Looking for a photographer, a videographer, someone to take your press shots or live footage while performing live in the north east? Here’s a list of visual artists that have impressed us before!
Behind The Eyez
Callum Robinson
Celia Medina
David Weddle Photography
DKA
Elvira Does Design
Paul Murray Photography
Sigil Media Music
Simon Atkinson Visuals
THATMILK
The Newcastle Project
Victoria Wai Visuals
For the purpose of my own curiosity I decided to dive into the archives and find out when Dutch-Danish rock band Subterranean Street Society and I started working together, and found out it was late February 2022 on their single ‘One And A Half Men Tent’. Two years and a few months later we finally met in person for the first time, ever. Somewhere over the course of our working relationship we’d started to talk about a UK tour, which just after Brexit seemed impossible. However, together, we made the impossible possible!
On Wednesday the 8th of May they arrived in the north east for two shows, after which they’d head to Manchester, Sheffield, London, and then Brighton for their last UK show of the tour. They started with a mesmerising completely unplugged set at Sofar Sounds Newcastle and headed to Mosaic Tap the next day for an amplified set supporting local outfit Earth Farm! Those two sets were at the same time a world of difference and exactly the same; captivating and more powerful then I’ve ever seen a band perform. It is their thunderous soundscapes and bloody honest, political lyricism that has made me stick by the band for the past few years.
The band headed to Manchester for a show at Lions Den supporting Origami Tsunami and toured on to Sheffield for an instore at Record Junkee. One of our least favourite shows not solely due to the administrative nightmare it was in the lead up to the event… A show had been booked in with Kevin at Our Sound Music, who’d joined the team at Record Junkee as in-house promoter. The initial idea was always to make this a free instore and for the band to get the opportunity to sell their physical albums. We’d received a request from Kevin to make this a four band line-up, ticketed evening event instead and had of course said that that would work perfectly for us. Up until now that has been the last we’ve heard of Kevin… Eventually we were able to get hold of Record Junkee and they confirmed to make this once again a free in-store, but when the band arrived the shop was empty and management had locked themselves in their office. So much for a show in Sheffield…
Luckily things were only able to get better from there, with two Sofar Sounds London shows on the books, a fantastic line-up at The Dublin Castle in Camden, and a ‘hometown’ headline at The Folklore Rooms in Brighton! Ahead of the band’s before-last show in London we all enjoyed a wonderful meal together at Italian restaurant Goodfare which I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for a delicious Italian meal. We enjoyed The Dublin Castle with incredible bands Wakey Wakey Rise & Shine, Butterjunk, and Morning Tourist, and I fell head over heels in love with The Folklore Rooms and its aesthetically-pleasing venue and stage design. Local artists Soft Top and Arjun Nala supported the band which made for a night of incredible live music we won’t soon forget.
Booking live events, organising an international tour, and filling venues with familiar and yet unfamiliar faces is a full-time job. One born from passion when done by those with the right intentions, but costing so much time and energy. Even though I am already working on the next tour, it is still a thing I need to reflect on every time a tour ends; is this really worth it? Is it the best way to go for the artist I am working with? Even though an international adventure sounds like a dream, just booking the events isn’t achieving much just yet. Deciding if an international tour is right for you, is something only you can decide, and although advice from others can be helpful, it can also be damaging. You’ll have to keep in mind all individual tasks before you even get to play your show; your route, the cities you might be able to bring people in, the venues and or promoters you’re hoping to work with, the people you hope to attend your shows, the industry you’re looking to invite, the costs for travel, accommodation, and to feed yourself.
The first time myself and Subterranean Street Society spoke about a UK tour was around June last year, it took us nearly an entire year to organise, and even though I wouldn’t have it any other way and there are only so many things I would have done slightly differently, that’s something to keep in mind when looking to book your own tour. To reiterate; with a band as talented and with their hearts in the right place as Subterranean Street Society, I would book tours all year ’round if I could!
PR results for ‘Like An Oasis’
Radio
Amazing Radio • European Indie Music Network • French Connection • Pinguin Radio • Radio 675 • Teri’s Music Matters • The Sound Lab
Reviews
Berlin On Air • End Sessions • Existential Magazine • Get Some Magazine • New Music Review • Rock Era Mag • SoundsGoodWebZine
Shout-outs
CHARMmusic • indiemusicflix • Songs Behind the Music
Playlists
All pop • Allen Peterson Reviews • Apollo’s Sonic Station • ARIYEL’S DIARY • Bad Wolf Records • Banger Roulette • Beat Waves • Black Fruit Promotions • Buzzy Band • Daily Discovery by Inspotmusic • Discover New Music by Inspotmusic • End Sessions • Epic Experimental • EXTRAVAPOP • Find No Anger • Guitar Thunder • Havoc Underground • IC2 • IGGY Mag • Illustrate Mag • Indie + Rock Retrievers • Indie Discovery • Indie Dock Music Blog • Indie kingdom • Indie Measure • Indie Music For All • Indie Noise Nation • Indie Pop Hits • Indie Rock Gems • Just Hit Shuffle • Jyla Music • KIMU New Music Spotlight • La Caverna • Lost In The Manor • Melody Findings by Inspotmusic • Misfits’ Newest Releases • Muse Chronicle • MusikePOOL • NEW WAVE NOW • Obscure Sound • Os Garotos de Liverpool • Other Side Reviews • Pop Bliss • Pop Paradise • Press Play! • Princess • Punk Rock Corner • Purple Tea • RGMS.radio • Rickys Daily Bangers • Rock This! • Songs of the Week • Stolen Threads 2024 • Talento Emergente 2024 • Testing Rock • The Indie Grid • The Musical Road • TJPL FRESH! • tunesaround • Upbeat & Energetic • Ze Rock Radio
Breaching the barriers of the wider music industry, I decided to initiate conversations with local change makers, get to know hmv Newcastle supervisor Ritch, and read the entire interview on Music For The Misfits.
What is your role at hmv Newcastle, and what do you do besides working at hmv? “I’m a supervisor at hmv and also plan, organise and promote all the in-store events especially the Live & Local activities. Besides hmv, I can usually be found at a gig or two every week, the cinema or the best role of all, being a dad to my daughter.”
When did you start working in the role you’re in now and what inspires you to keep going? “I’ve worked for hmv since July 1999 and played a part in the events for a long time. When #hmvLiveAndLocal began in 2019 I jumped at the chance to run things.”
“A great source of inspiration has been working with the local artists. When hmv launched its own record label (1921 Records) one of my own nominations was chosen, India Arkin. Since then I’ve been even more eager to continuing helping artists where I can.”
What do you think of as the strengths of your local music scene? “We have such a wonderful community that takes care of each other. GIGCO is essential for the scene and is growing all the time. Ben and Matt have such passion and it’s great getting to work with them. Promoters such as Shin Gigs along with us having so many venues around for people to perform. You really could go to a gig every night of the week. I’ve made some amazing friends through the music scene too!”
Interested in performing live as a grassroots musician and in the process of reaching out to local promoters? Don’t skip Indie In Town UK, these London-based promoters offer a healthy dose of indie gigs and make sure all performing artists are well cared for! Read the entire interview on Music For The Misfits.
Hi! Could you introduce yourself and what you do, what does a day in your life look like? Jelle: “My name is Jelle, and I’m a music manager and concert promoter. Together with Marieke I organise an indie night called Indie in Town in London. We also host events in Amsterdam and are starting to branch out to Berlin. A day in my life is usually a lot of emailing and calling people. During the day I work at the office of the management company, and in the evenings I have time to discover new bands, advance shows, or spar with Marieke.”
Marieke: “My name is Marieke and I do several freelance things. I mainly work with independent labels and distributors, but I’m also a photographer, content creator and work at live shows. Together with Jelle I organise Indie in Town events in London. A day in the life looks like: do a bit of work, get a coffee, go for a walk or run errands, do some more work, eat food, go to a gig, do my Duolingo.”
Could you introduce Indie In Town and what the organisation does? Jelle: “I started Indie in Town with my twin brother Thom about 8 years ago. We promoted by-monthly gigs in Amsterdam where we booked three new indie bands, a DJ and an art expo. Now that I moved to London we promote gigs in Amsterdam and London. This way we can get British bands a platform in the Netherlands and Dutch bands a platform in London.”
Marieke: “What Jelle said! Here in London, we’ve had some line-ups with all UK bands, but we were very passionate about getting more Dutch bands to come and play at our events. So collaborating with Dutch Music Export was a great way to make that happen.”
What and or who inspires you to do what you do as Indie In Town? Jelle: “It’s always really exciting to meet new artists and get to know them better. We always meet up with the bands in the weeks before the show to shoot a promo video, and that really helps forming a connection with the bands. We’re there on the night and I cook for everyone. It’s a lot of fun to discover new bands and make new friends.”
Marieke: “I definitely think we’re good at adding some Dutch hospitality to our shows, making sure there’s some food and drink for the bands to enjoy, meeting them before the show so we can get better acquainted. We actively promote the gigs on social media, and we bring mini stroopwafels to the gigs for the crowd to enjoy. So it’s small things that make Indie in Town shows a bit more special, I think. And I’m really glad we can help Dutch acts play more shows here in the UK, because Brexit has definitely made that more difficult and more expensive.”
What do you think makes Indie In Town successful and how do you make sure it stays successful? Jelle: “I think the connection with the artists makes it successful. We really want to treat artists better than they usually get treated. We hope to grow to venues that are a bit bigger (400 cap maybe, we’re at 150 now), but we don’t have to make any money doing this. It’s really a passion project.”
Marieke: “I think it has been great trying out different things with our events last year, to see what works best and what we like to improve on. I really like the small community that’s starting to take shape as well, with our friends coming to the shows, the past bands that have played at our shows, friends of friends. Some of our friends also put on their own gigs, so who knows, we might do some more collabs in the future.”
PR results for ‘Cross Your Mind’
Amazing Radio • Artisti Online • Beat Waves • Best of 2024 • best of independent • CHARMMusic • Daily Discovery • Discovery New Music • Dulaxi Entertainment • Fresh & Nice • Honk Magazine • In Your Ears Radio • Indie Kingdom • Indie Pop Hits • Jyla Music • LITM Indie Rock Picks • Melody Findings • Melomani • MusikePOOL • New Music Friday by CHARMMusic • New Music Review • Pop Muse • Pop Passion Blog • PopHits • Press Play! • Prospect Radio • Punk Head • Rickys Daily Bangers • Right Chord Music • SoundsGoodWebZine • Teri’s MusicMatters EGHRadio • The Dirge • The Musical Road • The Sound Lab • The Vinyl Cut Podcast • TJPL FRESH! • Ze Rock Radio
On Saturday the 6th of April multi-venue all-day music festival Aelius Alternative will make its debut across five stage in Newcastle city centre!
A limited batch of early bird tickets have now been released and are available from sofarsounds.com, half of these have sold out already. Once the early bird tickets have sold out, regular all-day tickets will be sold at £17. There will also be a limited batch of all-day + afterparty tickets available at £20, these allow entry to the entire festival, as well as the official Aelius Alternative afterparty at The Globe!
Aelius Alternative aims to highlight and support grassroots artists, venues, and businesses and does so by offering them a stage and a platform. Our line-up has now been announced and can be found here!
On the 10th of October we celebrate World Mental Health Day, I have never been very active in celebrating or sharing these special occasions but with the ever-present imposter syndrome and the world being in shambles, I think that I will take this day to share a few of my favourite songs. These songs have been written about mental health, or have improved mine.
Find a playlist with our favourite releases of the moment here:
You can find all the releases we have worked on so far in this playlist:
You can find our favourite female artists in the LLIVELY Women In Music playlist:
And we have added our favourite north east-based artists to the LLIVELY Locals Playlist!
LLIVELY Music 