X-Ray Spex will always have a place in punk history because of their blazing 1978 debut album ‘Germfree Adolescents’. The follow-up to that album didn’t arrive until 1995, and it slipped down the back of the settee somewhat. It’s now getting released on v…

Small but perfectly formed, Finnish writer-director Aki Kaurismäki’s first film in six years is a sweetly melancholy and tentatively hopeful depiction of a will-they won’t-they romance between two downtrodden Helsinki residents. Ansa (Pöysti) is a lonely,…

If you didn’t already have plans for New Year’s Eve, then now you do – all courtesy of Sister Shack. A Sister Shack party is a spectacular night out at the best of times, but on New Year’s Eve they’re really pulling out the stops and presenting the next B…

If you’re looking for day-to-day fashion that still has something a little bit magical about it, then make House of Zana one of your new go-tos. This Darlington-based fashion brand is run by an all-female team, with an ethical, sustainable manufacturing s…

There is nothing we love more than a north-east success story, and Somebody Else’s Guy is one of the companies that makes us feel very proud of our northern fashion scene. Newcastle-based designer Corey Dixon’s range of sustainable, gender-neutral clothes…

Bonkers Sole is a fab new enterprise in South Shields that specialises in revamping trainers (among other footwear). Listen, as much as we’re all about shopping sustainably, the age-old saying of “there’s nothing more sustainable than what’s already in yo…

The Stand in Newcastle has a full programme in December, which gets a “woo hoo!” from me. A full programme, yes, but I’d particularly like to flag up their Christmas and New Year Specials. This year’s Christmas Specials run over three days (14-16 December…

‘Snow Mouse’ at Theatre Hullaballo in Darlington is full of enchantments and is a real theatrical treat for very young children. Most children love a panto (as do many an adult), but they can be a little on the raucous side for very young kids. ‘Snow Mous…

Yevonde (1893-1975) was a real pioneer of 20th century colour photography, and a wide-ranging exhibition of her stunning work can currently be seen at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle. Strange to say, but colour photography wasn’t particularly seen as a…

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…

This New Year’s Eve – for one night only – a plethora of lasers will light up the skies around Newcastle’s Quayside. Fancy that! To those people who airily declare: “New Year’s Eve is the worst night of the year,” I say this: “Have you even met Tuesday Ja…

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…

On the release of his last film ‘The Old Oak’, Ken Loach talks to David Willoughby about filmmaking, politics and his admiration for the North East. Little moments can be very telling. Ken Loach is ten minutes late for our interview at the film company’s …

The Podfather and double-Taskmaster champion has been described as this generation’s Michael Parkinson, for his longform interviews that allow the seldom-offered gift of time to his showbiz guests. As part of the comedy partnership Lee & Herring in the ni…