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Honouring a Folk Legacy: Martin Matthews’ Final Album Supports Cancer Charities

21st Nov 2024 — Leave a comment

A slightly different one today, as I wanted to draw attention to the new posthumous release from folk musician Martin Matthews.

The album, No Time Like The Present, features 17 tracks recorded during the final months of Martin’s life before his passing in August 2023 at the age of 71, following a courageous battle with bowel cancer.

Martin’s friends and family have released the album to raise funds for three charities close to his heart: The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Marie Curie.

Over the course of 20 years, Martin played in 12 bands, becoming a beloved figure in the North East folk scene, and collaborated on four albums with producer Sean Taylor.

It is Taylor, who worked with Martin over the past 20 years, who finished the project based on Martin’s detailed notes.

With the proceeds from the album, Martin’s friends and family are now hoping to support the organisations that provided vital care during his illness, which included a clinical trial for innovative cancer drug at Newcastle’s Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.

Martin’s wife Maria had this to say about the work that these charities:

“The support we received from these organisations during Martin’s illness is something I, along with our wonderful daughter Cate, will always cherish. Their kindness and practical assistance during such a challenging time made a world of difference to our experience.

Martin was truly grateful for all they did for him, and it was his firm wish that proceeds from this album, one he was incredibly passionate about, went to them in order to support other families facing a cancer diagnosis.”

The album can be ordered via Martin Matthews’ official website, or you can donate to these charities in Martin’s name here.

An Evening with Sports Team – The GULP! Instore Tour hits Newcastle

21st Sep 2022 — Leave a comment

At around quarter past 3 on Tuesday afternoon, the Sports Team bandwagon (in the form of a spray -painted Piaggio Porter) rolled into Newcastle to play an exclusive show at RPM Music.

The promo show forms part of their ongoing UK tour for their upcoming sophomore album GULP! which hits stores on Friday.

The venue of RPM Music made it an interesting evening, as around 40 spectators piled into the tight confines of the cosy record store.

To say that the venue was intimate would be an understatement however this only increased the special feel of the gig which brought a different vibe to the standard Academy fayre.

The band posed with fans for pictures before and after the gig adding to the friendly, intimate atmosphere which radiated around the Old George Yard throughout the evening.

The setlist was formed of songs from their new record, “GULP!” with new singles “The Drop” and “Dig” performed to an audience of those who had pre-ordered the LP and those lucky enough to squeeze in.

Throughout the performance, more and more latecomers arrived perhaps demonstrating the challenging nature of the start time of 17:30 which is perhaps more forgivable for a smaller record store date.

Those who did make it down in time were treated to an excellent show filled with the usual high energy antics expected from a Sports Team performance conducted within smaller confines.

The band began with their latest four singles, which open their new LP, before throwing themselves into a rendition of “Unstuck”, the first unheard of number of the evening which saw frontman Alex Rice take advantage of the novelty of a wireless mic seeing him serenade the streets of Newcastle and the punters of the nearby Old George pub.

Alex Rice unchained

The band’s trademark sound was not compromised even in the tight surroundings leading to a number of vinyl and eventually a shelf falling on drummer Alex Greenwood who managed to play on throughout the vicious attack by boxsets from The Doors and The Who.

New tracks “Getting Better” and “Light Industry” were firmly dispatched with songwriter Rob Knaggs taking vocal duties on the former following on from vocal performances on 2020’s “Long Hot Summer” and “Lander”.

The evening was rounded out by a rendition of “M5” from their 2019 EP “Keep Walking” which beat out “Here’s the Thing” in a fan vote.

Fans were then treated to an album signing session as well as a chance to chat with the band and buy merch from the “GULP!” branded van, which is transporting the band around the country. This rounded off a really fun night which highlighted what makes Sports Team so special in comparison to other artists around today.

THIS IS TOMORROW 2020- Brighton Duo Royal Blood to headline Friday slot

28th Jan 2020 — Leave a comment

Rock heavy-hitters Royal Blood have been announced as the Friday headliner at Newcastle festival, This is Tomorrow.

The band will be joined on the lineup by Stockport’s finest Blossoms as well as the excellent Fontaines D.C. at the city festival which takes place in May.

Royal Blood will join North Shields’ rising star Sam Fender and Gerry Cinnamon at the top of the bill over the late May Bank Holiday weekend.

Tickets for the event will go on sale on Friday with weekend tickets already on sale.

Royal Blood are a rising rock act, having had two number one albums and are gearing up to release their third album expected soon.

The Brighton rock outfit have had success with hits such as ‘How Did It Get So Dark?‘ and ‘Figure It Out’ with a distinctive sound centered around the band’s pounding bass riffs which have seen the band widely praised.

Tom Ogden of Blossoms – 2018 – Joseph Jordan

They will be joined on the Friday by Blossoms, who have also had chart success with their previous two albums.

Recently the band announced their third album, ‘Foolish Loving Spaces’ which has teased an evolution in their sound in their new singles ‘Your Girlfriend’ as well as new cut ‘If You Think This Is Real Life’.

As well as this Irish Punks, Fontaines D.C. have also been announced after recently selling out the O2 Academy.

Fontaines D.C. @O2 Academy Newcastle – 10.01.20 – Joseph Jordan

Their amazing debut album ‘Dogrel’ has put them on the map leading them to critical acclaim as well as various album of the year nominations narrowly missing out on the Mercury Prize last year.

They are also joined on the lineup by Inhaler and The Lathums, two bands who have been gaining traction on the Indie circuit recently.

Tickets for the event are available here.

Hit The North 2020 – First Announcement Revealed

18th Nov 2019 — Leave a comment

Australian lad rockers the DMA’s top the bill as the first announcement of the North East music festival, Hit The North was revealed this afternoon.

The band, who are currently supporting Liam Gallagher, will be joined by The Magic Gang as well as indie pop group Fickle Friends amongst the many names announced.

The festival, which is held in Newcastle, is spread across numerous venues in the city centre.

The Blinders performing at the O2 Academy during last year’s festival – photo by Joseph Jordan

Last year’s edition featured major venues such as the O2 Academy and the Riverside as well as smaller, more unique venues such as theCUT and the Mining Institute.

Early bird tickets have already sold out for the event with the next batch of tickets going out on sale this Wednesday.

Previous years have seen the likes of Shame, Pale Waves and Slaves feature with Jake Bugg headlining the 2019 edition.

First announcement details and ticket information is below:

Newcastle based band Stasis announce a single is in the works

13th Nov 2019 — 1 Comment

Local band Stasis have announced that they are currently recording their debut single, ‘Lies’.

Introducing the band

The band revealed that the track is close to completion with just the bass missing from the song.

Stasis supported The Sheds last Monday at Think Tank? in Newcastle, in what proved to be an amazing moment for the band.

‘It was mint’ said drummer Dylan with the rest of the band quick to back him up.

The communal atmosphere of the band is apparent when you meet them and this vibe has translated into the songwriting process for the band as revealed by the band’s singer Tamzin.

‘The melodies are written by Fae and Ben and I write the lyrics,’

‘When Fae writes a song it’s very different to when Ben writes one, they come from different ends of the spectrum,’

‘Fae will write more heavier, grungier songs whereas Ben will write more alternative or indie songs.’

However, the band had originally been recording within Newcastle College, but the group were underwhelmed with the sessions.

Instead they have been camped around guitarist Ben’s ‘little’ mic writing and recording songs using Garage Band which the group seemingly prefer.

The band draw from numerous different influences with each member of the group coming from a different musical backgrounds.

These different approaches have shaped the sound of the band with influences listed from grunge to indie.

Guitarist Fae has cited influences from grunge icons Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins as well as taking inspiration from the shoegaze music of My Bloody Valentine.

This contrasts with bassist Patrick who instead takes inspiration more from Mac Demarco and indie music in general, this creates an interesting mix of songs which keeps the band fresh.

The band wants to be a unique entity which is very much them and no one else.

‘We don’t have a persona or anything like that, we want to be ourselves’ said the band’s singer Tamzin. ‘We all dress differently and we’re a mix of people.’

The Band playing their first ever gig – @thebandstasis

The band met in college with drummer Dylan having the idea to form the band. Ever since then they have been working and creating music.

What the future holds for Stasis they don’t know, but what they do know is that they want to enjoy it as much as they can.

The aim for the future is to simply get as many gigs as possible regardless of the venue with the band just happy to be playing music.

This means recording more songs, which the band have been doing with an EP coming in the future as well as the upcoming single.

This will hopefully lead to more amazing moments for the band live

Make sure to follow Stasis on Instagram here to make sure you don’t miss any future announcements.

Newcastle Based Dream Pop Artist Mac Benson on songwriting, the future and new EP

1st Nov 2019 — Leave a comment

Friday sees Dream Pop rising star Mac Benson release his second EP ‘Coming of Age’.

Photo by Shona Radcliffe – @shonaradcliffe

The five track EP stretches across a variety of different influences combining to make a poppier sounding record than anything previously seen by the solo artist.

Earlier this week, I sat down with Mac to ask him about the new EP as well as how it came about.

The EP has been two years in the making for Mac Benson after the release of 2018’s ‘Love and All it’s Colour’.

The record covers the themes of love, friendship, loss and growth over the last few years of Benson’s teenhood.

‘Looking back on the last year retrospectively it kind of does feel like a transitional period of my life, and as if the period of time these songs are about are their own little era.’

Musically the EP is also inspired by a particular period with Benson pointing to various pop records released late last year.

Whilst influenced by pop, the EP takes the form of a mixed bag highlighted by the wide array of influences from within the genre.

‘I took a lot of inspiration from pop musicians who I like and grew up on: Lorde, Frank Ocean, The 1975, Taylor Swift, Bleachers. Quite a mixed bag really.’

However, ‘Coming of Age’ sees a change of direction from the singer songwriter, as heard in lead single ‘Divine’.

The single described as the darkest on the record is a perfect starting place for those wishing to preview the vibe of the EP.

However, whilst the track is a darker song, Benson makes clear that there is light on the record as well as a more electronic feel than previous releases.

‘I feel like all the others are a bit lighter in comparison (Divine), at least in terms of the production. Everything’s very electronic on this one though, definitely a departure from the last EP.’

Benson has also experimented with new ways of writing for the record, particularly building a greater understanding of the structure of pop songs which has helped him hone in on his own specific style.

‘To begin with I don’t think I was really that good as a pop writer and I didn’t really have the confidence to try and write to that kind of structure, but while making the EP I feel like it’s just grown into my natural way of doing things.’

Photo by Shona Radcliffe – @shonaradcliffe

A highlight of the singer songwriters work are his lyrics which often go into deep and personal places however according to Benson lyrics come easy due to their honesty.

‘I don’t know how else to do it, I’ve tried writing fictitiously but it just never works for me. I’m a huge overthinker, definitely more dramatic than I’d like to admit and am never short of stuff from my life to draw from.’

‘A lot of the time I’ll actually realize how I’m feeling through writing. Like I’ll just write things subconsciously, sometimes I’ll finish a whole song and be like ‘oh I guess that was what was up’, it can be really cathartic sometimes.’

It is this approach to songwriting which makes Mac’s music incredibly relatable, endearing and most of all amazing.

Mac Benson’s new EP ‘Coming of Age’ is out now on Bandcamp.

Follow Mac on Instagram here: macbenson_

All photos were taken by Shona Radcliffe make sure to follow her on her Instagram for more amazing photography: shonaradcliffe

North East Music Weekend Preview – 25th – 27th October

24th Oct 2019 — Leave a comment

It’s Halloween weekend so what better time to get out of the house and sample what’s happening around the region.

Image credit – Joseph Jordan

With it being Halloween, the North East is a awash with club nights over Friday and Saturday night. RISE at Greys club, a popular alternative club night, is offering up an IT themed night on Saturday night running into the early hours of Sunday morning.

With four rooms open with music spanning from classic rock to metal, it should be a decent night as RISE often offers up on Halloween.

If that isn’t for you then World Headquarters is offering up an 80’s themed Halloween extravaganza with hits from the decade as well as soundtracks from various eighties movies.

O2 ACADEMY- Where the Wedding Present will play Saturday – image credit Joseph Jordan

However, if nights out are not for you then there are various artists playing across the region over the weekend.

Perhaps the most exciting of which is the visit of Dublin indie upstarts, Inhaler who play The Cluny on Sunday.

The band, who performed at This is Tomorrow in 2018, are quickly becoming one of indie’s biggest rising stars with a flurry of strong singles with their latest ‘Ice Cream Sundae’ dropping last month.

Punk band The Dunts also perform on Sunday night at Think Tank Underground with tickets from £8 as well as 80’s indie icons The Wedding Present who play the Academy on Saturday with tickets priced at £22.50.

Finally, Friday will see presale for This is Tomorrow 2020 go on sale with headliners such as Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Foals topping the bill in 2019 it will be interesting to see what the third annual festival will bring.

Inquiries for interviews available at: humbugnortheast@gmail.com.

EP and Riverside 2 date announced for South Tyneside based Pop Punk act

22nd Oct 2019 — Leave a comment

Local Pop Punk band Riversyde have announced that they will be performing at the Riverside 2 in Newcastle on the 30th of November. This news follows on from the announcement of their debut EP ‘Open Your Mind’ which was announced last month.

The band will be performing as part of a mini-festival at the venue consisting of six other local artists, in what will be the bands biggest gig to date. Tickets will be available from the band for £7 in what will be a Saturday to remember for the South Tyneside based group as they attempt to make an impression in Newcastle.

RIVERSYDE – In action, catch them at the Riverside 2 in November credit – Riversyde

This will top off an exciting autumn for the band, in which their debut EP ‘Open Your Mind’, will also be released. The group, who are putting finishing touches to the EP, have described it as being the soundtrack of growing up around the North East, encapsulating teenage life.

The EP, which will be released within the next month, has been described by lead singer Shaun Wright as being “all over the spectrum” of the pop-punk genre. With influences ranging from older pop-punk bands all the way to modern day acts blending the two together to create the four-track record.

Although the band will pay homage to the genre, the group are hoping to create something which is unique sounding whilst still feeling like a pop -punk group.

Ultimately they want to stay true to themselves, according to drummer Dan Thompson, whilst seeking to stamp their own sound upon the genre.

RIVERSYDE – New EP will be released soon credit – Riversyde

The EP was recorded around the North East from less conventional places such as singer Shaun’s dad’s tattoo shop opposite a Subway, in which the vocals were completed.

To more traditional recording studios such as the CustomSpace in South Shields, where the drums for the record were completed.

With the group investing huge amounts of time and effort into creating a record, despite the huge financial cost of creating quality music.

The South Tyneside act hope that the hard work which they have put into the EP will translate into more opportunities to play gigs, with the band wishing to move out of the pub scene and into more traditional larger venues.

Riversyde are hoping that this will attract the attention of record labels, with the recent signing of local band Groundculture, a band which the group greatly admire inspiring them to believe, as the band were recently signed to Hopeless Records who boast world famous acts as Sum 41 and Neck Deep.

Whilst not yet completed, fans can hear a snippet of what to expect on ‘Open Your Mind’ on the band’s Facebook with more exciting plans for the band including a new single being planned in the new year. That combined with more gigs, including a possible gig with fellow pop punk band, Hometruths, makes the band one to watch in the new year.

Make sure to follow Riversyde here to make sure you don’t miss out:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverSyde-877985712400233/

Instagram: @riversydeband

Twitter: @riversydeband_