The countdown to Stockton Calling is officially ON!
Four weeks today on the 16th of April, the daylong music festival returns after a 2 year hiatus (thanks to bloody Covid!) and the organisers have gone all out to bring us an absolute stellar line up for their comeback!
I have so many amazing memories from years gone by at the festival, but if you’ve not heard of Stockton Calling then let me enlighten you…
I’ve managed to see Cat Una play a couple of times in Newcastle now, both supporting Tom Williams, and really fell in love with her voice. On Friday 6th December, she’s releasing her brand new single ‘Wait It Out’ on Monomyth Records – I was given a little preview of the single and let me tell you, you’re in for a treat!
I decided to catch up with her ahead of the release to chat about the her music, festivals and what we can expect from her in 2020!
On Sunday 10th December, Manchester singer/songwriter Gemma Moon gave us an early Christmas present in the form of her first single ‘Avalanche’, and I have had it on repeat!
I decided to catch up with Gemma to find out more about her music, writing, and of course, her new single!
Photo by Jay Dawson
I’ve been out of the loop with bands in the North East lately, mainly since I stopped organising my own gigs back in December, but I’ve been making an effort to listen to new music again and I’m glad I have or I wouldn’t have found St. Buryan!
Back in August last year my favourite band, The Maccabees, decided to call it a day. Within the next couple weeks the band are heading out to play their farewell shows, and I decided it was time to write one last post about them. If I’m being honest, I feel like I could probably write a book about them…
The Maccabees // Norwich 2012
I’ve been to Parklife 4 years in a row now. The first was as a punter, and the last three I have worked as part of the artist liaison team…and I absolutely LOVE it! Running around and helping out behind the scenes is so much fun, and I can’t wait to get back this year.
As a music lover, I feel very lucky to be from the North East. The scene here is thriving, and has gone from strength to strength over the years. There’s so much talent on my doorstep… it’s inspiring.
I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with it all as a radio presenter, band manager and promoter. Through my work over the years, I’ve been introduced to so many incredibly talented bands and artists, and I’m constantly in awe of what I hear week in, week out.
I’ve had a few songs stuck in my head this past week and they’re all from North East artists, so I thought I’d put together a little post of my five favourite songs at the moment, and hopefully you dig them too!
Photo by Ian West
I’ve been a fan of Cohesion since I first saw them in 2012, which feels like forever ago now. I could easily write an essay on how great they are, but I’ll try and keep this short and sweet…
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So each month I like to put together a playlist of 20 songs that I’ve been listening to, whether they’re brand new, or older tunes I’ve been revisiting, and here’s my first playlist of 2017!
Expect new tunes from the likes of Ed Sheeran, The Chainsmokers, and Major Lazer in there, and some film soundtrack tunes too from T2 Trainspotting, Manchester By The Sea, Fifty Shades Darker and La La Land.
Enjoy! x
Alex Burgess 