24.11.2021 - Petronn Sphene x Kenosist x Mariam Rezaei/Plastiglomerate x Drooping Finger/Territorial Gobbing/Mourning Dew - Culture Lab, Newcastle

Night at Culture Lab to see some noise and weirdness!

Mourning Dew were pretty good, collective of musicians and singers doing avant garde stuff, it looked like it wouldn't work but somehow did.

Territorial Gobbing, I've found hit or miss but this set was slightly better!

Plastiglomerate x Drooping Finger noisy collab between these two, Plastiglomerate being one of the projects of a kid called Tom.

Petronn Sphene x Kenosist x Mariam Rezaei trio collab, Petronn Sphene is the lass from Guttersnipe.

All good stuff and a night out!

[Edit] Added photo of Mourning Dew playing their set.

22.11.2021 - Kelly Lee Owens/Goddess911 - Cobalt Studio, Newcastle

This was originally supposed to be at St. Dominics Catholic club but got moved by the request of Kelly I think? Was to due to that a promoters that ran the books there were dodgy so it got moved to Cobalt which I feel was a much better place for her to play.

Nice dance, electronic music by Kelly, she had the place bouncing, good stuff. Would love to see her play again.

Goddess911 wasn't that great I thought.

10.10.2021 - Slimelord/Coffin Mulch - The Little Buildings, Byker

Night of death metal from Leeds Slimelord who were canny good like, mean when it comes to metal and it's subgenres I have no idea but this was good.

Finally got to see Coffin Mulch from Glasgow who tore the place down in the small Little Buildings which had now moved in the old Blank Studios next to the Tanners pub!

08.10.2021 - The Shits/Frisk/Coax/Louse - The Biscuit Studios, Newcastle

Secret gig at the practice space, had Leeds bands The Shits and Frisk back up for some action.

Coax was a newish band, sorta post punk with members of Foot Hair, Louse more noise rock and made up of Foot Hair and Shits members. Was a good night like!

21.05.2021 - BRB>Voicecoil (Assimilate 5) - Tyne Tunnel - Pedestrian

By the time this gig happened I had already had Covid bad and been in hospital for about a month which sucked!

This time BRB had prepared his sounds to echo through the Pedestrian Tyne Tunnel, was an interesting set and only a handful of the hardcore down there for it to witness it!

23.10.2020 - BRB>Voicecoil (Assimilate 4) - Ouseburn - Newcastle (outside gig)

Covid hit and gigs were not happening due to lockdown, this was the exception as it was outside and people were being careful not to get too close!

Walking through the Ouseburn to hear BRB doing an outside installation gig, was good and also good to get out! Kev gave out some 5" lathe records to the first few people who came, still not played mine yet!

01.02.2020 - Calineczka/Vampryes/MP Wood/Liminal Haze - The Soundroom, Gateshead

Ah this would have been the final Soundroom gig and not the one I said earlier!

Calineczka I think was from Poland and did drone?

Was a decent gig as had a strong line up of local acts as well.

13.12.2019 - Liminal Haze/Culver/Depletion/Fells - The Central Bar, Gateshead

Local stuff at the Central. Wasn't a lot of people here as think Richard Dawson was playing across the road with Circle!

12.12.2019 - Shellac/Beige Palace - Boiler Shop, Newcastle

First and last time seeing the mighty Shellac, fucking amazing live and I know Albini seemed to rub people up the wrong way but he could write a tune like!

I also like how they told people to come see them to buy a t-shirt direct. Think this as Boiler Shop must get a cut or charge to sell merch? Albini making sure the fans don't get fucked over!

Beige Palace were awful.

09.12.2019 - Hans-Joachim Roedelius/David Terry - The Cluny, Newcastle

Never thought I'd see legend Roedelius play! Was in the great Cluster and Harmonia!!!!!

Very prolific is releases, this was a nice set at the Cluny. Feel from my memory there wasn't that many people there!

Got me ticket signed as I am a sad twat!

05.12.2019 - Hot Snakes/White Legs - The Cluny 2, Newcastle

Final time I ever got to see Hot Snakes play before Rick passed away, another incredible set by them as well and newer songs from Jericho Sirens!

White Legs come from Sunderland, ex-This Ain't Vegas and The Lake Poets and more doing post-punk rock. With what was to come think they fell victim to the Covid lockdown and didn't get to play more etc

15.11.2019 - Vampryes/Corpse Twitcher/Variant State/Pleasure - The Soundroom, Gateshead

This was the last Soundroom gig to be hosted as shortly afterwards they stopped putting gigs on which was a shame as it was canny venue.

Can't recall who Variant State or who Pleasure were, again if this comes to me will update!

14.11.2019 - Earth/Helen Money/Lushworker - The Cluny 2, Newcastle

Earth, great as always, don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing them play as long as they keep going!

Helen Money is a cello player, I enjoyed her set a lot, thought it was good, my mate did not. Though this is due to being tortured by an old housemate who used to play the cello a lot!

Lushworker played a great set, though remember their being an online dispute as he was not mentioned in the review of the gig.

09.11.2019 - Culver/Depletion/Lushworker/MP Wood - The Soundroom, Gateshead

Local bands doing local noise for local people. Think this was a warm up gig for Lushworker to get back into gigging ready for the Earth gig.

Lucy did not play so Martyn stepped in as Depletion.

14.10.2019 - Sorry for Nothing/Volcanova/Goblin Smoker/Geomancer - Trillians, Newcastle

SFN and Volcanova sharing the stage for a second time!

Still think round here Volcanova still hadn't put their album out!

Goblin Smoker were decent, a lot better than I thought as thought their name was a bit shite! Bit doom/black metal hailing from Durham.

11.10.2019 & 12.10.2019 & 13.10.2019 - Tusk Fest 2019 - Newcastle Universty/The Sage, Gateshead/Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle

Ellen Arkbro/Wrest

Sunn Trio/Audrey Chen/Mariam & Lasses Marhaug/The Rolling Calf/MIR8/Acrid Lactations

Karl D'Silva/Yol/Blom/Black Damp

Abul Mogard/Ceylon Mange/Moor Mother X LCO/Jandek/Ernie K Fegg/Ka Baird/Luke Poot

Swarmfront/Dave Terry/Lacrima/Hyperstition Duo/Hapsburg Braganza/SW1n-,-GHAST

The Necks/Grupi Lab/Magma/Sonic Bothy/Mondo Sadists/Farmer Glitch

Another long weekend for Tusk fest! I'll just mention my highlights....

Ellen Arkbro at Newcastle Uni playing their pipe organ, slow drone, I think it was one note slowly changing to another note(?) so good, it was quite relaxing I nearly dropped off to sleep!

Mariam & Lasses Marhaug collab set was cracking!

Blom at 2am at the Star and Shadow was out of this world, loud noisy punk, wish they were still a band and that I got to see them more!

Magma was also fantastic, spoilt by two idiots fighting at the side!

Moor Mother X LCO (London Contemporary Orchestra) another amazing set to have seen, Moor Mothers words hit hard and powerful, think it upset a couple of people I know!

Jandek not a highlight, only managed one song, unfortunately that was 30 mins, absolutely shite and felt like an incel song....

The Necks were my fave of the whole fest and a great band to end 2019's edition of Tusk. Trio from Australia who do a bit of modern jazz, piano, drums and double bass.

A mate described them as when you see them, they could play for over an hour but it feels like when they finish they have only done ten minutes and you want more!

A very good description as their set was amazing, and did feel like once they had finished it hadn't been like an hour! 

So since then, been following and picking up their albums when I can as they are all as they say down under, rippers!

10.10.2019 - Soft Issues/Haar/Depletion - Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle

Soft Issues

Pre-Tusk gig at the Alphabetti Theatre in town, not far off where the Discovery Museum.

Soft Issues are a noise band, probably hinting a bit at power electronics I reckon. Pretty decent set by them, ended up picking up a couple of their tapes by them here.

Haare, not to be confused with another band/s called Haare is also from Leeds and did noise music, again really good stuff.

04.10.2019 - Nacht und Nebel/Luxury Mollusc/Blackcloudsummoner/Rovellasca - The Soundroom, Gateshead

Return of Nacht und Nebel at the Soundroom, this time with Luxury Mollusc and Blackcloudsummoner who he was on tour with.

Luxury Mollusc and Blackcloudsummoner both being similar noise/drone groups. Luxury coming over from Ireland and Blackcloudsummoner being from Nottingham like Nacht.

Rovellasca is the solo project by Craig Johnson, who was in Death in Scarsdale, great drone music.

20.08.2019 - Sharon Van Etten/Heather Woods Broderick - The Tyne Theatre, Newcastle

First time at the Tyne Theatre and it was canny nice. The seats we had were comfy and had leg space, normally I find sitting at a gig a pain as either the seats are shit or hardly any leg space - which may sound daft to some as I'm not tall!

Sharon Van Etten's set was belting, mainly doing songs off her album at the time, Remind Me Tomorrow and a few older songs.

Her support, Heather Woods Broderick was decent too, bit folky rock.

When we left, some lass jumped over her seat to get out quicker but landed awkwardly on her ankle in front of us, it looked like it hurt like hell but hopefully not a break or fracture!

06.07.2019 - Nacht und Nebel/Xazzaz/Vampyres - The Soundroom, Gateshead

Nacht und Nebel is Henry from Bloody Head/Army of Flying Robots. Think in earlier releases he used cello processed through pedals to make noise.

Stuff he was doing now involved more electronics and use of mini discs to build up his sound.

Nice stuff like.

03.06.2019 - Nani-Guru/Disappointments/1727 - Trillians, Newcastle

Nani-Guru

Members of Acid Mothers Temple doing what they do best in psychedelic rock! Makoto Kawabata and Nani Satoshima were raging live.

Disappointments I think was a Watts project but can't remember who else was involved. 

21.05.2019 - Kamasi Washington/Oscar Jerome - The Sage, Gateshead

Kamasi Washington was great live! Think he played for like 2 and a half hours? Even had his dad on stage playing with him.

Oscar Jerome played jazz but I didn't think it was good, not sure why it just didn't click with me...

21.04.2019 - Velvela/Mark Miller/Icarus Williams - The Surf Café, Tynemouth

Icarus Williams

Rob invited me to this free gig at the Surf Cafe.

Icarus Williams was good, a political folk punk in the vein of Woody Guthrie!

Can't recall who Mark Miller was, if it comes to me, I will update!

Some 80's style rock from Velvela, not my thing but they were good at what they did and seemed to have a fair bit of a crowd loving them!

19.04.2019- Goat Majesty/MP Wood/Depletion/Culver - The Soundroom, Gateshead

 Local Noise for Local People.

31.03.2019 - Michael Chapman - The Cluny 2, Newcastle

Last time I saw Chapman play before he passed away.

He did two sets this night, one of his popular songs they second set was more of his new stuff from the True North album.

Great to see and hear, he was always fantastic to watch.

26.03.2019 - IL/Bong/Geomancer - Trillians, Newcastle

IL are a Russian stoner group, IL is maybe the wrong spelling but can't or don't know how to put Russian symbols in! They had played with Bong when Bong had went over to play Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Good stuff, and chatty guys outside Trillians for a bit.

Geomancer, I think were local. Bit metal/doomy, their album, Khatt Al-Raml is worth tracking down.

21.03.2019 - Dylan Carlson/Dave Terry - The Cluny 2, Newcastle

Solo from Earth frontman Dylan Carlson, this might have been the show that had been rescheduled as he had became seriously ill but thankfully pulled through.

Tour coincided with the release of his debut album, Conquistador. Regret not picking up the screen poster he had for sale as it was pretty rad!

Dave Terry, from Bong did a set of his accordion drone and vocals.

17.03.2019 - Kristin Hersh/Fred Abong - The Cluny 2, Newcastle

Second time seeing the same line up!

Still good and think was more electric than the last time!

16.03.2019 - Fordell Research Unit/BRB>Voicecoil/Depletion/Culver - The Soundroom, Gateshead

Another good night of drone and noise at the Soundroom.

Think this was part of the FU/BRB/Culver UK tour!

FRU set was great, did a nice bootleg of it which is all gone now!

22.02.2019 - Foot Hair/The Shits/Bloody Head/Gimp World/Totem Recall - The Cumberland Arms

Nat's 50th birthday party.

Gimp World were amazing, fast angry two mic hardcore from Glasgow, think from the ashes of their previous band Anxiety? Though think they stopped being a band when it turned out their guitarist was a prick.

Bloody Head come from Nottingham, noisy punk and good stuff, think maybe an ex-Army of Flying Robots member so you know it's gonna be good!

Think during Foot Hair's set birthday cake was thrown around, think a mate had a pint thrown over him as well!

I did help out a little bit, got to cue the music out just before Totem Recall's set!

04.02.2019 - Wrekmeister Harmonies/Snakes Don't Belong in Alaska & Mobius/Penance Stare - Trillians, Newcastle

Wrekmeister Harmonies, named after the film is a project by JR Robinson which when I saw him was a two piece, believe it is a bit of a music collective and he plays with other people as well.

Bit drone and a bit post rock, was really nice stuff. They did blow an amp if I recall but was quickly fixed. 

Snakes Don't Belong in Alaska & Mobius did a nice collab set and this may have been the first time I had seen Penance Stare with a live drummer.

01.02.2019 - Frisk/The Wound/1.6 - The Head of Steam, Newcastle

Beta Blockers were supposed to play but think illness occurred and they couldn't.

Frisk are from Leeds and are a hardcore band, really fucking good as well, Harry the singer is such a canny bloke too!

The Wound were similar style of hardcore and ex-No Form.

1.6 was Bish and I think a lad called Tom doing noisy electronics.

25.01.2019 - Pascagoula/Proboscis/Corpse Twitcher - Trillians, Newcastle

Some Brighton doom metal from Pascagoula, decent enough I suppose!

Proboscis was made up of members Live Burial, Xazzaz and Culver, maybe some others? Free form experimental doom, only did a handful of gigs and a digital demo which can be found here https://invertedgrim-millrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/demo, nearly an hour long. Should have had a proper release I think, they weren't around long as is normally the case with a lot of local bands.

21.01.2019 - Fucked Up/Chastity - Think Tank, Newcastle

Seeing Fucked Up again, this time at Think Tank and they were touring for Dose Your Dream.

Pretty good bar the venue being shit!

Chastity were fellow Canadians from Whitby. Not sure if this is a one man project and he tours with a band?

Decent enough like, though later on while I got myself a Fucked Up t-shirt some horrible drunk bloke was talking to me about the band and commented on how he would give the bassist one.... 

Told him that wasn't cool to be asked if I was a "homo"....

11.01.2019 - The Beer Monkeys - The Magnesia Bank, North Shields

Friday night after work pints while watching The Beer Monkeys!

Covers band doing rock and classic rock covers.

26.11.2018 - Skegss/Dumb Punts/Mayfare - Think Tank, Newcastle

Skegss

Discovered Skegss while going though a youtube rabbit hole, surfer indie rock?

This gig was advertised really poorly as I only found out about two days before it happened!

They were great live and managed to pick up their LP and got it signed, apparently a lot of them got destroyed on the trip over from Oz which is a bit of a bummer.

Dumb Punts were class, Australian pub rock, canny people as spoke a lot of shit with them between sets!

Mayfare was a local band? Absolute shite.

Weirdest bit about this gig was some kid with a bowl cut and dungarees asking his mate to go to the bog with him so he could shit in peace! Mate was like, "yeah not going to the bog so you can have a crap!"

24.11.2018 - PLF/Body Harvest/ The Atrocity Exhibit/Uir/Live Burial - Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle

Second night of Byker Grave fest, only came to this as wanted to see Pretty Little Flower again!

Was good to see Live Burial eventually, local black/death metal mob.

The rest I wasn't too into.

23.11.2018 - Vomir/R.H.G.T./Maginot/Kenosist/Shurayuki-hime/Monocrete - The Old Police House (2) Gateshead

A night full of harsh noise.

Bin bands on head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

21.11.2018 - Courtney Barnett/Laura Jean - Northumbria University

Excellent gig with Courtney Barnett, she puts on one good gig like!

Was really impressed with the support act, Laura Jean, she was playing her new album but without band members as recall her saying not all of them could get here on time.

Really wish there was a recording of her set from this gig as it was class, the album she was playing, Devotion is great and hearing it live but in a different set up was great!

On this UK tour, Courtney had local artists create posters for her that would be sold at each venue. Think they were limited to 30 copies for each venue. Saw some good ones, but thought the one designed for the Newcastle show was rubbish! As seen below:

This was the Uni advert for the gig!

20.11.2018 - Sundays & Cybelle/The Lightwaves Museum/Richard McMahon - Trillians, Newcastle

Definitely a lot of Japanese bands toured through Newcastle during 2018!

Sundays & Cybelle are from Hokkaido, Japan and are a psychedelic band, very very good live.

The Lightwaves Museum were local  think, deff had a kraut rock feel to them, decent stuff.

Richard McMahaon, was god awful, he played like he was headlining Glastonbury! Sure someone said he was the uncle of someone who put the gig on?! Absolute dog shit!

I've got another flyer, well poster for this gig which has the band on it somewhere!

16.11.2018 - Mayuko Hino/Mariam Rezaei/1727 - The Old Police House (2) Gateshead

Mayuko Hino from legendary C.C.C.C. played the Old Police House, absolutely incredible stuff, she had this weird synth thing, and just played some wonderful noise. Like she was a very quiet lady that you wouldn't expect she did bondage films and played harsh noise!

1727 is the more noise project of Esme from Penance Stare.

The police came to this gig as a STUDENT, saw people coming in and thought there was an illegal rave going on. Assume this student had no fucking life, probably did politics and works for the tories...