Culture Digest 08.05.26
A weekly round up of some of the arts and culture stories from across the North East, which caught our attention
A quick note: There’ll be no Cultured. On Sunday newsletter this weekend.
For some reason the advent of a bank holiday earlier in the week has managed to derail more than our bin collection schedule… meanwhile, in a decision that may yet prove catastrophic, I’m also about to attempt roller skating for the first time since childhood in celebration of my best friend’s 50th birthday.
Assuming I survive with dignity (and wrists) intact, normal service will resume next week. Have a great weekend.
Sam
Music Video Preservation Society event to spotlight Sam Fender
Music videos by Sam Fender* will be screened at Tyneside Cinema as part of a special one-night celebration of the artform on May 14.
The Music Video Preservation Society event will feature a selection of the North Shields singer-songwriter’s videos alongside a discussion with Semera Khan and music video commentator David Knight.
Polydor creative director Semera who has overseen Sam’s videos since 2018, will offer behind-the-scenes insight into shaping the visual identity of one of the UK’s biggest music stars.
The evening will also explore five decades of music video culture. Tickets are available now from the website.
*In related news, Sam Fender repaid the favour to singer Olivia Dean who joined him at St James’ park last year for a live version of their now smash hit duet, Rein Me In.
Sam and sax player Johnny Blue Hat took to the stage for Olivia’s shows at the 02 Arena in London to perform the track, which is back at the top of the charts.
New chapter begins for Hexham Book Festival
With the dust yet to settle on the 20th Hexham Book Festival, news comes of a change of stewardship ahead of next year’s 21st.
Festival founders Susie Troup and Gil Pugh are handing over the running of the popular event they built from scratch to Queen’s Hall Arts where most of the action happens anyway.
The story – not likely to appeal to those who revel in a page-turning thriller – is characterised as “a thoughtful and supported transition that builds on the festival’s strong foundations and reputation”.
Indeed, with creative director Liv Chapman staying on to oversee programming, the planning of next year’s festival is already well underway.
Community-owned Newcastle venue lands top grassroots music venue prize
Newcastle music venue, The Globe has picked up a major national honour at the 2026 Music Week Awards.
The community-owned space which has embedded itself in the North East live music scene over the past 12 years won the publicly voted Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene award at a ceremony in London on May 7.
Presented in partnership with Music Venue Trust, the category celebrates grassroots venues that make a significant impact on their local music communities.
Mural links railway heritage with the natural world
A new mural celebrating the story of the Stockton and Darlington Railway has been unveiled in Yarm as part of the S&DR200 Festival.
Created by Stockton-on-Tees artists Abby and Owen, the artwork spans eight panels on West Street, facing the town’s railway viaduct.
The mural explores the rise of steam power and its role in the Industrial Revolution while also linking the railway’s legacy to the natural world through references to seeds and pollinators travelling along rail routes and rivers.
The project follows six months of research, sketching and planning by the artists.
New Contemporaries opens at MIMA for first time
Major exhibition New Contemporaries has opened its annual exhibition at MIMA, bringing together the work of 26 emerging and early-career artists from across the UK.
Selected by artists Pio Abad, Louise Giovanelli and Grace Ndiritu, the exhibition spans painting, sculpture, installation, sound, photography and moving image, offering a snapshot of contemporary practice across the four nations.
This year’s edition explores themes including climate crisis, dystopian futures and systems of power, while many of the featured works examine humanity’s relationship with digital technologies and attempts to better understand non-human species.
Elsewhere, artists reflect on mourning, remembrance and loss through both personal and collective experiences.
Among the artists featured are Viviana Almas, River Yuhao Cao, Makiko Harris, Deborah Lerner, Maya Silverberg and Yimin Xiang.
Founded in 1949, New Contemporaries is one of the UK’s longest-running platforms for emerging artists and has previously supported figures including Damien Hirst, Tacita Dean and Lubaina Himid.
The exhibition will run until October, its final days running alongside The Turner Prize exhibition, which opens at MIMA on September 26.
*Look out for David Whetstone’s full report back from New Contemporaries in the coming days.
Jill Halfpenny shares the screen with her son for new drama
We can’t imagine it was too much of a stretch for North East actor Jill Halfpenny to play mum to a teenage son in her latest TV role, Channel 5 drama, Number One Fan.
Jill’s 18-year-old son, Harvey Rhys Conway, who is currently training at SA Performing Arts in Newcastle, has made his television debut in the series as Jacob, the son of daytime TV presenter, Lucy Logan - played by his real life mum.
The plot sees Lucy, a popular presenter run into trouble (understatement alert) after a chance encounter with an admirer (Sally Lindsay) who refuses to remain at arm’s length.
‘Hadrian’s Wall souvenir’ discovered in Spain
The discovery of a Roman cup in Spain has added to the belief that such expensive objects were souvenirs or keepsakes of soldiers who served on Hadrian’s Wall.
A new study of the cup found in Berlanga del Duero in Soria is the only one of several similar items which has inscriptions of forts in the eastern sector of the Wall.
They are the Northumberland forts of Cilurnum (present-day Chesters), Onno (Halton Chesters), and Vindobala (Rudchester), plus Condercum in Benwell in Newcastle. Other cups list bases in the western sector of the Wall.
This is the case with the Rudge Cup, which is in the possession of the Duke of Northumberland and is on display in Alnwick Castle.
“These are likely to have been expensive one-off commissions, perhaps for officers, as higher-end souvenirs of their time on Hadrian’s Wall or as a reminder of their service of which they were proud,” said Frances McIntosh, Hadrian’s Wall curator for English Heritage.
“The Spanish find is in the same style as the Rudge Cup and is an exciting development in that it lists forts in the east of the Wall.”
Puffin Cam returns to Farne Islands
A Northumberland puffin picture show which attracted a worldwide audience last year is to be re-run this summer.
The National Trust has once again switched on its live, remote cameras on the Farne Islands.
Streaming from www.nationaltrust.org.uk, the footage offers viewers a front-row seat to the antics and everyday lives of the birds as the breeding season begins.
Another species taking a starring role on the live camera feeds will be the guillemots, with another camera trained to capture their activities on the cliffs where they roost and nest.
Last year the live cams attracted over a quarter of a million views.
Fresh chapter for official Northumberland Guide
A new edition of The Northumberland Guide has been published.
The updated guide includes expanded listings for attractions, activities and places to eat, drink and stay, alongside new editorial features and local recommendations. Backed by Visit Northumberland, the publication has also been endorsed as the region’s official guide.
Editor Claire Jeans said: “We’re thrilled to be able to present another edition of the Northumberland Guide, and it’s been a joy to seek out new places for our readers to explore.”
The guide is free to pick up across the region and can also be downloaded online.
New funding to support young theatre makers in Byker
Unfolding Theatre has received £10,170 from The Squires Foundation to support its East End Story Makers programme in Byker.
The funding will help sustain weekly creative sessions across 2026 and 2027 and support the development of a new theatre production created with young people from the area.
East End Story Makers was launched in 2021 following the creation of Free School Meals, a production inspired by Marcus Rashford’s campaign against child food poverty.
Led by Creative Associate Abigail Lawson and drama facilitator Harrison Rowley-Lynn, the group meets weekly at The Lighthouse Project.
The latest funding will also bring freelance artists into the process ahead of a future public performance.
Immersive experience for all ages returns to Middlesbrough this summer
Happy Rooms will return to Middlesbrough this summer with a new home inside Middlesbrough Town Hall.
Running from July 27 to August 30, the immersive experience will feature 12 artist-designed rooms celebrating colour, creativity and play.
Created by Teesside-based Stellar Creates, the team behind Nightfall, the event welcomed more than 15,000 visitors in 2024.
Rachel Willis said: “This year brings a perfect mix of returning favourites and brand-new rooms, designed to surprise and delight visitors of all ages.”