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Saturday lineup | Sunday lineup
+ 7pm - 1am // £5 on the door
STARRING:
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David Brewis, of course, is/was a member of Sunderland pop legends Field Music; now School of Language is currently his most pressing musical concern and has already garnered scores of plaudits from peers and tastemakers far and wide. SoL continues the fine Brewis tradition of many traditional elements, with the smooth Fleetwood Mac and Beatles guitar licks, and sweet ELO-esque vocals, but at odds with the music's experimental nature, the time signatures, the transitions, each one of which is intelligent and challenging. The aspects of the traditional and the experimental, fighting it out within each song are what makes SoL so incredible. The more you listen to SoL, the more you begin to understand how appropriately named the outfit is - not only are the members fluent in the language of music, they are poets as well.
School Of Language website
School Of Language myspace
School Of Language Facebook
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Milky Wimpshake may well stake a claim to being the most influential band in the entire North East. Hairgelled hipsters may well know that frontman Pete Dale was responsible from suggesting to the Futureheads that they should cover Hounds Of Love, but Pete (alongside Rachel Holborow) was also responsible for ferevent DIY label/arts umbrella Slampt, which between 1992 and 2000 released the first singles by Kenickie and Yummy Fur (featuring members of Franz Ferdinand) as well as other luminaries like Red Monkey, Pussycat Trash and International Strike Force. |
As for the understated genius of the band itself though, well, it would be simple to make Only Ones and Buzzcocks analogies, one realises that although at first glance straight-up punks, Wimpshake have hidden depths, where cutting irony and wit litter love songs bristling with social commentary and personal politics. But you knew that already, right?
Milky Wimpshake-approved fan site
Slampt myspace
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Andrew Hodson has establishing himself within the North East's artistic and creative elite since his days in seminal Newcastle band, Jumbo. First with his art project triptych, which started with 2004's "Map Music", Hodson then presented us with The Matinee Orchestra; an ambitious platter recorded in England, Scotland, Spain and Taiwan and featuring a 13 strong continent-spanning band including such North East luminaries as Paul Smith and Pete Brewis among them. Described as "a laptop band", The Matinee Orchestra come across like a Mid-Western American barn dance with Olivia Tremor Control playing in the grain silo. With the promise of new material to surface this year, Andrew will be presenting some of this material live for the first time tonight. The Matiness Orchestra: a rich and sparkling listening experience with all the rewarding qualities of a classic novel.
The Matinee Orchestra myspace
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Veterans Pale Man Made have been skirting the fringes of the North-East scene stylishly with their lively, punchy and perfect tales of broken hearts, animals, hatred, jealousy, snooker players and natural history museums. Their songs make the most mundune topics seem like a matter of life and death, imbued with a cinematic gravity - even to someone with a crushing indifference to the game. Pale Man Made are tired of comparisons with various Riot Grrl acts, Elastica and Sonic Youth, as lazy 'there's a bird in the band' analogies go no way to explaining these perfectly crafted, highly illustrative vignettes, perhaps punk in spirit, but not in content. |
With their current album 'Oh, My Treasured Things' obtaining kudos from the like of Lamacq, Peel, Riley, and Huw Stephens, its about time that you indulged too.
Pale Man Made myspace
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Straight outta Ashington, Northumberland, and with over 30 years of showbiz experience, St James Infirmary combine the folksy charm and observations of Jilted John or Alan Bennett with the acerbic wit and killing fields of Pol Pot. The songs are wholly wonderful yarns linen with misanthrophy and acute social observations that can tell you a lot more about your life than a skipload of Mike Skinner CDs. With fellow bandmates Mark Oliver and Tony Bennett, g.w. lang has skirted on the fringes of indie cultdom for many years without quite getting it right, but this simply makes the music all the more engaging. Ashington folk at its finest.
St. James Infirmary myspace
g.w.lang's The First Church Of Canny Lad blog
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Saturday lineup | Sunday lineup
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