Culture Digest 21.03.25
Our regular round up of some of the arts and culture stories from across the North East, which caught our attention over the past seven days
Brass Festival announces shiny 2025 festival line up
Sound a fanfare for Durham Brass Festival, returning in July with an appealing array of headliners which includes celebrated newcomers and returnees.
With tickets on sale from today (Friday, March 21) we can all prepare for a big brass wallow beside the Wear.
Most of the performances will take place at Gala Durham and at Redhills Durham Miners’ Hall.
First up at Redhills on July 14 is Barry Hyde, best known as frontman of The Futureheads but here performing his solo album Miners’ Ballads with the Durham Miners’ Association Brass Band.
“Playing with brass is a big challenge because it involves having to re-learn a lot of what you do,” says Barry.
“But for me, the opportunity to perform with maybe 30-plus additional musicians who are all trying to embellish these songs is an absolute privilege.
“What a fantastic opportunity to showcase this record. I’m absolutely over the moon.”
Dumb Waiter demand dictates second performance
A rare on-stage reading of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter by North East actors Jimmy Nail and Chris Connel on April 4 has sold out in speedy fashion - so Live Theatre has sorted out another chance for audiences to see it.
Following ‘unprecedented demand’ for tickets, a later 9pm performance of the pitch black comedy has been added at the Newcastle venue.
All proceeds from the events will go towards Live’s work commissioning and developing North East playwrights.
See if there’s any tickets left here. And good luck!
Kathryn Williams trails mysterious new album
Newcastle-based singer songwriter Kathryn Williams has revealed she’ll be releasing a new solo album in the autumn… and will be making sure her most supportive fans get a namecheck.
The Mercury Music Prize-nominated artist shared she is in the process of creating the artwork for upcoming long player Mystery Park and will be incorporating the names of her Patreon fans into it.
“It just feels like a lovely way of honouring kindness of strangers who have become friends,” said Kathryn on an Instagram post.
And if you’ve been meaning to sign up to the paid tier of her Patreon page - you could still be among them if you pull your finger out over the next few days.
Read more: Curated Culture 18.03.25 - our what’s on recommendations
Dates and starting line-up for North Shields music festival confirmed
Tickets are on sale for the third Coast Festival, which will take place from June 27-29 at Percy Park Rugby Club in North Shields.
Liam Fender, Gasvegas (both Saturday) and The Lindisfarne Story (Sunday) band have all signed on for the award-winning event, which has played itself into the hearts of music and good time seekers all over Tyneside and beyond.
The festival’s legend slots will welcome Nigel Clark from Dodgy (Saturday), and Tom Hingley, and his band from the Inspiral Carpets (Sunday).
There will also be performances from DJ Laidback Luke and rising rap star Window Kid, who will both provide headline entertainment on the Friday night.
The Sunday for Sammy Trust will also be hosting their popular stage, showcasing emerging young talent; the Tyneidols double decker will host a multitude of gigs by busking musicians; and there’ll be loads of family friendly activities too.
Organisers say they’re expecting tickets to fly out from the website so don’t say you weren’t warned.
North East attractions get their grade card
The outstanding talents of Turner powered a North East gallery to a table topping visitor performance last year.
Figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) saw the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle post a 57% increase in people through the door - the best percentage rise in the region.
The 2024 exhibition of works by JMW Turner, including one of his most popular paintings in The Fighting Temeraire, boosted the Gallery’s visitor total for the year to 192,103, moving it 43 places up the national league table to 188th position.
Bats and bullet holes: artist Luke Jerram on Helios
It perhaps wasn’t the best time to be viewing Luke Jerram’s Sun sculpture, Helios, because the real thing was rising fast in the sky and shining brightly, bleaching contrast out of the landscape around Seaton Delaval Hall.
Already away home for breakfast were the 120 early risers who had snapped up the tickets for a dawn encounter on the opening day.
Nearly three hours later it was daylight but wintry, even with the Spring Equinox less than 24 hours away. Here I was, feet from the Sun – or at least a representation of it – and feeling the chill.
North East venues on the shortlists at museum ‘Oscars’
The Bowes Museum’s Curiosity Project has been shortlisted in the Permanent Exhibition of the Year category at the 23rd annual Museum and Heritage Awards, often called ‘the Oscars of the museum world’.
They celebrate the best in the world of museums, galleries and cultural and heritage visitor attractions.
Also in the mix from the region is Hopetown Darlington’s Experiment! in the Best Use of Digital - UK category; Kynren - An Epic Tale of England’s army of helpers in Bishop Auckland (Volunteers of the Year); and the Discovery Museum’s Steam to Green, which is up for Best Partnership of the Year.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on May 15
Meanwhile the team at Kynren HQ are already celebrating after picking up two awards at the North East Tourism Awards 2025.
They triumphed in new categories, Volunteer of the Year, for the crew and team behind the event, and Tourism Festival or Event of the Year. Well done all.
Opera North announce new North East dates
Hot on the heels of their spring visit to the Theatre Royal, Opera North have announced their 2025-26 season, including premieres at Leeds Grand Theatre (the company’s home venue) and touring dates in Newcastle, Salford, Nottingham and Hull.
Read more: Review - The Shark Is Broken at Newcastle Theatre Royal
Get your arts back in the classroom
Talents of millions of children are going to waste according to the Child of the North report, which was published last week.
A ‘Britain’s kids have got talent’ drive in schools was urged in an effort to boost opportunity and “stop the pipeline of pop stars, actors and creatives becoming the preserve of the well-off”.
Produced in conjunction with the Centre for Young Lives think-tank, the report put a spotlight on the decline in creative subjects offered at GCSE and extracurricular activity.
Despite more than 2m people bring employed in the creative industries in the UK, and the cultural sector being of £31bn gross value to the UK economy:
42% of schools are no longer entering pupils for GCSE Music, 41% no longer enter pupils for GCSE Drama, and 84% of schools don’t offer GCSE Dance.
Children from the most affluent backgrounds are three times more likely to sing in a choir or play in a band/orchestra than children living in deprived areas.
93% of children are being excluded from arts and cultural education due to a lack of funding in state schools.
Participation in extracurricular activities has decreased from 46% to 37% since the pandemic.
A few days after the report - as Brian Aitken at Eyes and Ears North East pointed out - Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced the development of a National Centre for Arts and Music Education as part of the Government's commitment to enhancing arts and music education across England.
The report’s lead author, Professor Simon James from Durham University, said: “It is very pleasing to see new investment in high-quality teaching in the arts, and in music especially, where this is sorely needed. Every child is innately creative and the UK needs an education system that develops that creativity.”
Osprey wins the race back for the best nest
A female osprey has set a new record for early arrival in Northumberland as she landed to reclaim her ‘nest with a view’.
Read more: Exhibition - Joséphine Bowes – a 19th Century fashionista
City Hall event marks end of the Vera era…
A special evening at Newcastle 02 City Hall brought TV detective Vera together with her creator on stage as a lively crowd came out - from all over the world - to celebrate more than a decade of small screen success for the popular ITV crime series.
Brenda Blethyn - minus the iconic mac and hat (although there were apparently a lot of the latter on heads in the audience!) - joined author Ann Cleeves and co-stars David Leon and Riley Jones on stage to reminisce and share tales from behind the scenes with North East presenting treasure, Steph McGovern, who was on hosting duties.
Read more: Northumberland park plays its part in hailing NUFC cup hero
Newcastle quayside mural artist returns for collaboration with Baltic
Sheffield-based artist Andy Welland - whose 90m street art mural wowed visitors to the Newcastle quayside last year - will be unveiling a new series of artworks and products for sale as part of a special pop up shop at Baltic, which runs from April 12 to September 28.
Entitled Colour, Play and Everything In-Between, the pop up shop promises to transform the main window at Baltic Shop with a series of 12 paintings inspired by the colours and shapes seen through a kaleidoscope.
Famous for his bright and colourful prints, collages and paintings, the Fine Arts graduate and former graphic designer for international communications agency M&C Saatchi creates artworks that encourage people to slow down and consider the story behind each work.
Andy says: “There’s a fine line between graphic design and art. The artistic side is all about telling the story behind the image, and making people feel something through its craft and detail.”
For more information visit baltic.art
Read more: Review - Pygmalion at People’s Theatre, Newcastle
‘Extra Ordinary’ exhibition marks World Down Syndrome Day
An exhibition of photographs celebrating of children with Down Syndrome has gone on show today (March 21) at the MetroCentre in Gateshead.
Extra Ordinary is the work of Northern School of Art photography and master's degree graduate Debbie Todd, with the exhibition opening scheduled to coincide with World Down Syndrome Day.
She said: “I called the series Extra Ordinary to reflect the fact that children with an extra ‘21’ chromosome with Down Syndrome are just the same as all other children. They have their own personalities and likes and dislikes and their own sense of self and style.”
Debbie first started taking the portraits in 2018 as part of her BA (Hons) Photography degree.
“Whether it’s through art, music, sport, or other passions, each child brings something special, making life brighter and more inclusive for everyone they meet.
“I hope that the impact of my exhibition is that people are be able to see how loved these children are and that they are unique, valuable members of society.”
Extra Ordinary can be found between the green and blue quadrants, close to the Next store in the MetroCentre where it will be on display for the next four weeks.
Read more: New exhibition celebrates snooker champion, Vera Selby
Leah signs on for T*Ts Up
Rehearsals kicked off for Laurels Theatre’s latest production this week, with one of the North East’s veteran performers joining the cast.
Familiar to thousands of theatre goers all over the region, Leah Bell will be taking to the stage alongside writer Alison Stanley and Becky Clayburn in the real-time play, which takes place in the waiting room of a hospital’s oncology department (we’re promised there’s lots of laughs!).
Tickets are on sale for the production, which runs from April 1-12 at the Whitley Bay venue. Look out for our full preview next week.
Animating mental health
As an artist, some projects that come in are worthy but require only your current skillset, and some push you through necessity into a new direction that give you a lightbulb moment about future possibilities.
Last call for an evening with a Charlatan
A few tickets remain for Q&A-Sides with Tim Burgess on April 5.
Promising ‘an intimate evening of acoustic music and conversation’, an audience at The Fire Station in Sunderland will be treated to The Charlatans frontman performing stripped-back versions of his most beloved songs.
Meanwhile the in-conversation portion of proceedings will be hosted by BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins.
To book, visit The Fire Station website.
Future Care series honours the past
Photographer and former nurse Johannah Churchill has launched a new series of images to mark the fifth anniversary of the first Covid lockdown.
River Tyne takes centre stage as Clare Balding jumps in for TV series
Clare Balding’s series exploring the UK’s rivers came to an end in the North East this week as the TV presenter turned her attention to the Tyne.
Thursday’s episode of Tales from the Riverbank on Channel 5 chronicled her water-focused adventures as she followed the river from Newcastle all the way up into Northumberland towards its source.
Starting at the Tyne Bridge with a trip up one of its iconic towers, the hour-long programme saw her kayaking under the Millennium Bridge; learning about George Stephenson and (separately) the Stottie during a trip to Wylam; sampling some baked delights during a drop in at Corbridge; and donning her waders for a lesson in fly fishing at Watersmeet.
Food certainly seemed to be on her mind for this episode as she also made sure to spend time in the kitchen of Northumberland’s first Michelin Star restaurant - Restaurant Hjem - in the village of Wall before dropping in on Chesters Roman Fort and finishing her visit with the Ospreys at Kielder.
The episode is available to watch on catch up.