#teesside music

[poppletonink]

TRACK REVIEW: Off Balance - Carl Green In Particular

Following the quintessentially quirky Off Guard, Carl Green has released his final EP of 2023: Off Balance. With a vocal likeness to Paul Heaton, Carl proclaims messages of love, bitterness and anger; a wonderfully eclectic mix of tales. Opening with The Union Hotel, a dreamy vibe creates a feeling of far-off, protected memories. Carl professes the importance of living in the moment as events are occurring, romanticising a relationship and the world of the Union Hotel. Arguably the best track of the whole ensemble is Algorithm and Blues: a critique of social media algorithms and how we are conditioned to feel as a result of the gaze of society. The track as a whole has an electronic and distorted feel to it - as though trapped within a computer screen - just out of reach from the rest of the world. Good Job You Screamed contains fast-paced strings and sparse piano notes which create an unsettling feeling of pressure. Tension builds up throughout the track as Carl describes the anger involved during a break-up, especially with the other person lashing out and victimizing themself. The closing track, Fine Arts Student, discusses the nature of an artist parting ways with the world of art due to society's now normalised standard of what 'art' must be. It questions why we must put 'art' into boxes of good and bad allowing it to lose all sense of creativity and freedom of expression. Once again, Carl has created a beautiful collection of songs, though all with a similar, quirky style unlike his usual genre-defying creations.

[smellofwater]

Wandering with Ivan The Tolerable & Bhajan Boy

I’ve lost count of the number of records The Ivan the Tolerable Trio (Oli Heffernan & friends) have released over the past two or three years. I’ve been listening to music for many decades and come sometimes become a little jaded with new music but with Oli’s work I keep coming back. I always know what I am getting, something genuinely original, often strange, always beautiful. I have never been…

[fangomusic]

Benefits, Nails

New music Wednesday

Led by Kingsley Hall, the Teesside, UK noise punks deliver a rowdy and abrasively furious statement that makes this debut album incredibly memorable with its heavily politicised spoken word, exhaustively blasted with paralyzing and intensive palpitations.

[whowins-shortfilm]

An Introduction!

Who Wins?': Diving Deep into the Heart of Co-Parenting 🎬💔

Hello, wonderful readers! The world of cinema is bustling with anticipation as we introduce our latest project, "Who Wins?". This evocative short film is more than just a cinematic experience; it's a conversation. The narrative will take you on a whirlwind of emotions, exploring the intricate dance of co-parenting and its profound ripple effects on young hearts.

The Narrative:

"Who Wins?" is not just about divorced parents, Gemma and Jason, battling the aftermath of their split. It's about young Luke, an innocent observer of the storm, clutching memories of better days. As emotions flare, and accusations intensify, we're led to question: who truly wins amidst the scars and broken promises?

Meet the Team Behind 'Who Wins?':

The Talent:

Carl Wilson-Downie: Known for captivating performances in 'Riches' and 'Sexy Beast', this Teesside University alumnus brings his charisma to our film. Trained at Kingdom Drama School, we're beyond excited to witness Carl's magic in action!

Lucie Walker: A BRIT School and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire prodigy, Lucie has graced stages and screens across Europe. From 'Steel & Iron' to BBC's 'Boy Meets Girl', Lucie's diverse acting range promises an unforgettable performance.

Brandon Sinkamba: Meet our lead! While he might be new to acting, Brandon's dynamic presence has been seen across the fashion world. This music enthusiast, multilingual, and budding pilot is ready to make his mark on the cinematic realm!

The Creative Brains:

Lucy Turner, Co-Director: From Yorkshire's scenic beauty to the BBC's grandeur, Lucy's eclectic background of acting, AD-ing, and directing promises a powerful narrative.

TJ Simon, Co-Director: Music beats, skateboarding, and an MA in Producing for Film and Television only scratch the surface of TJ's prowess. With two RTS Awards under his belt, expect cinematic brilliance!

Shaun Robinson, Screenwriter: With awards from L.A. Live and OxCom Mexico, Shaun's narrative prowess promises a rollercoaster of emotions.

This ensemble is set to present a story that delves deep, challenges perceptions, and promises unparalleled cinematic magic. 'Who Wins?' is not just a film; it's a journey, a dialogue, an introspection. Join us, discuss, discover, and immerse yourself in the world of co-parenting like never before.

Stay close, for the horizon is filled with updates, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and all the latest buzz! 🍿✨

[existentialmagazine]

Review: Dan Cook debuts with striking indie-rock anthem ‘When The Morning Comes’, dancing through a night out with little to recall of it

Teesside based upcomer Dan Cook is ready to emerge onto the music scene with a big splash, channeling his own unique indie-rock sound through his debut single ‘When The Morning Comes.’ With a loud, anthemic impact, this track is sure to make a resounding impact, instantly making Dan Cook a name to remember for all.

From the get-go, ‘When The Morning Comes’ is loud and infectious, a bottled-up moment of electricity that’s impossible to dull or dim the spark of. With blaring guitar strums, tumbling drums and a leading riff, the short but dominant intro is immediately captivating, unafraid to be bold and intense in a way that’ll get you instantly on your feet and raring to sing and dance along. Quick thudding drum beats and raspy vocals lead the more settled verse, stripping down but still continuing a hurtling momentum, progressively building and adding back in the guitar strums and bass twangs. Everything about it is hard to slow down, impossible to put on pause, and ever-so easy to get swept up in for just one more listen.

The chorus is the highest anthemic peak of them all, an eruption of built-up energy that finally overflows for an avalanche of sound. Through dominant guitar strums, a beaming riff, smokey bass, smashing drums and fierce vocals supported by backing vocal layers, ‘When The Morning Comes’ comes together like it was always made to. The hoarser vocals linger with a power and emotion even while the rest of the sound is so ferociously in your face and catchy, delivering an essence of intimacy and depth that’s otherwise unexpected.

The narrative is rather lighthearted overall, recounting an experience meeting someone on a night out in Middlesbrough's Empire Nightclub, but waking the next morning with little recollection of the previous night at all. Through the opening verse Dan sets the scene, singing ‘our bodies swaying in tune, underneath the disco lights I thought I saw the moon’, a rather romantic description of their unison. Continuing into the chorus though, we see a differing perspective, admitting ‘now the morning comes and my head’s a mess, I can’t recall your name, just a fleeting caress.’ It cannot help but feel more weighty than anticipated, almost as though Dan lingers on this fleeting caress in his newfound solitude, never expressing whether his head is a mess because of the night or other factors entirely. He soon questions ‘was it real or just a dream?’, indicating a longing for connection that could manifest subconsciously. Whether it be interpreted as more of a bubbly tune about a night out, or a deeper message on loneliness and yearning, ‘When The Morning Comes’ is sure to find its ways to relate to whoever needs to hear it most.

Keep listening to ‘When The Morning Comes’ for yourself here, Dan is sure to impress with this striking debut single.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits:

// This coverage was supported and created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

[steranko]

Another side to my music practice, as one half of A Man Called Adam.

[qudachuk]

They are the chillout masters famed for their blissful, sun-dappled sound. So why have the dance duo made an album inspired by the abandoned steelworks and poisoned shellfish of the north east?Sally Rodgers and Steve Jones’s music has long...

[januariblues]

Urban Project

Brief interpretation

TIY (Teesside Inspired Youth) project is a local charity that works with young people from the area to showcase creativity and inspire locals to express themselves via the creative arts. They have asked young producers, artists and designers to explore and develop ideas for media products (including film, photography or written pieces) relating to the theme of ‘urban’ which is up for interpretation of the content creator.  

The response can either be a completed media piece or a series of more experimental pieces which could be developed further.  

These pieces may be: 

Adverts 

Podcasts 

Music videos 

Animation 

documentaries 

The deadline for this project is the 19th of May 2023.  

Contents

Skills Build

Schedule

Task list

Initial Thoughts and Ideas

Initial Project Proposal

Historical and Contemporary Research

Final 3 Ideas

Colour and Composition

Riot Grrrl Zine Layout Mood board (Annotated)

Colour Theory

Primary Research (urban poetry)

Survey Link

Survey Results

Final Idea

Project Proposal

Constraints and contingency

Preproduction Docs

Contributor Release Form

Location Recce

Historical Research (zines, 90's, 70's, poetry)

Zines

The 1970s

The 1990s

Riot Grrrl

Urban poetry

Experimentation

Front Cover Experimentation

Colour Experimentation

Production log

Alpha Testing

Final piece

Evaluation

Peer Feedback

[artistopencalls]

Many thanks for the mention @xordinarypeople FRIDAY OPPS ROUNDUP 1/2 @new_art_exchange NAE Open is an exhibition & professional development opportunity for UK-based artists from the Global Ethnic Majority & all artists from Nottinghamshire. Public exhibition held across NAE from May 2023 + a range of prizes inc future exhibitions, cash awards & developmental opps. Partners for this year are Primary, Nottingham Contemporary & Format International Photography Festival. More info: www.nae.org.uk/nae-open-2023. Deadline: 23.59pm, 5 Feb @bothyproject open call for residency in partnership with @balticgateshead open to emerging artists based in the North East of England (County Durham, Northumberland, Teesside or Tyne & Wear). The selected artist will undertake a week’s residency at Sweeney’s Bothy on the Isle of Eigg & be invited to participate in Bothy Project’s public programme. £500 artist’s fee, travel bursary, 1 week at Sweeney's Bothy (1-8 Apr 2023). More info: https://linktr.ee/bothyproject Deadline: 23:59, 8 Jan @bothyproject contemporary music composition creative practitioner residencies. Open to all genres of original music compositions for multiple musicians, voices & other sonic material, or a combination of these elements. Applicants should have between 3 and 6 years of composing experience. Applicants must be based in the UK. Residencies will take place throughout 2023 at Sweeney’s Bothy on the Isle of Eigg. Participant receive a one week residency at Sweeney’s Bothy, £500 fee, travel allowance nline meeting opportunities with fellow residents, public events... Deadline: 23:59, 22 Jan @eastlondonprintmakers is offering x3 artist residencies for 3month each to run consecutively from March onwards, designed for both experienced & emerging printmakers. Particularly encourage apps from disabled people & those from Black, Asian & other minority ethnic backgrounds, as these groups are currently under-represented in printmaking. Free studio access, storage space, free associate membership for one year, £40 materials allowance from the ELP shop. Recommendation to find more opportunities: www.artistopencalls.art/opportunities @artistopencalls (at Eastside Projects) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnFRUf1Imnc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[upsettingandunfortunateclasshate]

In 2015, a man arrived at one of our concerts with a picture of his late father and a story. His father’s name was Johnny Longstaff and what a story he had to tell.

As a teenager, Johnny walked 230 miles from our hometown of Stockton-On-Tees to London in search of work and from then on bore witness to some of the most defining moments of the tumultuous 1930s including the Battle of Cable Street and the Spanish Civil War. 

Exploring Johnny’s story through his own spoken words with the recordings he made for the Imperial War Museum and having access to his never before published memoirs and his personal book & photo archive has been a labour of love for us. Three years later we have created a 90 minute show in which 16 original songs interweave with Johnny’s own voice against a backdrop of startling visuals to tell an incredible story. It’s not a story that glorifies conflict or imposes political views – it’s a story that oozes humanity, humour and fellowship.

In the summer of 1939, as war clouds loomed over Europe, a 19-year old lad from Teesside went to the House of Commons to meet his local MP.  He had just returned from fighting against fascism in the Spanish Civil War (to do so was illegal because of Britain’s policy of non- intervention). Hearing footsteps coming down the corridor he turned to see the figure of Winston Churchill approaching. The lad’s MP took the opportunity of introducing him. Churchill looked the teenage soldier up and down, took his cigar out of his mouth, and said ‘Would young men like you be prepared to fight against Hitler?’ The lad took a deep breath before he answered; ‘Mr Churchill,’ he said, ‘I’ve been fighting Hitler all of my life.’ His name was Johnny Longstaff.

This is the story of his life from the day it began in abject poverty in Stockton-On-Tees in 1919 to that chance meeting with Churchill in 1939. 16 original songs will interweave with the late Johnny’s own recorded voice to tell a remarkable story of one man’s impulse to react to injustice wherever and whenever he saw it. It’s a story of great humanity but also great humour as a teenager stumbles his way innocently through the the tumultuous landscapes of the 1930s – from Teesside to London, then onto Paris and eventually across the Pyrenees into Spain (even though he didn’t even know where Spain was).

This sounds fucking great! I’ve booked tickets

[poppletonink]

TRACK REVIEW: Off Guard - Carl Green In Particular

Following the release of the idiosyncratic Off Duty, Carl Green continues with his prolific output of alt-pop EPs under his new musical brand 'Carl Green In Particular'. Off Guard is individual and quirky, a common attribute of Carl's back catalogue (much like his work in Head Of Light Entertainment prior to their split) that showcases his witty lyrics and guitar skills. It opens with My Conscience The Nag, a fast-paced frenzy of upbeat energy, representative of the dishevelled nature of the human mind in the modern world. Now It's Gone is slightly slower than the previous track but retains the energised nature that flows throughout almost all of Carl's eclectic music. The message within this song is arguably the most significant of all four tracks; it emphasises the importance of appreciating the beauty of the physical world rather than constantly living in the universe of the mobile phone. The third track: Portrait Of Three Young Women, Early 21st Century is softer and slower in melody than the others yet it's subject matter is just as intriguing: a discussion of a lack of authenticity, due to societal criticism and the destruction of autonomy. Concluding this creative EP is Flowery Words - a droll mockery of pretentious people and their ridiculous use of the English language in an insincere attempt to appear more genuine. A timeless collection of hard-to-pigeon-hole tracks, full of 70s feels, acoustic sounds, and eternally important messages; Carl's music never fails to impress.

[multiversopersonale]

(Cape Cub)

[lianeexlizzieexhallx-blog]

Feelin' like a princess 👑🎀

[wadestone]

Oort Cloud - It may have been yesterday but I can't remember

Oort Cloud – It may have been yesterday but I can’t remember

I’ve been playing this quite a lot. //bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2648341191/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/

[happy4pr]

Elaine Palmer is an artist that takes you somewhere with her music, transforming you to a place you have never been before. Her music is just amazing and her talented extends out of Yorkshire and beyond. When you meet an artist/musician who has so much passion and integrity, you just want more... and it’s a pleasure finding out more about this incredible women.

Describe your background and when you started performing?

I started playing piano when I was a child, writing songs. I picked up a guitar when I was 15 and taught myself.

What do you love about music?

Music is a magical world that you can walk into whenever you want. It is a safe personal space but one that can be used to connect with others. I love how music is a universal language of emotional expression.

Who are your favourite artists/ Musicians?

I loved great lyricists like Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen when I first started writing songs. I'm listening to the latest records by Anna Calvi, Sharon Van Etten and Lucinda Williams at the moment

What are you working on at the moment ?

I have a new record coming out this Autumn so we are just putting the final tracks down for it now.

When is your next single out?

I may put a single from the record out in Aug depending on the state of play in the live music industry by then.

How have you been doing in lockdown?

Lockdowns are tough. I miss playing live and watching other artists perform. It was a huge part of my world. I hope to return to a real stage soon.

You are performing a double bill with Birds and Beasts on the 20th of February. Have you been doing many online gigs and when was your last live gig?

I have only played a couple of online performances over the last year. The last actual show I played with a live crowd was at The Georgian Theatre in Teesside this time last year!

To connect with Elaine go to http://elaine-palmer.com

Do not miss the online gig with Elaine Palmer happening tonight at 8pm on Birds and Beasts Facebook page. https://m.facebook.com/birdsandbeastsband