What's On

Folk-pop band -kosoti- are embarking on a run of festival dates this summer ahead of their charity single release. The Newcastle five-piece are playing the South Tyneside Festival, Northumberland Live and the Mouth of The Tyne Festival over the next month and can’t wait to take to the stage. The band have had a successful start to their career releasing double A side digital single War and Pirouettes to critical acclaim, as well as their Cradle EP on CD and MP3 within six months of forming. Not content with this they performed their debut show at Sage Gateshead Hall Two to a sell out crowd and later in 2014 they performed to an equally packed O2 Academy2 show in Newcastle. After a near death experience in 2013, lead singer/songwriter, Allan Hyslop, realised that he should treasure every moment of his life doing what he loved, writing and performing great songs and later that year -kosoti- was born.

Acoustic folk duo, YUMA, are hoping their unique blend of acoustic folk and blues music will help them stand out from the crowd. The pair, who hail from Sunderland, formed when members Shannon Pearl Powell and John Timney started writing original material last April and realised they shared a lot of interests and musical ambitions. Even though YUMA is a new project the duo have known each other for years after meeting on music degree course at university. Both John and Shannon have played in numerous indie/rock bands before deciding to embark on a new musical direction and they now feel like their hard work is beginning to pay off.

Pop songstress Meghann Clancy released her highly anticipated EP Lay It On The Line this week. The follow up to her debut album, Take Flight, her new EP demonstrates her ability to write captivating songs, which combine catchy melodies, powerful vocals, and themes from life experiences. Her music draws influences from a wide spectrum including rock, pop, country and folk, drawing favourable comparisons to the likes of such artists as Tori Amos, Andrea Corr and Joni Mitchell. Meghann describes herself as ‘a singer-songwriter, with strong pop sensibilities, and relatable emotional lyrics.’

Alternative band Cloud City Trap are hoping their new single, Walking Through, will help raise their profile on the local music scene. The four-piece, who hail from Sunderland, initially started life as an acoustic duo with Clint Westwood providing the music and Tosh Watson on vocals, but as their sound developed the pair decided they needed to expand their line-up. Bassist Clint said: “We were writing our own songs and doing some covers gigs in pubs to raise enough money to record our debut album. We eventually saved up enough money and recorded ten of our songs ready to release as an album. Most of the songs were recorded by Neil Basset from Hyde & Beast fame. Prior to finishing the album we got in touch with music producer John Rivers who engineered Ghost Town by The Specials as well as working with bands such as Ocean Colour Scene and the Housemartins. John agreed to produce some of the tracks for us and so the album Celebrity Culture was born.”

Newcastle band Shields are set to officially release their demo, Enemy, after their headline slot at this year’s Evolution Emerging. The alternative-pop quintet have had a phenomenal year so far including a successful performance at the BBC 6 Music Festival in February, as well as finishing second in Glastonbury’s 2015 Emerging Talent Competition proving why they are are a band to watch. The band beat over 6000 entrants and battled against eight other acts in the live final of Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition to be crowned runners up and are getting ready for their debut appearance at the legendary festival next month. Shields also gained notoriety after playing an impressive set as part of the BBC 6 Music Festival in March this year. Nick Roberts and Tom Robinson of BBC Introducing have been big champions of the cause in 2015 and have regularly played Shields on their introducing shows both locally and nationally.

Singer-songwriter Joe Ramsey is thrilled to be playing this year’s Evolution Emerging. The musician, who hails from Middlesbrough, is guaranteed to impress festival-goers at Ernest with his indie-folk music and describes his sound as “poppy alternative.” The 21-year-old has only been active on the local music scene since mid 2014 but Joe has been playing music since he was young.

From the ashes of another band came the unexpected, but very welcome, creation of The Railway Club. The four-piece – had all been playing in different bands but knew each other from the local music scene. Gradually, they decided they wanted to perform together and The Railway Club was born in 2011.

Acoustic singer-songwriter Alex Dobson releases his third single, Taking You Under, today. Originally from Peterlee, the musician is known for creating contemporary pop songs although he has recently slipped some blues comfortably into the mix to develop his music. After his first two singles, Kites and Louder, gathered positive press and a huge number of plays on Youtube, Alex was signed to the artist management company Music Panther in 2014.

Indie-alt rockers The Great Curve released their debut EP last month ahead of their headline slot at this year’s Evolution Emerging, EP 1 was was launched at a hugely successful gig in the Ouseburn Valley on April 11, before its official release two days later. It features the three tracks: Carried Away, Big Business and The Peril of It All. Even though the five-piece are a new band, they have a long musical history in Newcastle as The Great Curve features members of Grandfather Birds, Deerhart and Last Waltz. Since forming the band have gone through several line-ups due to members moving away and other commitments, but now seem to have a cohesive line-up.

After a successful 2014, Newcastle-based band Kobadelta are back with a more mature and heavier sound. The Newcastle five-piece are set to release their third EP, Open Visions, on May 1 with a special launch gig at Think Tank. It is the highly anticipated follow-up to their second EP, Remain Distracted, which was released last September to great acclaim. Kobadelta threw all their efforts into this EP as it showed a different side to their music. But with Open Visions’ forthcoming release, the band feel their music has developed further although their latest six-track EP still reflects their unique indie-psych-rock sound.

North -East based band Peculiar Disco Moves are set to release their new EP at the end of this month. The three-track EP, Hot Off The Press, follows the band’s successful 2014 singles, Lost for Words and When Your Mother Goes Home. With its release the five-piece leave no stone unturned in their quest for pop’s crown of idiosyncrasy, as their new EP is a foray into the world of lost identity, fallen heroes and where-are-they-now’s. The overriding theme to Hot Off The Press is one of unknowing regret, and a failure to capitalise on being society’s flavour of the month. Lead track Breaking News is a portrayal of celebrity life, where red tops will sell their Grannies to get a picture of a Z-lister parking his car one minute, then drop him or her like an anchor in the sea the next.

Guitar/Electronic two-piece What We Call Progress are celebrating the release of their new single. Pack of Cards, is the follow-up to the band’s EP Redacted, and was released via the duo’s bandcamp page on March 30. What We Call Progress are John Pattison (vocals/guitar) and David Young (Ableton Push, laptop, iPad) who have been playing together on and off since they were teenagers, and gone through several bands before settling on their latest project. Last July they released their EP Redacted, which was a commentary on the present threat of a dystopian future, and since then the duo have been working on new material. The end result is their new single, Pack of Cards.

Tyneside band Parastatic celebrated the release of their second studio album with a special homecoming gig last week. The trio played at The Cumberland Arms to mark the official launch of Recall Fade Return and the end of their mini UK tour. Recall Fade Return is the highly anticipated follow up to the band’s debut album, Lost in Highway, which was released in 2012 and reflects a different direction for the band.

Indie pop band We Are Not The Same released their debut single, Lizzie, on Monday. Since forming in 2013 the four-piece have caused a storm in the North East and have built up a loyal following of fans. The quartet – made up of lead vocalist Joe King, Stephen Dunn (lead guitar), Liam Fairburn (drummer) and Rowan Horne (bass player) – have spent the last year working on new material for their forthcoming debut album, which is set for a summer release. The band released indie-pop track Shut Up in the summer 2013, which was followed by debut EP Lavender last spring and were amazed by fans’ reactions to their indie pop anthems.

Newcastle Rock ‘n’ Roll band Ali’s Love Child are hoping to stand out from the crowd after reaching the finals of a national music competition. The quintet, were one of five acts, to perform in the final of The Independent newspaper’s Battle of the Bands competition back in February. Seventy contestants from universities across the country entered the national competition and Ali’s Love Child were thrilled to make the final. But disappointingly, the five-piece band didn’t win and came third. However, they received great feedback from the judges, such as BBC Radio 6’s Mary Anne Hobbs, which has inspired them to continue writing and recording material.

Newcastle singer-songwriter Aaron James Cashell hopes his new single helps him stand out from other local musicians. Aaron has been writing and recording music for the last twelve years but only released his first single back in 2012. He sang the vocals on soulful house track Do What We Do, with Artful & Ridney – Artful aka Mark Hill, Former Artful Dodgers, producer and co-writer of Craig David’s Born To Do It album. This was released by Hed Kandi Records and even though it didn’t chart it got a lot of radio airplay, which helped open doors for Aaron. He was asked to perform on more high profile shows and met more people in the industry. He also headlined the So:Fest festival in Southampton with Artful and his full band. Prior to this Aaron had toured Switzerland, Egypt, and Dubai, as well as performing a successful sold out 40-date tour in China. Aaron has also shared a stage with major artists like Solange Knowles, Labrinth, Taio Cruz, Jagged Edge, Professor Green, Joe Budden, and Memphis Bleek.

Newcastle singer-songwriter Aaron James Cashell hopes his new single helps him stand out from other local musicians. Aaron has been writing and recording music for the last twelve years but only released his first single back in 2012. He sang the vocals on soulful house track Do What We Do, with Artful & Ridney – Artful aka Mark Hill, Former Artful Dodgers, producer and co-writer of Craig David’s Born To Do It album. This was released by Hed Kandi Records and even though it didn’t chart it got a lot of radio airplay, which helped open doors for Aaron. He was asked to perform on more high profile shows and met more people in the industry. He also headlined the So:Fest festival in Southampton with Artful and his full band. Prior to this Aaron had toured Switzerland, Egypt, and Dubai, as well as performing a successful sold out 40-date tour in China. Aaron has also shared a stage with major artists like Solange Knowles, Labrinth, Taio Cruz, Jagged Edge, Professor Green, Joe Budden, and Memphis Bleek.

One act determined to stand out from the crowd on the local music scene is acoustic musician Chris Binding. The singer-songwriter, who hails from Sunderland, has been performing for several years in various line-ups but is now focusing on his solo career. Chris releases his debut album, Karmatose, on March 13, which he recorded over the course of 2014 and he is looking forward to seeing what people think of it.

Gallery Circus are set to release their highly anticipated second single, Hollywood Drip, on Monday. The Newcastle based band - who are made up of identical twins Graeme and Daniel Ross - evolved when the brothers moved to Chicago in 2010 on a musical mission. Dan says: “After watching a few local shows and seeing the energy many of the bands were putting out on stage, we decided that was the route for us. So far, we’ve put out one single, Supercell, which has been a great catalyst for the progress we’ve made over the past year or so.” The two-piece were inspired by their surroundings, particularly the city’s hipster haven Wicker Park, where they headed to write new music and develop their sound.

Indie rock band Elephant Memoirs are celebrating their new single release with a special launch gig next week. The trio’s single, Mug, will be launched at The Dog and Parrot in Newcastle on Saturday February 28. The band, who hail from Gateshead, formed in 2013, when its members John Aspinall, Barry Drew and Carl Aspinall reunited after years apart.