Newcastle-based Jodie Nicholson is one of the most exciting artists working in the UK today, particularly in the alt-pop field, and The Glasshouse is hosting her biggest headline show to date this May.

We’ve sang the praises of Jodie Nicholson in these pages before, enthralled by her folky pop that has echoes of the likes of Laura Marling, Lucy Rose and Warpaint. But this year she’s taken a trip into the sublime, a fact that became very evident with the release of her brilliant  ‘Another Frequency’ single. With its roomy synths and pulsing bass it has a distinct Romy/The xx vibe swirling around it. And Nicholson’s voice remains a thing of beauty: effortless and clear as a mountain stream, she holds listeners absolutely rapt. It all bodes very well for her new album ‘Safe Hands’ – her second long-player – which ushers in a sumptuous new era for this supremely talented singer/songwriter who mixes melancholia and euphoria like no other. Her new headline tour is taking in Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham, but she’s kicking the whole thing off in Gateshead for what should be some night. DP