the listener to the countryside. Stripped down to the bone, her music soundtracks falling raindrops, open meadows and the babbling brooks of  the countryside, focusing on the tranquillity and mystique of nature.
Tuesday 30^th May @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle

MUSIC
Flasher
Described as a “thrilling and energised response to feelings of malaise” the Washington DC rockers layer urgent guitars and excitable atmospherics to produce a sound that spans shoegaze, rock and punk, with melodic sparkle and a vibrant edge.
Wednesday 31^st May @ Pop Recs Ltd., Sunderland

MUSIC
Nice Biscuit
Distinct Australian quintet Nice Biscuit’s sound blends psychedelic and garage rock sounds with harmonised vocal melodies and driving instrumental grooves. Their live show promises to be quite the spectacle, with elaborate matching costumes and synchronised movements which combine to create a swirl of psych-driven sonic exploration.
Thursday 1^st June @ The Cluny, Newcastle

Image: Artwork by Gail Henderson

ART & LIT
Gail Henderson: Tees Valley response award
Abstract artist Gail Henderson has, across her career, carved out a unique place for herself in the region’s artistic community thanks to her singular approach to self-portraiture, which finds her visualising her psychological reality through intricate and experimental approaches. Her latest work, Periskepsi, is to be exhibited at Middlesbrough’s iconic MIMA until October.
Thursday 1^st June-Tuesday 31^st October @ MIMA, Middlesbrough

ART& LIT Six Days Of Type

The Six Days Of Type exhibition at the BottleWorks, Newcastle to explore how fonts shape the world around us. Browse their extensive font library, peruse books on type design, and even take part in their “Design your own type” competition.

The Exhibition runs from 1^st to 6th June (10am to 7pm) @ BottleWorks, Newcastle

MUSIC
Rock on the Hill
Self-described “anarchist DIY collective” festival Rock On The Hill takes over venues in Durham to present some of the region’s most exciting artists, spanning heavy rock, acoustic, indie and poetry. Performing across the weekend will be the likes of Labyrinthine Oceans, Elvet, Bethany Blackwell, Orchard Thieves, Void State, Mirror Image and more.
Thursday 1st-Sunday 4^th June @ Various Venues, Durham

MUSIC
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
A night of chat and dance with the authors of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton. Originating in 90s NYC, their infamous Low Life parties saw them take dancers on a musical journey through Balearic oddities, house music, leftfield disco and beyond. The evening kicks off with a Q&A before Bill and Frank take over the turntables.
Friday 2^nd June @ The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle

MUSIC
Melvins
Now celebrating their 40^th anniversary, Mevins remain as unique, perverse and prolific as ever; the past two years alone having spawned two studio albums – Working With God and Bad Moon Rising – as well as the career-spanning acoustic collection Five Legged Dog. With recent cuts, early ragers and classics all featuring in recent setlists, the trio’s long-awaited visit to Newcastle’s Boiler Shop surely ranks among this year’s most anticipated, essential events.
Friday 2^nd June @ Boiler Shop, Newcastle

Image: Burnout by ShyBairn Theatre Company

STAGE
Burnout
Burnout is a new production from ShyBairn Theatre, written by Nicole Acquah and directed by Caitlin Evans, and centres on climate activism, inspired by conversations with climate activists across the UK. Burnout explores racism, micro-aggressions, classism and the effects of climate crisis (flooding, burnout, eco-anxiety) in a relevant, thought-provoking way. Audience members can interact if they want to by reading text, holding an object, or coming up on stage.
Friday 2^nd June @ Live Theatre, Newcastle

ART & LIT
Newcastle University Fine Art Degree Show
A vibrant exhibition which celebrates four years of work by Newcastle University Fine Art Degree students, spanning mediums as diverse as sculpture, painting, film, photography, sound, text,
performance and textiles, and including themes of ideas of care, the natural world, motion, subversion and the otherworldly.
Saturday 3^rd June-Saturday 17^th June @ Hatton Gallery, Newcastle

EVENTS
Hexham Pride
The Northumberland town gets its first ever Pride celebrations, with community, family and connection being at the heart of the month-long series of events. Expect a diverse programme of film, live music, author events, talks, theatre and much more, including a Folk Is Queer musical showcase, Curious Arts hosted Young People’s Takeover and Mini Pride and much more.
Saturday 3^rd-Saturday 24^th June @ Various venues in Hexham

COMEDY
Elaine Robertson
Join North East Comedian Elaine Robertson (as seen on BBC3) as she presents her debut hour. With a surreal eye for observational comedy and keen knack for audience interaction, Elaine was a Regional Finalist for BBC New Comedian of the Year 2022 and promises a live show which will titillate and scintillate.
Saturday 3^rd June @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle

MUSIC
Labyrinthine Oceans
Creating dreamscapes with soaring guitar lines and gritty vocals is the effortless feat of Labyrinthine Oceans, as this electrifying quartet gears up for their latest EP release, The Deep End. Facing difficult topics head on is key, with lyrics of loss and mental health marked by the grit-tinged vocals of Julia O’Neill. Daniel Jackson’s flying guitar solos, Toby Flynn’s bass and the jazzy percussion of Jack Stead weave together to create their driving funk, merging 90s alt. sounds with psychedelia and classic rock.
Saturday 3^rd June @ Independent, Sunderland

Image: Scott H Biram

MUSIC
Scott H Biram
Widely heralded as The Dirty Old One Man Band, the widely eclectic sound of Scott H Biram is a gloriously face-melting reminder of the sheer storm that a sole musician can whip up with the right amount of conviction. Scott’s sound takes in the broad pantheon of guitar music, running the gamut from blues through to classic country and bluegrass, with a hearty dose of rock & roll on the side.
Sunday 4^th June @ The Cluny, Newcastle

MUSIC
Panopticon
Austin Lunn’s brainchild is a vivid exploration into black metal, boasting an emotive and rich discography that shifts focus off the tectonic crunching riffs, honing instead on building atmospheric landscapes that simultaneously feel otherworldly and incredibly rooted. While wrenching in its intensity, the music of Panopticon is equally sweeping and spectacular, dazzlingly forceful and impactful.
Monday 5^th June @ Trillians, Newcastle