The North East is known for many things, from its renowned football teams to its rich industrial heritage yet, one aspect often overlooked is its breathtaking coastline. From the Northumberland Coast down to Victorian Pier at Saltburn, the region is home to spectacular beaches and picturesque towns. Nowhere perhaps captures this better than the winding coastline of which Tynemouth and Whitley Bay sits upon.

Where better a location then to set up a music festival which showcases a plethora of local talent as well as some stars from further afield. In 2022, A Stone’s Throw Festival did just that with a bill featuring the likes of Heidi Curtis, Sam Tompkins and Lauran Hibberd.

The festival, a travelling roadshow down the North Tyneside coastline, transformed coffee shops, CBD dispensaries, and warehouses into bustling arenas, transporting festival-goers by bus from venue to venue accompanied by a brass band to add to the merriment.

A Stone’s Throw is returning this May, headlined by the indie mainstays Sundara Karma, backed up by incredible acts such as Pip Blom, Bilk and Opus Kink, as well as an abundance of North East musical talent.

I caught up with festival founder Ant Thompson to discuss plans for this year’s event and what will be different with this year’s exciting lineup. “We were incredibly proud to deliver the event in 2022 but as you can imagine, we learned a lot of valuable lessons which have influenced us in curating a bigger line up and a refined experience!”

Part of this expansion includes an opening night headlined by indie legends White Lies, which Thompson promises will get the celebrations started early, adding to the scope of the ambition of this year’s event.

Part of the event’s unique nature is its travelling element, with a bus service allowing festival-goers to get from venue to venue at ease. But just how does the bus service work for festival-goers?

“We work closely with the local council to establish an appropriate route with perfectly placed bus stops near venues. 

The bus is exclusively for wristband holders and it makes getting around the festival an absolute breeze! 

Last time out we even surprised the local area by placing bands on top of the bus as it travelled through the villages. The FOMO was clear!”

This is far from the only interesting feature of the festival. The unique location of this event brings something different to the table, with a number of establishments opening their doors to live music for the first time, bringing a new fresh twist to the multi-venue festival idea.

“We use a lot of spaces which typically don’t operate as fully functioning music venues. For instance, Karma Coast is a CBD dispensary by day,  Tynemouth CIU is a trusty social club for local workers and The Watch House Museum is a functioning museum dedicated to the history of the local life brigade. These 3 venues in particular add a special unique selling point to the event and we look forward to seeing people visiting them throughout the day,” states Thompson.

“We’re not claiming the multi-venue idea by any stretch! There’s plenty of amazing multi-venue festivals across the country who certainly inspired us. That said, the initial idea came when walking along the coast during Covid. I was reminded how many amazing venues there are that people might not be aware of. That paired with how idyllic the area is, we thought it made perfect sense to give it a go! “

With such a stunning back drop, all A Stone’s Throw needs is some incredible music to fill their quirky, unique venues and that the festival has in spades with a raft of local talent taking to the Newcastle coast.

“We’re incredibly lucky to have such a flourishing batch of local talent participating in this year’s event.” stated Ant Thompson highlighting the incredible Finn Forster, The Peevie Wonders, Frankie Archer and Vice Killer as his personal ones to watch.

But perhaps the most important thing for an event such as this is the incredible chance it gives up and coming local musicians to shine and participate in front of big crowds. This is something that festival founder Ant Thompson has worked hard to achieve: “We work closely with the likes of We Make Culture to ensure there’s opportunities for the young musicians to participate in the festival. 

This is often the first large scale event the musicians have been a part of and it’s something we plan to continue year on year.”

This, along with the incredible location and quirky venues, certainly makes this event one to watch this festival season.

A Stone’s Throw Festival will take place on May 25th 2024 across various venues across the Newcastle Coast (Tynemouth and North Shields). Tickets are on sale now here.