Borealis channel the wild beauty of the northern landscape on their extraordinary jazz compositions, and you can hear them in all their glory when they visit Barnard Castle this May.

Borealis’s self-titled debut album is a real thing of joy. Featuring original compositions of emerging jazz guitarist Joe Steels, they were pulled together while he was living in Cumbria and Northumberland. He channelled the rugged beauty and soaring majesty of these wild views into pieces that fuse elements of folk, rock, and contemporary jazz. But, just as importantly, he also got together a collective that would help him realise his vision. People such as Ferg Kilsby, an exciting young jazz trumpeter. And people such as Asha Nicholson, whose solo work blends shadows and song, acoustic and electronic, to create ethereal yet haunting compositions. And then there’s Dan Brown (Glasgow based pianist), Paul Susans (double and electric bassist) and John Hirst (a drummer and percussionist based in Northumberland). The album is amazing, and I expect their live shows to be slapped with a similar adjective. DP

Borealis, Friday 31 May, The Witham, Barnard Castle, 7.30pm, £15, thewitham.org.uk