North Shields’ Maius Mollis is one of the finest singer/songwriters in the region, and when it comes to soul-baring honesty and melodies that arrow straight to your heart, she doesn’t hold back. She’s playing Cluny 2 in early October.

Last year Maius Mollis hit us up with ‘The Tide Turned’, which was the first thing I’d heard from her. It begins: “On the edge, most of the time, you are like your mother, and I am like mine; quietly golden, but you didn’t know, wish I’d told you more often, I wish you didn’t have to go…” Simple words, but I was enraptured: something to do with that flickering-candle voice and a tune that kept snagging on my heart. And that single was no fluke. This year she’s already given us ‘Feel It Hard’, which gets a reflective wiggle on, and ‘(I Was Not) Brave’, a heart-in-the-mouth ballad. Another thing I love about her is that she manages to locate that sweet spot somewhere between folk and pop (or pop and folk), and her introspection never takes precedent over some great melodies. And this gig promises to be a real “Don’t Miss!” as it’s her first full-band headliner, a band featuring Ceitidh Mac, John Lambeth and Melanie Baker, no less. You know what to do (i.e. buy a ticket). DP

Maius Mollis, Thursday 5 October, Cluny 2, Newcastle, 7pm, £9, thecluny.com