MUSIC SCOTT H BIRAM @ THE CLUNY

Words: Michael O’Neill

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. That alone would he enough, but he seals the deal with punk, heavy metal, and frankly, anything else he wants to. The result is a gloriously enthralling and furious cacophony of scuzzy glory, a bewildering Frankenstein’s monster taking in the history of the guitar and spitting out a wonderful anything-goes collection of unique and engaging sounds. His recent LP Fever Dreams is a glorious testament to his unique talents, and a wonderful introduction for the curious. At his show at The Cluny on Sunday 4th June support comes from the equally eclectic and enthralling Rob Heron who, with his Tea Pad Orchestra, has firmly staked a reputation as a thrilling and refreshing addition to the Toon’s broad and diverse music community. www.scotthbiram.com

Scott H Biram and Rob Heron perform at The Cluny, Newcastle on Sunday 4th June.

MUSIC MUNRO FESTIVAL @ VARIOUS VENUES

Words: Michael O’Neill

We do a good job of many things up here in the North East, but one thing that our music community has mastered well is the mythical art of a good all-day festival. The fact that our wonderful towns and cities manage, despite all the adversity faced in the last few years, to maintain a solid offering of class DIY venues, certainly hasn’t hurt. Nor has the rich plethora of class local acts.

Take Stockton’s MUNRO Festival, now in its fifth year, as a beautiful example. Taking place on Saturday 1st July across The Georgian Theatre, The Green Room, KU and The Social Room, a broad array of unreal talent from the region and beyond will show off their wares, and a collaboration with Sunderland-based Waves Festival has bulked up the local talent considerably.

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 singersongwriter 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. It’s a staggering who’s who of iconic and fledgling local talent in some class local venues, grab a ticket while you can!

MUNRO Festival takes place at The Georgian Theatre, The Green Room, KU and The Social www.facebook.com/munrofestival

Room on Saturday 1st July. Visit our website for exclusive Q&A interviews with artists performing at the festival: www.bit.ly/ munrointerviews.

Events

NAT SHARP’S ECOSEX FUN HOUSE @ COBALT

Words: Laura Doyle

Sharp-eyed viewers of the BBC may have noticed recent ads (or even indulged in an episode or two) for the UK’s “first gay dating show.” While the effort has not gone unnoticed, a single dating show featuring an exclusively male cast is not doing much to open up the dating pool for the rest of the LGBTQ+ community. I’ll tell you what might, though: Nat Sharp’s EcoSex Fun House at Cobalt on Friday 30th June. It sounds NSFW because – frankly – it is. 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.)

Nat Sharp’s EcoSex Fun House is at Cobalt Studios, Newcastle on Friday 30th June. www.cobaltstudios.co.uk

STAGE BURNOUT @ LIVE THEATRE

Words: Helen Redfern

Everyone’s talking about the climate right now. It’s getting harder to ignore. As global temperatures rise, the climate is one of the world’s hottest topics. 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. Everyone has a view about climate activism: whether it works, what the options are, why we don’t want our own personal lives disrupted by these extremist eco zealots… Bridgette, played by Chloe Wade, is a committed activist heading for burnout who needs answers fast. Amara, performed by Lekhani Chirwa, meets Bridgette at a protest, one of those, ‘hippy, green, save-the-planet’ things. Amara’s about to finish her GCSEs. She’s just popped out to grab some milk and now she’s late.

Their town is about to be flooded again. Amara is sceptical about the value of activism – “Your bamboo toothbrush won’t save us, you don’t recycle it anyways!” – and how’s getting arrested going to help anything? They can’t afford to do that.

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. Don’t worry, no one is forced to take part! The Cost of Activism, a post-show conversation on Friday 2nd June between ShyBairn Theatre and local activists is the perfect opportunity for audiences to ask any questions that arise from the performance. Burnout is performed at Live Theatre, Newcastle on Friday 2nd-Saturday 3rd June. www.shybairntheatre.co.uk

MUSIC ROYAL BLOOD @ O2 CITY HALL

Words: Jonathan Coll www.royalbloodband.com

Since Newcastle’s O2 City Hall was renovated early last year, it’s ability to attract some of the biggest bands and live performers on the circuit has been incredibly impressive. Removing seats and increasing their capacity by 600 has allowed them to book the likes of Royal Blood; having previously sub-headlined Leeds Festival and now preparing for a stadium tour alongside Muse this summer.

Before they reach the likes of Brighton Beach and Glastonbury Festival, they stop off in Newcastle on Wednesday 21st June as part of a mini series of warm-up gigs before their larger headline performances. The band, comprised of vocalist Mike Kerr and drummer Mike Thatcher, have taken a new approach to touring since the release of their 2021 album, Typhoons. Despite leaning into a sound more suited for the dancefloor, and earning rave reviews in the process, the band have spoken about the difficult juncture that the album came to represent. With rock ‘n’ roll having taken its toll on the band mentally, they’ve since embraced sobriety and have been producing the best performances of their career. Their transitions are seamless and their energy is unmatched by most on the UK scene at the moment, so the chance to see them play in such a revered venue is not one to be missed. Royal Blood play O2 City Hall, Newcastle on Wednesday 21st June.

STAGE BONEWORDS @ NORTHERN STAGE

Words: Lizzie Lovejoy

This month Northern Stage present a fantastic dance piece combined with creative writing. Bonewords is a project led by award-winning dramaturg and writer Louise Stern and visual artist Hetain Patel, who have worked with various creative practitioners and choreographers to create a new piece of work alongside volunteer dance participants, and it’ll be performed at Northern Stage on Friday 23rd June. Bonewords began with a selection of notes Louise has used over the years, a collection of conversations that were essential for collaboration and connection. As a deaf artist, these notes have been one of the main ways in which Louise has been communicating with people; from drunken nights out, or in cafes, to artistic projects she has been working on. This personal history archive is one that all the artists explore together and used as the basis to develop dance, alongside the participants’ own experiences.

This is the fourth project that Northern Stage has done that highlights Deaf choreographers and writers, as well as bringing participants on board. Bonewords is a unique dialogue and celebration of experiences. Working alongside artists using different language e.g. BSL interpretation to develop the work, the show will be a beautiful act of conversation. Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of the discussion.

Bonewords is at Northern Stage, Newcastle on Friday 23rd June. www.northernstage.co.uk