Steve Spithray

An example of the depth of talent on Teesside at the moment is when someone like Tom Joshua can rock up at the beautiful Town Hall Courtroom in Middlesbrough after hardly playing live at all for a couple of years, promising new songs rather than the old favourites AND at the same time as an England World Cup match, and still have the place bristling with a nervous excitement usually reserved for the footie. But first up, Leeds's Sam Airey wows with a rare live performance of his own.

Released: 01.06.26 Image by Paul Dolan Newcastle-based power trio Sinecures’ debut long player Brace is a record so steeped in the history of post-hardcore morality and discourse, uncompromising in intent and uninterested in crossover, as to be at times left swimming neck deep in a black and white lake.

Tambourhinoceros (School of X) Released: 10.04.26 Grunge may well be remembered as the last great paradigm shift in guitar music, blowing the hair metal doors and elongated solos off the car in exchange for lumberjack shirts and detuned barre chords, much like punk reacting against the cocky musical racketeering of prog rock.