Category: Music

Simply Red To Perform At Durham County Cricket Club

By on 18th December 2015in Entertainment, Music

Simply Red are back, and celebrating over 30 years in the music industry with a spectacular anniversary tour…

One of the biggest and most iconic bands in the world are set to perform at Emirates Durham ICG, home of Durham County Cricket Club, on Friday 3rd June 2016, as one of only a handful of Simply Red 2016 live shows.

Mick Hucknall’s spectacular voice was the defining sound of British R‘n’B in the eighties and nineties, and one in five British households has a Simply Red album. Culminating in over 60 million worldwide sales, the band’s landmark albums include ‘Picture Book’, ‘Men and Women’, ‘A New Flame’, ‘Stars’, ‘Life’ and ‘Blue.’

Mick Hucknall said, “We are delighted to be performing in the open at the Durham County Cricket Club. It’s a superb ground in a great location, and we have many fans in the area. We will ensure that this night is really something special, and hope you can join us in celebrating over 30 years in the music business.”

David Harker, Group Chief Executive of Durham County Cricket Club said, “We love bringing music to Durham, and after the success of the Madness Concert in the summer in partnership with LHG Live, we needed to ensure that the next show we put on was of the highest calibre. We are delighted to be working with LHG again in bringing Simply Red to Durham County Cricket Club.”

Thirty years after introducing a generation to the joys of soul music through their irrepressible, irresistible rendition of the Valentine Brothers’ recession-themed classic ‘Money’s Too Tight To Mention’, Simply Red are still releasing huge albums and delighting crowds all over the world. As the band enters its fourth decade, buoyed by their excellent latest album ‘Big Love’, their reputation as one of the great British groups is set for some timely enhancement as they perform their greatest hits such as ‘Holding Back The Years’, ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’, ‘Something Got Me Started’, ‘The Right Thing’, ‘Stars’, ‘Fairground’, ‘Angel’ and ‘Sunrise’.

“We’re called Simply Red for a reason,” says the man with one of the greatest voices in soul music. “I want to keep it simple. Our fans know who we are. They have been loyal to us. Now I’m ready to go out there and give them what they want.”

For further information and tickets, visit www.durhamccc.co.uk. Tickets will be on sale now. General Admission £45 + booking fee and Premier View £60 + booking fee. Tickets are all standing.

Jez Lowe Brings Annual Christmas Show To County Durham

By on 14th December 2015in Entertainment, Music

Folk music favourite Jez Lowe is returning to County Durham to perform his annual Christmas show…

 

Fresh from a solo tour of North America, the BBC Folk Awards 2015 nominee, his multi-talented band The Bad Pennies, and special guest Benny Graham, will bring Mistletoe on Tyne to Bishop Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday 16th December.

Their unique take on the festive season is part folk concert and part music-hall revue, with new and old seasonal songs, and a hearty dose of humour,.

Mistletoe on Tyne takes place at Bishop Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday 16th December at 8pm.

Tickets are selling fast, but to book your place – priced £10 or £8 for concessions – call the box office on 03000 269 524.

Primal Scream First Act Announced For Down To The Woods Festival

By on 8th December 2015in Entertainment, Music

One of the world’s most notorious rock bands are to take to the stage at a major North East festival next summer…

Scottish legends Primal Scream are one of the first acts to be announced for Down To The Woods – successor to the Hardwick Live festival – which will take place in the grounds of Hardwick Hall Hotel, County Durham on Saturday August 13th.

Following on from the huge success of 2015’s sellout Hardwick Live, which featured top performers including James, Razorlight and Embrace, organisers Ramside Estates are now planning the renamed 2016 festival, with the promise of a packed programme full of amazing acts.

Bringing Primal Scream – a band with more than 30 years in the music industry – to the North East is a huge coup for Ramside Estates, as the supergroup are scheduled to showcase their unique blend of rock, indie pop, dance and acid house at only a handful of gigs across the UK.

They will be joined by songsmiths Echo & the Bunnymen, who have had a string of top 20 hits since the 1980s, including the classic anthem Nothing Lasts Forever.

The original Hardwick Live festival grew rapidly in its three year history, with a capacity crowd of 10,000 enjoying the event in 2015.

Early bird tickets for its successor sold out even before any of the line-up had been revealed, with the organisers offering even more exciting entertainment at the new festival.

Jonathan Woodliffe of Ramside Estates, said: “Hardwick Live 2015 really set the bar in terms of both acts and atmosphere, and we’re hoping to top that in 2016 with the first ever Down To The Woods.

“To land Primal Scream is a major coup for us, especially as it will be their only gig within a 100 mile radius, and to have Echo & the Bunnymen, as well, really is a double whammy.

“This is the first of many exciting announcements we’ll be making about Down To The Woods in the coming months, and we’re confident it’s going to be one of the biggest music events of 2016.

“We’ve changed the name of the festival, but everything people enjoyed before will still be a part of this year’s event, with even more to enjoy in the best day of music for miles.”

Primal Scream began to leave a legacy with the release of their enormously successful third studio album, Screamadelica, which won the first Mercury Music Prize in 1992.

Since then they have maintained a constant assault on the UK and international music scenes, with a new album set for release in 2016.

Songs like Movin’ On Up, Rocks, Loaded, Country Girl, It’s Alright, It’s Ok and many more will ensure a party atmosphere during their hugely anticipated Down To The Woods set.

 

Echo & the Bunnymen have released a string of top 20 hits since the 1980s, including top selling studio albums Crocodiles, Porcupine and Ocean Rain, which all went gold.

Ian McCulloch still leads the band, with rumours of a new album to be released in 2016. Songs The Cutter, The Killing Moon and Bring On The Dancing Girls are guaranteed crowd pleasers at the North East festival.

Tickets for Down To The Woods, priced at £55 for adults, £15 for young people and £8 for children, are available now at www.downtothewoodsfestival.co.uk. A limited number of camping pitches are also on sale, priced at £30 per tent.

For more information, follow Down To The Woods on Facebook or Twitter.

Theatrical Spectacle STOMP Returns To Newcastle

By on 4th December 2015in Entertainment, Music

Fresher, faster and funnier than ever, the multi-award winning theatrical spectacle STOMP is set to make a return to Newcastle Theatre Royal for the first time in 15 years, and will be touching down for one week only…

A unique combination of percussion, dance and comedy, Stomp is a stage spectacle in a genre of its own. Everyday objects like dustbin lids, matchboxes, brooms, cigarette lighters are transformed into musical instruments and props, and the cast command the stage with an unprecedented energy and rhythm as they ‘play’ them.

Now entering its 23rd year, this smash hit show has entertained over 15 million people across 50 countries worldwide; featured in a range of commercials, film soundtracks and TV collaborations and won multiple awards including an Obie, a Drama Desk Award and an Olivier.

The show was born in Brighton, UK, in the summer of 1991 as the result of a ten year collaboration between street theatre artists Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas.  From acclaimed performances at the Edinburgh Fringe to large outdoor events, the legend of Stomp grew in ambition and scope, gaining legions of fans along the way and becoming the theatrical sensation it is today.

Since their last visit to Newcastle in 2000, the Stomp cast have performed in the closing ceremony at the 2012 Olympics, and have introduced two new pieces to the show: Frogs and Trolleys.

Trolleys taps into the everyday experience of negotiating a busy shopping aisle with a fully laden supermarket trolley, but soon transforms into the closest the show will ever get to drum corps. It is also the first fully fledged Stomp routine to be performed entirely in 5/4 time signature.

Frogs explores the bizarre sonic possibilities of a variety of plumbing fixtures! It has to be heard to be believed, but close your eyes and this piece sounds unlike anything ever heard in the show till now. Organic, quirky and plumbing new heights.

Creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas are both very happy with the way the new pieces have slotted in, each with Stomp‘s trademark exploration of sound, movement and physical humour. There’s more to come, too; they will be working on more new routines later this year.

Still remaining is Stomp’s signature high-octane meeting of slick choreography, tight ensemble work, industrial percussion and a narrative of anarchic clowning, as the irrepressible troupe of eight turn brooms into soft shoe partners, clapping into intricate conversations and water cooler bottles into sophisticated instruments. A row of folding chairs are straddled, slid, slammed and slapped into rhythmic submission. It is at once primal and urbane, leaving no percussive potential – of object, body or action – unexploited. And all underpinned by a childish delight in making serious noise.

The whole show hurtles towards a brilliantly reworked climax – a showstopper in every sense – as a crackling carnival of leaping, spinning, skidding and pounding performers vent their inexhaustible energies on an unsuspecting orchestra of metal dustbins, bin lids, tubs and water butts. Joyous, thumping, exhilarating bliss for all involved… except the bins!

Stomp is produced by Glynis Henderson Productions & Stomp Productions.

Stomp comes to Newcastle Theatre Royal Monday 15th – Saturday 20th February 2016 to celebrate over 20 astonishing years of foot stamping, finger drumming, and adrenalin rushing joy across the globe. It plays evenings at 7.30pm, matinees on Thursday 2pm and Saturday 2.30pm. Tickets from £13.00. Tickets can be purchased online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

Win! Tickets To See T.Rextasy’s 40th Anniversary Tour

By on 3rd December 2015in Competitions, Entertainment, Events, Music, What's New?, What's On?

The definitive glam rockers are back on tour, and they’re coming this way…

Marc Bolan, with his band T.Rex, was one of the most flamboyant and charismatic stars of the 1970s. With Bolan’s special mix of Rock-a-Boogie and Rock ‘n’ Roll songs, including classics such as Telegram Sam, Get It On and Jeepster, the band defined what would be known as the original glam rock era.

And now, they’re heading to the North East… sort of.

T.Rextasy is the world’s only official T.Rex tribute band, an accolade endorsed by Marc Bolan’s family, estate, catalogue management, and members of the original band. T.Rextasy have been performing around the world for over twenty years – a career that ironically outlives Marc’s own – and have been described as ‘beyond the boundaries of tribute’.

“They’re the closest you’re ever going to get to the real thing” – Bill Legend, (original T.Rex drummer)

“Danielz is more than a career lookalike. Here we have a serious guitarist with the animal grace of early Bolan and the clear unequivocal love of the music” – The Stage

 

On Friday 22nd January 2016, T.Rextasy will be performing at the Forum Theatre in Billingham. The concert is a part of their ‘I Love To Boogie’ anniversary tour, and if you’d like to know exactly what a Marc Bolan concert was like forty years ago, we recommend you enter our competition below.

We’re giving away two tickets to their Billingham concert, and all you need to do is the question below…

What is Marc Bolan’s real name?

Competition closed. Congratulations to Rebecca Kamsika from Middlesbrough!

Rihanna Tickets On Sale From Thursday

By on 1st December 2015in Entertainment, Events, Music

Thursday 3rd December will see fans of global superstar Rihanna given the chance to secure tickets to see her live on Wearside…

Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is set to host the Bajan star on the UK leg of her ANTI World Tour on Saturday 18th June 2016, and is the only stadium venue between Coventry and Edinburgh on the hotly anticipated tour.

Supporting Rihanna on the tour will be The Weeknd, whose album Beauty Behind The Madness reached number 1 in the UK charts, and American rapper Big Sean.

Fans can buy tickets in person from the Stadium of Light box office from 9am on Thursday morning. A limited allocation of General Admission (GA) tickets, affording pitch standing/unreserved Tier 1 seating is available.

Reserved seating tickets can only be purchased through approved ticket agents (listed below). Fans are advised that tickets cannot be purchased from SAFC’s telephone hotline or club website.

Fans who wish to queue to ensure they get their tickets can do so from 6am on Thursday, with the ticket office opening at 9am. No overnight queuing will be permitted. Fans who do not wish to purchase their tickets in person can do so via the official ticket websites and phone lines listed below.

SAFC’s commercial director, Gary Hutchinson, said: “Rihanna has created a real buzz surrounding this world tour and her new album as part of her online ANTI DiaRy campaign and we are thrilled to be a part of it. There has been unprecedented interested since the announcement, and we fully expect this concert to match Rihanna’s last visit to Sunderland and sell-out, so we urge fans to secure their tickets as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment.”

HOW TO BUY

Tickets go on sale Thursday 3rd December from 9am at the Stadium of Light ticket office and from approved ticket agents.

A pre-sale will be available for SAFC season card holders and official members on Wednesday 2nd December from 9am.

Stadium of Light sales information:

The Stadium of Light will offer General Admission (standing/Tier 1 unreserved seating) tickets only, priced at £55, and a limited number of Gold Circle tickets at £75. All sales are subject to a £4 booking fee per ticket (unless payment is made in cash). Tickets cannot be purchased from SAFC by telephone or online, tickets are available from the stadium’s box office to in-person purchasers only.

Please note £1 per ticket will be added onto the booking fee, and this fee will be donated to the Clara Lionel Foundation.

Ticket agents:

Golden Circle £75, general admission tickets (standing/Tier 1 unreserved seating) £55. Tier 2 reserved seats £60 and Tier 3 reserved seats £50/£60. All tickets are subject to a booking fee.

Please note that £1 per ticket will be added onto the booking fee, this fee will be donated to the Clara Lionel Foundation.

Online at www.livenation.com.

Online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or 0844 8440444.

Wheelchair and special needs patrons:

Tickets for wheelchair and special needs patrons are available by telephone from SAFC, tel. 0191 551 5004 or ticket.office@safc.com.

Important information:

Young people aged 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult aged over 18, and no unaccompanied youngsters aged 14 or under will be permitted entry to the venue.

There is a limit of six tickets per purchaser in place.

Show Times:

External courtyards: 2pm
Doors: 4pm
Showtime: 6pm
Show ends: 11pm

Hospitality:

Demand for this show is expected to be exceptionally high. Visit www.safcconcerts.com, call 0871 911 1555, or email rihannahosp@safc.com to find out more information, or to make an expression of interest for our exciting new concert hospitality concept. Existing SAFC hospitality customers should contact the club immediately to reserve their package.

Hilton Garden Inn:

A new 141 bedroom Hilton Garden Inn will open adjacent to the Stadium of Light in April 2016. For more information, or to make a room reservation, call 0191 5515110 or email catherine.graham@hilton.com. Prompt booking advised.

All the latest news about Rihanna at the Stadium of Light will be available at the following locations:

www.safcconcerts.com
https://twitter.com/StadiumOfLight
https://www.facebook.com/stadiumoflight
http://instagram.com/sunderlandafcofficial
www.youtube.com/user/sunderlandafc

[cwa id=’test’]

6 Top DJs To Headline Hardwick Hall Boxing Day Club Night

By on 26th November 2015in Entertainment, Events, Music

Six of the world’s top DJs are bringing the beats to the North East for a special Boxing Day event…

 

Popular club night, To The Manor Born, will return to Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield, on Saturday December 26th.

Leading this year’s line-up is internationally renowned artist, Graeme Park, who recently marked 30 years on the decks and 20 years on the radio airwaves, with shows on stations including Galaxy and Kiss.

Graeme, who now has his own app, started his career in Nottingham in the 1980s, before moving on to an eight year residency at the high profile Hacienda club in Manchester.

He was one of the first British DJs to play places like Australia, South America, Asia and America and has remixed tracks by artists such as The Brand New Heavies and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Graeme will be joined at To The Manor Born by fellow Hacienda favourite, Allister Whitehead, who sold more than a million DJ mix albums with Fantazia and has headlined all the major clubs, including Cream and Ministry of Sound during an illustrious 25 year career.

Both Graeme and Allister were among the first guest DJs when To The Manor Born launched in the 1990s, and are returning to the event by popular demand.

Performing alongside them in the Main Room will be North East DJ, Michael Johnson.

A Residents Room will also be open throughout To The Manor Born, welcoming performances by another top trio. This includes Groovebox club night regulars Pete Wharrier and Rob Oxley, as well as event organiser Johnathan Woodliffe.

Jonathan said: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming back two of our most popular DJ’s, Graeme Park and Allister Whitehead, who I’m sure will raise the roof alongside Michael, Pete, Rob and myself. It’s going to be an amazing night.”

To The Manor Born 2015 will run at Hardwick Hall Hotel from 8pm until 2.30am. Tickets, priced at £20, must be purchased in advance, and no entry will be permitted after 10.30pm.

For further information about this and other Christmas events taking place at Hardwick Hall, call 01740 620253, email info@hardwickhallhotel.co.uk, or visit www.hardwickhallhotel.co.uk.

[cwa id=’test’]

Gala Big Band Set To Make Durham Swing

By on 5th November 2015in Entertainment, Music, What's New?, What's On?

Music fans can dance along to the sound of swing this month…

Gala Big Band, made up of talented amateur musicians from across the region, will be entertaining audiences at Durham Town Hall on Sunday 29th November.

Performing in a cabaret setting, they will play a selection of classics by the likes of Count Basie, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington as well as new compositions by band leader Paul Edis, and a few festive favourites.

Gala Big Band was formed in September 2014 to give North East musicians of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to play together.

The group, made up of 35 members ranging in age from 11 to 83, has since performed a number of public concerts, including an appearance at BRASS.

Their performance at Durham Town Hall starts at 7pm and tickets are £6 per person or £5 for concessions.

To book, visit Gala box office, call 03000 266 600, or visit www.galadurham.co.uk.

Judy Collins: Folk Legend at The Sage, Gateshead

By on 28th October 2015in Entertainment, Have Your Say, Music, What's New?

Laura Tindall, musician, music teacher and Radio Tyneside host, shares the music closest to her heart…

Throughout my adult life, I’ve had a great interest in folk singer-songwriters from the height of the 1960s and 1970s protest song and social activism era. Perhaps I should have been born in a different decade?

We had songs by the likes of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell playing in the car when I was little, back in the eighties when it was a tape player. Songs like The Wild Mountain Thyme (1965), Blowin’ in the Wind (1963), and Both Sides Now (1969) are amongst the defining sound of these artists, as well as a generation, and the lyrics are as relevant today as any day.

My first encounter with the music of Judy Collins was around my late teens/early twenties, when my best friend and I would perform as a duo at various North East venues, and we included Who Knows Where the Time Goes? into our live performance repertoire, taking inspiration from the Judy Collins version. The song was written by Sandy Denny in 1967, and originally recorded as a demo. Judy Collins heard the demo tape in 1968 and decided to cover the song. It became the B-side to her version of Both Sides Now.

My friend and I preferred the Judy Collins version due to her treatment of the song’s metre, and to this day it’s one of our favourite songs to perform.

In October, Judy Collins came to The Sage, Gateshead, and there was no way I would miss the chance to hear this folk legend live.

A piano, an empty stage, and a pretty full audience were what awaited Judy in Hall 2 of The Sage, a great, intimate venue. Just as I had my own story surrounding why I wanted to see this artist live, I wondered what others’ stories were. Most of the audience were close in age to Collins, if my perceptions served me correctly. Some, like me, were alone, while others were in pairs or small groups. It’s the ones who are alone that intrigue me most, as I wonder about their story, their personal music experience, and the lives they’ve lived.

Judy Collins opened with a beautiful performance of Open The Door, on which she played guitar while musical director Russell Walden accompanied on piano. She moved into her second song without saying a word. As soon as I heard the opening few bars and lyrics, I knew I’d be watching the rest of it through misty eyes. Both Sides Now sounds just as wonderful today as it does on any of her recordings. A truly emotional experience as I watched this silver-locked folk legend, 56 years into the business, perform such an iconic song.

“I’ve looked at love from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow, it’s clouds’ illusions I recall, I really don’t know life at all.”

Throughout the evening, Judy’s new and old material was interspersed with stories of friendships, with the likes of Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, Joan Rivers, and others who are true friends and icons of the music and entertainment industries.

Another emotional moment was her song In The Twilight, about her mother. It clearly touched many, many people in the audience.

“She’s a lady and she’s going home, she tells me as her eyes close in the twilight. I ask her where and she smiles and she tells me ‘it’s a secret’. And then she’s gone, just like the flowers in her garden.”

Judy Collins’ support act for the evening was Ari Hest, a singer-songwriter from New York. He’s one to watch, with a rounded, slightly husky voice and a penchant for Brazilian-style guitar playing. To me, he’s cut from the same cloth as Collins, with songs celebrating the simple things in life, as well as giving hope for the future. Check out songs After The Thunder and Harvest from his new album, Shouts and Whispers.

 

The years have been kind to Judy Collins, her voice as soaring and beautiful as ever. Whether you listen to Both Sides Now today or yesterday, in 1968, 2015, or somewhere in between, you have your own story. Live it and remember it.

Oxjam Darlo: One-Day Festival Returns For 2015

By on 13th October 2015in Entertainment, Music, What's New?, What's On?

After the mammoth success of Oxjam Darlo 2014, the festival is back for 2015, and intends to build on the huge achievements from last year. After raising a staggering £8,000 and smashing the original target by more than double, the money raised by Oxjam Darlo contributed hugely to helping those who are in need in the UK and abroad.

Takeover manager, Chris Jenkins, reflected on last year’s festival. “Oxjam Darlo was an amazing experience for everyone involved in 2014; the bands, venues, volunteers, gig goers and of course us, the organisers! It was a fantastic event for Darlington and was a huge success for Oxfam and the people that ultimately benefited from the money raised.”

The date is already set for this year’s event, where venues across Darlington will once again open their doors to music lovers from a wide range of genres. The one day festival (on October 25th) will also focus on promoting home-grown talent as it showcases some of Darlington’s finest musicians.

Fundraising efforts are in full swing, with the Oxjam team holding a very successful ‘Ultimate Music Quiz’ in early September at the Voodoo Café. Takeover Manager Chris also took part in a white knuckle bungee jump during a recent trip down under, and team member Jonny Lancaster endured the 13.1 miles of the Great North Run on behalf of the festival.

Music fans also enjoyed getting revved up for the main event by attending the festival’s launch party at The Green Room on September 25th, where they got a little taster of what to expect from the main event!

Tickets (which will be exchanged for wristbands on the day) are on sale for the one day festival and are priced at £8. – Take a look at Oxjam Darlo’s social media pages (Facebook and Twitter) for details on where they can purchased.

ADVERTISERS