Hello and welcome to this week’s Curated Culture.
As ever, we’ve been keeping an eye on what’s coming up across the North East and have pulled together another selection of things we reckon are worth your time over the next couple of weeks.
There are more suggestions in STILL SHOWING, a chance to look a little further ahead with NOW BOOKING and another helping of seasonal entertainment in FESTIVE FORECAST.
And speaking of Christmas, this week’s prize draw offers the chance to win a family ticket (for two adults and up to three children, ) to see Where Do All The Kittiwakes Go At Christmas? at Live Theatre in Newcastle on Sunday, December 20 at 3pm.
The returning festive show follows Newcastle’s famous seabirds on an adventure rather further afield than the Tyne. Details of how to enter are waiting at the bottom of the newsletter.
Thanks, as always, for reading. We hope you find lots to tempt you out of the house as the nights draw in.
Sam (Wonfor) and Dave (Whetstone)
Professionally preoccupied with North East culture
MUSIC: Paul Heaton
Where: Utilita Arena Newcastle
When: October 29
Bookings and info: utilitaarena.co.uk
Paul Heaton is kicking off his autumn tour on Tyneside, bringing a back catalogue packed with familiar favourites and a new number one album to celebrate.
The former Housemartins and Beautiful South frontman will be joined by Scottish singer Rianne Downey, with special guests The Lightning Seeds also on the bill.
Expect a generous helping of hits from across his four-decade career, alongside solo material and songs from Jenius, his sixth solo album, which topped the UK charts following its August release.
COMEDY: Crease
Where: Live Theatre, Newcastle
When: October 29 to 31
Bookings and info: live.org.uk
The all-female comedy troupe invite us to share in an hour’s worth of true crime-themed silliness as they perform their new show in the intimate cabaret environment of Live Theatre.
The seven members expertly pool their comic resources to create a sparkling cocktail that has found favour on the Edinburgh Fringe and at venues including The Stand, Northern Stage… and, of course, Live Theatre.
They’ll surely be raring to go after the cancellation of their recent scheduled appearance at ARC in Stockton.
“Your Aunt Fanny’s masterful word play and impeccable performances are firmly rooted in the real world, but not as you know it,” say Live Theatre.
And if you miss them here, they’ll be on stage again later in the year with the return of their Christmas soap opera special, You’re Not Me Ma, a “heady treat of chaos, camp and cutting wit” set in Newcastle’s Grainger Market.
That’s at Northern Stage (December 18 and 19).
Look out for our chat with the lasses this weekend.
TALK: Trevor Horn – Adventures in Modern Recording
Where: Barnard Castle; Durham
When: 7.30pm, October 30; 31
Bookings and info: awaywithmedia.com
Horn – musician, record producer and so-called “man who invented the Eighties” – was born in Hetton-le-Hole and grew up in Durham where he taught himself to play bass guitar.
He has packed loads into his 77 years and will be back on home turf to talk about it at The Witham (Barnard Castle) and Gala Durham on the dates above.
In a week when the Mercury Prize returns to the region, it seems appropriate to dwell on his achievements.
One was producing Belle & Sebastian’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress which was shortlisted for the prize in 2004 (another Scottish band’s debut, Franz Ferdinand, got the nod).
But Horn has been ‘Best British Producer’ three times at the Brit Awards and also has Grammy and Ivor Novello awards (the latter for an outstanding contribution to British music) on his CV.
He has worked with many eminent musical artists, including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Grace Jones and Pet Shop Boys.
And as a member of The Buggles, he gave us Video Killed the Radio Star, released on the cusp of the decade he ‘invented’.
FAMILY: Heritage and Halloween at Beamish
Where: Beamish Museum, County Durham
When: October 28, 30 and 31
Bookings and info: beamish.org.uk
Beamish is swapping its usual inhabitants for some rather more unsettling characters as the Living Museum of the North becomes the Un-living Museum of the North this Halloween.
Special after-dark events will see spooky encounters across the museum, from the historic Pockerley Old Hall to the 1900s Pit Village, Edwardian Town and 1950s Town, where visitors might want to keep their wits about them. Halloween evenings require separate tickets.
SCREEN: Halloween All Nighters
Where: Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle
When: October 24 and 31
Bookings and info: tynesidecinema.co.uk
Sleep is overrated. Especially when Tyneside Cinema is offering two opportunities to spend the night watching horror films instead.
The cinema’s Halloween All-Nighter returns for a double helping with a suitably terrifying selection of classics and cult favourites, including Carrie, Halloween, The Blair Witch Project, The Howling, Scream and The Slumber Party Massacre.
With two all-nighters a week apart, there’s even time to recover before doing it all again.
Films are booked individually, so you can assemble your own overnight programme. Some screenings have already sold out and others are filling fast, so don’t leave your fright-night planning too late.
MUSIC: Counterfest 2026
Where: Stockton (five stages)
When: Saturday, October 24 (from 5.30pm)
Bookings and info: arconline.co.uk
Where are you going to get Sam Fender, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Blondie and The Rolling Stones on the same bill?
Nowhere is the short answer to that.
But if you’re after Sam Of Fender, Elton Joel, Guns or Roses, Kinda Blondie and Rolling Stones NOW, then Stockton is the place to go.
With access to big musical acts from past or present either limited or impossible, it’s up to the tribute acts to keep the music on stage to the best of their ability.
You can judge how well they do that when Counterfest, presented by KU Promotions and Tees Music Alliance, returns on five stages – at ARC, The Georgian Theatre, KU Stockton, The Social Room and The Green Room.
Joining the above will be Motorbeard, The Gerry Cinna-man Experience, Fake Bugg, Ultimate Coldplay, Kings of Lyon, The Strokes UK, Tenacious G, Tweezer and Rad Hot Chilli Peppers.
No prizes for guessing who they’re paying tribute to as well as they can.
And AC/DC fans will know exactly why it’s Black Ice who will aiming to please them on the night.
COMEDY: Alan Davies - Think Ahead
Where: Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle
When: October 26
Bookings and info: tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
It’s been a decade since Alan Davies last went on tour, and the word in the waiting room is that he’s got plenty to say about getting older.
The QI regular and former Jonathan Creek star reckons he’s reached the age where trips to the pharmacy outnumber visits to the gym, his children communicate largely through eye rolls and he’s more Doc Brown than Marty McFly.
Back on the stand-up circuit, this new show taking stock of late middle age, family life and the indignities of growing older.
EXHIBITION: Comic Worlds
Where: The Auxillary, Middlesbrough
When: Until October 31
Bookings and info: theauxiliary.co.uk
Aliens, imaginary worlds and unexpected friendships are at the heart of Comic Worlds, an exhibition by Japanese artist aoisimon at The Auxiliary in Middlesbrough.
Based in Fukuoka, the artist - who has exhibited in New York, Singapore, Tokyo, Taiwan and Bali - creates characters who arrive as strangers in unfamiliar places, gradually making connections through the people they meet and the experiences they share.
the exhibition is part of a growing creative exchange between Teesside and Japan, which will also see local artist Stuart Langley exhibit work developed during his time in Fukuoka.
Comic Worlds is part of Turner on Tees, the wider programme accompanying this year’s Turner Prize at MIMA.
CLASSICAL: The Four Seasons
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: Thursday, October 22, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
Royal Northern Sinfonia will perform Vivaldi’s sparkling Baroque masterpiece under the direction of artistic partner Maria Włoszczowska.
A musical evocation of the seasons of the year, with plenty of instrumental razzle dazzle, it is a modern audience pleaser.
That said, it seems inexplicable that it was lost and unheard for about 200 years after its early 18th Century premiere.
Nowadays it is loved by audiences and held up by musicologists as an important example of programmatic music, which is to say music with a narrative or story to tell.
Maria, who will direct while playing violin, was keen to put the performance in context, so has programmed three shorter pieces of music by composers who may have paved the way for Vivaldi’s work.
These, by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Georg Muffat and Georg Philipp Telemann, will set the tone for an evening of exploration of Vivaldi and the music of the Baroque period.
This is the second of three performances. The first is on Wednesday (October 21) at the Sands Centre, Carlisle, and the third at Kings Place, London, on Sunday (October 25). Read our preview in full.
THEATRE/MUSIC: House of Fun
Where: The Fire Station, Sunderland
When: Oct 30
Bookings and info: thefirestation.org.uk
The black-and-white outfits might be better suited to Newcastle, but Sunderland is the destination for this celebration of 2Tone and ska.
House of Fun revisits the late 1970s and early 1980s, when bands including Madness, The Specials, Bad Manners, The Beat, The Selecter and The Bodysnatchers brought ska back into the charts and onto dancefloors across Britain.
The touring theatre show brings together some of the era’s best-known songs, recalling a musical movement whose influence extended well beyond its original chart success.
Pork pie hats are optional, although anyone who still has one might welcome the opportunity to give it an outing.
The show will be back in the region at Empire Theatre, Consett (Nov 13) and Darlington Hippodrome (Mar 11, 2027)
ART EVENT: Keep Globe Turning
Where: Salt Market Social, North Shields
When: Friday, October 23, 7pm
Bookings and info: globegallery.org
The Globe Gallery has been championing contemporary art for 30 years.
It was set up by Rashida Davison in a former shoe shop at 97 Howard Street, North Shields – the Globe Boot Company, hence the name.
Over the years it has hosted exhibitions by leading artists from the North East and further afield, not just here but at four subsequent locations in Newcastle.
Yes, Globe has been spinning all over the place, winding up at the top of Commercial Union House, on Pilgrim Street, whose imminent demolition provided the impetus to move back to where it began.
This is a fund-raiser since the Globe which, a key venue in North Shields’s cultural quarter, gets no regular funding.
An evening of art, music and surprises is promised at Salt Market Social, the venue on North Shields Fish Quay.
Entry is free, with a bar, snacks and music by DJ Kris Emmett, but there will be incentives to spend with an auction of work by artists including Anthony Downie, Tallulah Lines and the late Stephen McGinty, and art-filled goodie bags on sale.
SCREEN: The Northumbria Mysteries
Where: BBC One and BBC iPlayer
When: From October 23, 2pm
Info: bbc.co.uk
Robson Green is back on familiar territory in a new BBC crime drama which puts Northumberland firmly in the television spotlight.
The eight-part series stars Green as Joe Ruby, an ex-convict attempting to go straight with help from a kindly priest (Simon Callow), while Liz White and Gurjeet Singh play the detectives whose paths cross his.
Filmed across the region, with Brinkburn Priory among the locations, The Northumbria Mysteries is produced by Newcastle-based Lonesome Pine Productions, with more than 80% of the crew drawn from the North East.
STILL SHOWING
Exhibition: Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Poetry, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, until Feb 13
Jazz: Durham Jazz Festival, Various venues, Oct 23-25
Event/Screen/Radio: Mercury Prize 2026, Utilita Arena Newcastle, BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer, Oct 22
Classical: Orchestra North East, Newcastle Cathedral, Oct 24
Theatre: Animal Farm, Alnwick Playhouse, Oct 21
Theatre: Our Friends in the North, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until Oct 24
Exhibition: Under Development, Newcastle Contemporary Art, High Bridge Works, until Nov 29
Theatre: It’s a Wonderful Us, Queen’s Hall, Hexham (Nov 12); and Washington Arts Centre (Nov 19)
Exhibition: Impressions of Light, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Mar 14, 2027 Read more
Exhibition: Hommage A Gaia, RePUBlic Gallery, Blyth, until Oct 24
Comedy: Susan Calman - Tall Tales, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Nov 6
Exhibition: Keiken: Seeds, Stones and Future Bones, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, until Jan 17
Exhibition: Turner Prize 2026, MIMA, Centre Square, Middlesbrough, until Mar 29, 2027. Read our report from the opening
Exhibition: Baltic Open Submission, Baltic, Gateshead, until Apr 4, 2027
Screen: Forever Home, Channel 5
Exhibition: Kitchen Sink Realism, NGCA, Culture House Sunderland, until Jan 17
Audio: Music Lives Here podcast, Your ears, via wherever you get your podcasts
Screen: Poised, STV player
Exhibition: Victory Over the Sun: Adventures with Light, The Light, Aykley Heads, Durham, until Jan 17, 2027
Exhibition: Things That Go!, Discovery Museum, Newcastle, until Feb 29, 2027
Exhibition: MOXIE: Generation Alpha Curates the Middlesbrough Collection, MIMA, Middlesbrough, until Mar 28, 2027. Read more
Screen: Ashington AFC: Saving Our Club, available to stream on BBC iPlayer
Exhibition: Norman Cornish – A Life in Sketchbooks, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Jan 3. Read our full report
Exhibition: Mourning Tea Tyne & Lost Frequencies, Globe Gallery, North Shields, ongoing
Screen: The Fortune, Channel 5
Screen: Smoggie Queens, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, available now
Screen: This Is Not A Murder Mystery, UTV and streaming on Channel Four, available now.
Radio: Si King on Desert Island Discs, BBC Sounds/iPlayer
Exhibition: Picture This: Someone Like Me, Great North Museum: Hancock, until Jan 2027
Exhibition: Enigmas, RePUBlic Gallery, Blyth, ongoing
Radio: Tom and Lauren Are Going OOT!, BBC Sounds
Exhibition: Out of the Darkness, Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland, until December
NOW BOOKING
Music: Nev Clay and Band, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Nov 3
Opera: Eugene Onegin, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Nov 7
Music: Deep Purple, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Nov 18
Comedy: Jason Byrne - 30 Years Byrning, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Nov 18
Theatre: Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), Darlington Hippodrome, Nov 23-28
Music: The ELO Show, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Nov 25
Comedy: Flo and Joan - With Feeling, Nov 27, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle
2027
Theatre: Twelve Angry Men, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 16-20
Comedy: Sindhu Vee - Swanky, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Feb 24
Theatre: Singin’ In The Rain, Sunderland Empire, Mar 2-6
Theatre: dinnerladies, Stockton Globe, Mar 9-13
Music: Peter Hook and the Light, The Fire Station, Sunderland, May 21
Music: Mike + The Mechanics - Back on Track, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Jun 13
Music: Andre Rieu, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Oct 7 (Tickets on general sale, Oct 23)
🎄 FESTIVE FORECAST 🎄
Event: Skating at Life, Life Science Centre, Newcastle, Nov 7-Jan 3
Classical: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Festive programme performed by London Concertante, Newcastle Cathedral, Nov 20
Market: The Winter Market, The Bowes Museum, Dec 11-13
Screen: Inside No. 9 At Christmas, Tyneside Cinema, Nov 27 and Dec 15
Market: I Love North Shields Vintage Market - Christmas Edition, Salt Market Social, North Shields Fish Quay, Dec 20, 10am-7pm
Theatre: A Christmas Carol, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Dec 7
Classical: Handel’s Messiah, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Dec 13
Music: The Overtones - Jivin’ Home for Christmas, Darlington Hippodrome, Dec 3
COMPETITION TIME
Welcome to our latest newsletter prize draw - offering our subscribers an exclusive chance to win tickets to see or do something great.
This week, we’ve got a family ticket (two adults and up to three children) to see Where Do All The Kittiwakes Go At Christmas? at Live Theatre, Newcastle on Sunday, December 20 at 3pm.
Newcastle’s kittiwakes are the unlikely stars of this alternative Christmas show returning to Live Theatre from December 19-31 after last year’s run proved popular enough to warrant a bigger stage.
Performed by Meena Al-Nawrasy and Malcolm Shields, it attempts to answer the question of where the Tyne’s famous seabirds disappear to when winter arrives and the supply of discarded fish and chips dries up.
The answer involves a journey around the world, some unusual feathered encounters and a story shaped in part by ideas from local schoolchildren.
There’s music, audience participation and a fair amount of Geordie humour in this lovely festive offering for families.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: ‘Here Kitty Kitty’ by 5pm on Sunday, October 25.
The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within 24 hours of the entry deadline.
Terms and conditions: Only subscribers to the Cultured. North East newsletter are eligible to enter the Newsletter Prize Draw competition. Prizes are as stated - subject to availability - and non-transferable. No cash alternatives will be offered. You must be over 18 years of age to enter. The Editor’s decision is final.