Music & Gigs - What's On

The Locals - North East music scene

RISING North East band The Mosaics have been awarded grant assistance by the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund. Read

Band earned their stripes with the critics

AMERICAN rockers The White Stripes have announced their biggest UK tour to date, including a gig in Newcastle.Read

Making tracks

Leslie Feist, a member of Broken Social Scene, is solo on her new track, 1234, and sounding great.Read

Bands go for broke at festival

UNSIGNED bands on Tyneside are being given the chance to play at a major music festival this year.Read

Babylon's Burning but Bizzle has it covered

One of my pet hates, musically speaking, is when an artist or band gives a classic song a modern update, usually by just whacking on a dance beat.Read

IT'S A long journey from the Kremlin to the Northumberland countryside, but international pianist Joanna MacGregor has done just that to perform a sensational piece of music. RICHARD YATES has the details.Read

Keeping Cajun sounds alive

TO CONTINUE last week’s accordion theme, a quintet from Lafayette, Louisiana, gets the chance to prove just how important that instrument is in the world of Cajun music.Read

The Locals - North East music scene

AFTER the sell-out success of the Pasqua Speciale back in April, the Road To Rimini has announced its second event at the Star & Shadow Cinema in Byker on July 7.Read

Carling date for Newton

MAN of many talents Newton Faulkner plays his rescheduled gig at the Carling Academy on Sunday.Read

Editors in the news

TICKETS went on sale today for an autumn Newcastle show for top Indie band Editors.Read

Few Thrills for audience

IT WAS in 2003 that Irish five-piece The Thrills crashed on to the UK scene with their charming brand of sun-kissed pop. Read

Ice and fire in a 12th Century priory

As the countdown begins to the 14th Brinkburn Music festival, Thomas Hall sets the scene and speaks to one of the stars.Read

Rock cameras rolling as Ash upload movie

Fans of the Irish rock band Ash are advised to keep their eyes peeled on the internet over the next few weeks, as it looks like some near-legendary footage featuring the group is about to see the light of day.Read

Dream ending for Young

Len Young has chosen one of Edward Elgar's greatest works, The Dream of Gerontius, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, and also his own last concert conducting the Newcastle Choral Society. To say that Len will be missed by his choir is a bit of an understatement, but he feels it is the perfect time to pass the baton onto a younger man.Read

Party goes on and on

It's been an exciting week for Welsh diva Dame Shirley. A triumphant set at Glastonbury last weekend saw her delighting the mud-soaked crowds with renditions of Hey Big Spender and The Lady Is A Tramp.Read

Jazz legends reveal the fruits of a 35-year friendship

Truly special musicians don't come around all that often, and even less frequently do two convene to put on a show on Tyneside.Read

Voices raised in song from the Sage to the MetroCentre

Newcastle Choral Society member Peter Nevin, who joined in 1986, here pays his own tribute to choirmaster Len Young.Read

Opening young ears and eyes

Children can be wary of exploring classical music, but a family concert next month in rural Northumberland is aiming to open young ears and eyes to its joys. RICHARD YATES tells more.Read

Celebrating a superb Corea

WITHOUT doubt the gig of this week has to be the world-class pairing, at The Sage Gateshead on Sunday, of jazz pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton.Read