Cult horror film ‘The Wicker Man’ celebrates its 50th anniversary this month, and one of the most striking elements of the film is its folky soundtrack, so as both a film and music buff I was very excited for this one. Katy J Pearson does a fantastic job …

The beacon of light that is Newcastle Cathedral is hosting a whole bunch of exciting things in December, not least their Candlelit Carols concerts. If you want your heart lifted up to the rafters in the run-up to Christmas then you’re not going to achieve…

The awesome Lankum are coming to Newcastle at the back end of January: a notion that is worth getting very excited about. It’s an annual event for me to scream at the telly when the Mercury Prize winner is announced, as I invariably feel that such and suc…

Folk music is going through an incredible upward swing at present, and right at the vanguard of all that is exciting about the scene is Ireland’s John Francis Flynn. He’s playing North Shields in January in a gig featuring a triple bill of wonders. An ear…

Boho rebels Healthy Junkies bring a whole bunch of disparate elements to heel in pursuit of their punk ‘n’ roll sound, a sound that will be shaking the foundations of Stockton’s Georgian Theatre when they play there this December. Healthy Junkies have …

Brilliant Mancs Loose Articles are just one of the bands playing the Anti-Pleasure Xmas Special at Zerox in Newcastle this December. They’re f-ing good. I had to look twice at the list of Loose Articles confirmed forthcoming gigs. In December they’re in N…

The lavish talents of Lanterns on the Lake will be in full effect when they play a hometown gig at The Glasshouse this December. Expect emotions to run high. Lanterns on the Lake already had an enviable back catalogue, with a clutch of albums that spoke o…

Newcastle-based India Arkin is pushing her rocky-pop (poppy-rock?) in a very interesting direction, and I’ve no hesitation in jumping aboard her merry charabanc for the wild ride. First up, India Arkin’s latest single ‘143’ is fantastic. It begins with so…

Winona Ryder played a character called Dinky Bossetti in a 1990 film called ‘Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael’. I’m guessing that’s where Dinky Bossetti – this local band – got their name… ‘Trans Sister Radio’ is the debut EP/mini-album from this abrasive Ne…

The world greatest action film ‘Die Hard’ is just one of the festive treats coming to The Common Room in Newcastle this December, along with a gig from the brilliant Matt Deighton (pictured). ‘Die Hard’ shares much in common with that other perennial Yul…

Cult US band Foxing are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their incredible ‘The Albatross’ album (pictured) with a series of gigs including – hooray! – one at Cluny 2 in Newcastle. Foxing band members were drawn from the outer-fringes of the St Louis, M…

Laura Misch has brought together a whole bunch of disparate elements in such an exciting way for her ‘Sample The Sky’ album. It’s one of the best debuts of the year and you’ll be able to hear her play it live when she visits Gateshead in early December. L…

Chloe Gardner fronts up Sunderland’s Chloe & The Brainwaves, a band who are being whispered about in hushed tones after just one single. They’ve got a gig in their hometown in early December. Chloe and other band members Alex, Michael and Lewis have been …