Ania Card's first novel is a “love letter to all the mistakes we make in our twenties, to friendships that feel like love”. It certainly transports you to the age where you feel like you should know who you are but still find yourself searching to truly w…

Durham’s Tim Head IS Faithful Johannes and he paints the most wonderful pictures with his languid raps. His third album – in which he teams up with producer Neocia – sees him tackling childhood and parenting (among other stuff) in his own inimitable style…

Martha Hill has cemented her reputation as one of the finest artists working in the north-east today with this, her superb debut album. Her pointed and often bruised lyrical concerns – that take in many different kinds of loss and longing – are sung above…

Coinciding with ‘Mali Morris: Returning’ at the Hatton Gallery, Gallagher & Turner are showing selected works on paper by the artist, alongside sculptures by Stephen Lewis. I adore this vibrant piece from Mali Morris (‘Edge of a Portrait’ 1994, pictured) …

Nia Archives reignited the jungle scene earlier this year with her box-fresh ‘Silence is Loud’ album, and she’ll be bringing all those fizzy beats to Newcastle when she plays NX on Halloween night. I’ve already begun to scratch out and add titles to my ow…

Is Kyla Brox the “finest female blues singer of her generation”? A lot of people seem to think so and I’m not arguing. She’s playing The Cluny this October. Stop what you’re doing right now and take yourself off in the direction of Kyla Brox’s show-stoppi…

Multi-instrumentalist Guy Davis has had back-to-back nominations for Best Traditional Blues artist at the Grammy Awards, and he’s bringing his authentic sound to both Newcastle and Barnard Castle this October and November. Guy Davis is the son of actors R…

Writer-director-star Alice Lowe’s absurdist sci-fi comedy has its moments but does not really add up to a satisfying whole. She is Agnes, a woman living through a number of periods in history, in 1680s Scotland, in 1790s England, in 1840s Britain and in 1…

Spain’s The Del Pino Bros (pictured) are just two of the tip-top acts you can catch at the next Initialize in Middlesbrough, which is being billed as something of a Halloween special. This should be special. Making his UK debut is Spaniard Javi Gomez (Kor…

The hugely acclaimed, feel-good musical ‘Made In Dagenham’ – which sees women fighting for their rights at a Ford car plant circa 1968 – is motoring into Darlington this October. I love the 2010 film ‘Made in Dagenham’, but I REALLY love the musical of th…

From TikTok star to darling of the Edinburgh Fringe, Tatty Macleod made her name with her French vs English skits that have been turned into a fab stage show entitled ‘Fugue’. In Tatty Macleod’s show she wonders if she has a drink problem, or is she just …

Somebody’s Else’s Guy is the brand that’s really stepping out in style. Although we’re loathe to utter the C word quite yet (we mean Christmas, you heathens), there’s no denying that from this point onwards everyone will be ramping up the events, parties …

Sheep Inc has the answer to all your sustainable woolly needs. After a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it summer, autumn is now well underway and that means only one thing – knitwear. If you’re looking for a more sustainable way to wear your wool, Sheep Inc has com…

If you go down to Ouseburn today, you’re in for a big surprise, because there’s a hidden gem that’ll keep you well dressed and can help you clear out your closet, all in one fell swoop. The People’s Exchange is nestled away in the Stepney Bank arches, and…

The recent riots were labelled by some in the media as protests. Protests because people had ‘grievances’, the main grievance being something along the lines of Muslims “taking their country away from them” and not letting them celebrate Christmas. Which …