Dur e Aziz Amna caused a real splash with her debut novel ‘American Fever’ and she’s followed it up with another compelling narrative, this one set in Pakistan in the 1990s/early 2000s. Telling the tale is Tara who draws us into her confidence from the of…

Stevie Martin is an online comedy sensation, but as her latest show ‘Clout’ ably demonstrates, she can also hit the heights while working a crowd too. See it at The Stand in Newcastle in early October. ‘Clout’ is a very clever show. It’s also very, ve…

The exceptionally talented singer-songwriter Tom Hickox is coming to The Grove in Newcastle in early October, which is good news for those of us who long to be transported to a different plane. Known for his evocative lyrics, haunting melodies, and a v…

‘In The Beginning Woman Was The Sun’ is Houmi Miura’s feted one-woman show; a surreal and witty quest to find history’s iconic Japanese women. Houmi Miura’s bedroom is plastered with posters of her childhood heroes, including Marilyn Monroe, Mel B and …

The wondrous Luxmuralis is returning to Durham Cathedral this October with their latest show ‘The Storytellers’. Show-stopping. Jaw-dropping. Brain-scrambling. All of these can be applied to Luxmuralis who will be lighting up Durham Cathedral – quite …

Head to South Shields this September to attend WRITEFest 2025, a one-day event that not only highlights established local authors but also aims to empower the next generation. Lucy Rose (pictured) lives on the north-east coast and is one of the literar…

‘Se Gæst | The Guest’ is a bold new production from acclaimed choreographer and theatre-maker Anthony Lo-Giudice, and it’s set to tour the north-east this autumn. My interest in ‘Se Gæst | The Guest’ sky-rocketed when I saw the incredible production pi…

Artist Harold Offeh has transformed the ground floor gallery of Baltic into a sci-fi playground, which is very nice of him. Brace yourself for ‘The Mothership Collective 2:0’. ‘The Mothership Collective 2:0’ invites visitors of all ages to imagine pote…

Can I get a drum-roll please ahead of the announcement that the mighty Initialize is back, back, BACK at The Middlesbrough Empire this September. This night promises to be all manner of magnificent with a line-up that is headed up by DJ Sek. This Greek…

A troubled Irish boy on the cusp of adulthood makes a new start in this touching and amusing Cork-set Irish drama. Power is the titular boy, a brooding, short-tempered seventeen-year-old recently ejected from his latest foster home. The authorities have t…

One of the region’s finest music festivals – The Gathering Sounds – is returning to Stockton once again this September and they’ve got a line-up toting thrills wherever you look. When us live music lovers hear the call – the call that speaks of up and …

One of the region’s finest festivals – The Festival of Thrift – returns to Billingham once again this September for an action packed weekend of free events, with the emphasis firmly on sustainability, culture and style. Introduction There is no festi…

Ever wanted a queer club night aimed at the girlies? Then Pulse in Newcastle would like a word... Pulse is a sapphic-focused rave night for the FLINTA* community, and this September will be the third edition of this hugely successful party, which focus…

Climate Action Middlesbrough are currently presenting ‘Our Place in the Family of Things’ at the Dorman Museum, an exhibition that looks at our relationship to the natural world, climate change, climate action, ecology and care. One of the UK’s greates…

I don’t know enough about economics to understand whether the markets can be manipulated by Donald Trump. Can a system that is supposed to work like maths and only has one set of outcomes be turned on its head to show the world, in the words of MAGA, “alt…