Felt Nowt shortlisted for Fringe award
North East comedy collective Felt Nowt has been shortlisted for the Panel Prize at this year’s ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
Sponsored by James Corden and Rhod Gilbert, organisers say this year’s shortlist highlights the incredible support given to artists and others at the Fringe.
Felt Nowt’s nomination recognises its ambitious Fringe takeover, which saw funds raised to secure The Garrett at The Alchemist for the month and provide a stage for 51 North East comedians.
Judges praised the project for giving performers who might otherwise struggle to take part in the Fringe an opportunity to perform and find new audiences.
Felt Nowt member Anja Atkinson was also singled out as a driving force behind the “real logistical challenge” while performing her own show daily.
At the time of writing (Friday night) the awards were underway… fingers crossed!
Culture takes centre stage in plans for Middlesbrough’s future
After a desperately difficult week which has put Middlesbrough under an intense national spotlight, ambitious plans have been unveiled for the town’s future.
A major redevelopment of the centre could include a new theatre capable of receiving touring West End productions, alongside a hotel, shops, public spaces and transport improvements.
The theatre would replace the current Civic Centre, overlooking Centre Square, and is among 15 projects in an investment prospectus being considered by Middlesbrough Council’s executive on Wednesday (Sept 2).
The council says the venue would build on growing cultural momentum, with MIMA hosting the Turner Prize from September and Middlesbrough bidding to become UK City of Culture 2029.
The proposals come amid renewed national focus on the town’s crime and deprivation figures, and following last weekend’s devastating crash in which two police officers and five young men died.
Mayor Chris Cooke said the plans could bring “hope and optimism about what comes next”.
NOVUM Summer Festival confirms Newcastle return for 2027
More than 30,000 people joined this year’s NOVUM Summer Festival – and organisers have confirmed it will return to Newcastle next summer.
The three-day festival, which took place from August 7-9, brought music, performance, installations and family activities to streets, squares and buildings across the city centre.
More than 200 artists and freelancers were involved, alongside 230 volunteers and over 50 community groups, with plans now being drawn up for NOVUM’s return in August 2027. Dates are expected to be announced this autumn.
One of this year’s biggest draws was Dominoes Newcastle, the city-spanning work by Station House Opera which provided the festival finale. Read more
Newcastle’s latest artworks are hiding in plain sight
If the summer holidays have left both your idea and piggy banks empty, Newcastle city centre has acquired a new collection of art that comes with the very attractive admission price of precisely zero.
You don’t need to book, either. In fact, you might already have walked past some of it without realising.
Utility boxes – those resolutely functional bits of street furniture most of us barely notice – have been turned into miniature artworks as part of the latest public art commissions from Creative Central NCL.
The idea was to use the cabinets as a form of creative wayfinding, with artists taking inspiration from cultural and heritage landmarks around them without simply turning the boxes into signs or advertisements.
Following an open call out, proposals from Newcastle-based artists Aysha Tengiz and GRAEME, and Middlesbrough-based Emma Bennett were chosen… and their work can now be spotted from Clayton Street and Newgate Street to Pink Lane, Westgate Road and the area around Central Station.
As you would assume, each has approached the unlikely canvas rather differently.
North East heritage trio in contention for hero status
Three North East locations have been shortlisted for a national award linked to September’s Heritage Open Days event.
A public vote will choose the winner of the Everyday History Heroes award, organised through a partnership between Heritage Open Days and Findmypast. The deadline for voting is Monday (August 31).
The regional contenders are Cragend Farm near Rothbury, Jesmond Old Cemetery and its volunteer-run Friends group in Newcastle and Northumberland Archives’ Berwick Record Office.
The national competition celebrates organisations, places and people who are keeping local history alive.
You can vote here and read more on Tony Henderson’s story here.
Dance music star announces North East date
Newcastle will be one of just four UK stops on a major arena tour announced by dance music superstar Sonny Fodera for 2027.
The Australian DJ and producer will play Utilita Arena on March 19, alongside shows at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, Manchester’s Co-op Live and The O2 in London.
It marks another step up for Fodera, who last year became the first DJ to sell out the 23,000-capacity Co-op Live.
The tour follows his Top 20 album can we do it all again?, whose tracks have amassed almost one billion combined streams. Tickets on sale, Friday (Sept 4) at 10am.
Hadrian’s Wall Art Trail looks up, down and all around for 2026
More than 80 artworks will be displayed in and around the landscape of Hadrian’s Wall when a growing rural art trail returns in September.
The Hadrian’s Wall Art Trail will run across three weekends from September 4-20, bringing together artists from Cumbria, Northumberland and further afield.
This year’s theme, Underfoot / Overhead, encourages artists and visitors to look afresh at the landscape, from the geology and archaeology beneath their feet to changing skies, weather and horizons above.
Painting, print, photography, textiles, illustration and mixed media will feature, with work exploring the natural world, traces left in the landscape and our relationship with the places we inhabit.
Capturing life on the line
For two years photographer Sasha Mallo Tardiveau documented everyday life on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Titled Terminus, her work is an exploration of the Metro system, chronicling life during the final two years that the original train fleet was running.
Newcastle-based Sasha spent many hours travelling on the system, meeting people and taking pictures between 2024 and 2026, as the new Metro trains replaced the old stock.
The North East study joins similar transport system ventures by Bruce Davidson, who used his camera to tell the story of the New York Subway in the 1980s, and Mike Goldwater, who documented life on the London Underground between 1970 and 1980.
Terminus captures the daily commute, fans going to football matches, people in thought, couples chatting and embracing, all in the surroundings of the Metro system.
Coffee Rave offers a kickstart to Great North Run weekend
A strong cup of coffee might traditionally be part of the recovery after a night on the dancefloor, but an upcoming gathering on Tyneside is putting it front and centre.
Rant & Ramble’s first Coffee Rave at the Boiler Shop will offer an alcohol-free morning of DJ music and dancing, with caffeine taking the place of cocktails.
Taking place on Saturday, September 12 - during the Great North Run weekend, the event will feature Sam Mitcham on the decks and Romi Foxx on live drums.
Doors open at 9am, with a pre-rave walk at 9.30am before the the main event gets going at 10am… presuming everyone will be full of beans (apologies).
The Coffee Rave is part of the 2026 GNR Fringe programme. Taking place from September 7-14, the idea is to offer opportunities to connect with fellow runners, celebrate the legendary event and soak up the unique atmosphere which descends at this time of year. Activities include pasta parties, beach yoga, book signings, film screenings and lots more.
Tracks complete tribute to wartime hero
A railway track setting has been unveiled for a tribute statue to a North East prisoner of war who survived the horrors of the infamous Burma-Siam Death Railway.
The symbolic section of line at North Marine Park in South Shields, created from Metro tracks and sleepers, also commemorates British soldiers who served in the Far East during the Second World War.
The memorial was unveiled at a ceremony marking Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) on August 15.
It was created in memory of North East soldier Len Gibson from Sunderland and his fellow prisoners who endured starvation, disease and brutal treatment while working on the construction of the railway from 1942 to 1943.
The statue represents Len giving the guitar he fashioned from waste materials to help keep up morale at the work camp to a Burmese boy at the war’s end. Read more
Art students put their stamp on Boro’s 150th season
Middlesbrough FC has teamed up with The Northern School of Art to give its matchday programmes a new look during the club’s 150th anniversary season.
BA (Hons) Illustration students are creating covers inspired by Boro’s history, supporters and Teesside.
Ace Edwards kicked off the collaboration with a Roseberry Topping-inspired design for the league opener against Lincoln City, followed by Amelie Smith’s red lion and Welsh dragon artwork for the Carabao Cup game against Wrexham.
The partnership follows last season’s student-produced Play Among the Stars fanzine, with more programme designs due to be unveiled throughout the season.
Free day of film, art and DIY culture comes to Berwick
Film, punk, archives and the North Sea will come together for a day of free events in Berwick on Saturday, September 19.
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is working with partners including Heritage Open Days, feminist film distributor Cinenova and artists Val Phoenix, Mary O’Neill and Paul Stewart on the programme for Counter-Culture & Coastal Memory.
Events include a workshop exploring life with the sea and an invitation to share memories of punk and DIY culture for a new zine.
The day concludes with a screening exploring feminist DIY punk, including Lizzie Borden’s Born in Flames and Lucy Thane’s Bikini Kill in the UK.
Radio 4 institution The Archers takes its 75th celebrations on tour
North East fans of The Archers will be delighted to hear some familiar Ambridge voices are heading their way as the much-loved Radio 4 drama celebrates its 75th anniversary.
The Archers: Live at 75 will arrive at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle on October 6 and will feature Tim Bentinck (David Archer), Annabelle Dowler (Kirsty Miller), Charlotte Martin (Susan Carter) and Ben Norris (Ben Archer).
Hosted by comedian and Archers superfan Angela Barnes, the show will include specially written scenes performed with live sound effects, archive treasures, behind-the-scenes stories, audience questions and a pub quiz inspired by The Bull. Tickets available here.
Film fans urged to back Tyneside Cinema
Tyneside Cinema is calling on film fans to back it in the public vote in the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
The category is Cinema of the Year, which celebrates the venues which bring audiences together in front of the big screen.
Voting is now open, with 10 people who take part also set to win a year of free tickets to their chosen cinema, alongside champagne and wine.
In other Tyneside Cinema news, North East film makers are being encouraged to submit their short documentaries and animations for the venue’s next 4 x 4 Collection event. Those interested should share a link to their film via Instagram
Sell-out brewery gig brings Country star back to County Durham
Grammy-nominated country singer Jeremy McComb is returning to a County Durham brewery for one of only three dates on his UK tour.
The Idaho-born and Nashville-based musician will play Steam Machine Brewing Company in Newton Aycliffe on Monday, September 14, following a sold-out show there last year.
McComb said: “We had so much fun in there last time and the connection was so incredible.” Tickets start at £10 and are available here.
Harvest Festival returns as Ouseburn Farm turns 50
Ouseburn Farm is marking its half century with the return of its free Harvest Festival on September 19.
The Newcastle community farm, which welcomes more than 40,000 visitors annually, will host a sheep race, kids’ fell race, food competitions and community feast, alongside live music from the Byker Hillbillies. The event will run from 10am to 5pm.
Rare Beatles album sells for £19,500 on Tyneside
A rare Beatles album signed by all four members has sold to a UK private collector for £19,500 at auction in Newcastle.
As we reported last week, the copy of Beatles ’65 was signed during the band’s return flight from the Bahamas in 1965, where they had been filming Help!
One of only two fully signed copies known to survive, it had belonged to BOAC air stewardess Angela Bass and remained in her family for more than 60 years.