Avant-garde shenanigans will be in the offing when Marcia Bassett and Victoria Keddie (pictured) fill The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle with a strange kind of magic this July.

In the landscape of American experimental music, Marcia Bassett stands as a titan of the avant-garde. A fixture of the NYC underground for decades – through projects like Double Leopards, Hototogisu, and her solo work as Zaimph – she has mastered the art of sonic architecture. But what makes Bassett truly captivating is her ability to manipulate tension, her performances turning into real immersive, tactile environments. Using a sophisticated rig of guitar, analog synthesizers, and handmade electronics, she constructs walls of sound that feel both massive and incredibly intricate. She doesn’t just play noise; she sculpts it, finding the delicate sweet spot where harsh frequencies dissolve into meditative, psychedelic drones. To see her live is to witness the physical embodiment of sound. Victoria Keddle, meanwhile, is another must-see performer because she treats the stage as a laboratory for “transmission arts”, turning invisible data and electromagnetic ghosts (yep – you heard right!), into visceral live experiences. Seeing both of these artists performing together is a rare thrill that should not be passed up. DP

Marcia Bassett and Victoria Keddie + support, Wednesday 22 July, The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle, 7pm, from £9.60, thelubberfiend.com