Sounds of an Eccentric

'Baby Got Back' is the second single from Whitley Bay based indie group  HEDGES . The track opens with an ambient layer of lo-fi humming, before welcoming a catchy and upbeat guitar riff and ebullient percussion. The lyrics possess a poetic charm, and lines such as: 'I've had these visions of late, of dark skies storm clouds and rain and I know that people will change, but why couldn't you stay the same' or 'he's lost his home, scared of a future he doesn't know' or 'we need to go back to that place, but some things just can't stay the same', resonate in a captivating and arresting manner. In addition to the thought provoking lyrics, front man Sam Aves' vocals delivers a strong and confident performance. Aves' vocals have significantly improved since their debut single, showcasing a more controlled tone, making his voice more engaging and emotive. However, the most impressive element of this track is the dynamic instr...

Tell us a little about yourself and FLUXX Gigs .   I've been involved in the music business all my life really. My parents were always in bands when I was growing up, so I guess it runs in the family. I've been in bands myself from a young age, to the present day. However, I started FLUXX because I realised that there are a lot of young and upcoming bands in Newcastle and the north east who need somewhere to either start out and get some gigs. I really want to help bands progress and expand their fan base, as well as promote local talent! Why FLUXX? Is there a story behind the name?  There isn't really anything significant about "FLUXX". I really just needed to brand my nights so people knew who was putting on the gigs. I saw a back to the future meme which had the flux capacitor on it and I thought to myself, "hmmmm Flux". So it was more or less the first thing that came to my head. When I wrote it down it didn't look eye catching enou...

I caught up with Danny, Harry and Caz from Darlington bassed indie-pop band Apex, to chat about everything from Christmas singles to The Rolling Stones. For the readers not familiar with you and your music, tell us a little about yourself. A whirlwind biography of APEX if you like. H : I’m Harry, singer and guitarist in Apex , we’ve been a band for 3(4?) years now. We started out playing covers in a practice room at college, and now we’ve got our debut E.P. ['Smooth Talk'] out with more on the way and we’ve played gigs all over the north of England. D : Yeah, we started out as something to fill the summer holidays, we enjoyed playing together, and we got offered a slot at a gig and we haven’t really looked back since. Except Caz though, he’s new! Which musicians or experiences have influenced you the most? Both personal tastes and the band's sound. H : A lot of names sort of spring to mind regarding our sound, Little Comets and The 1975 are bands we really apprec...

After being criticised by my roommates for "only listening to crap North East music", I was enraged. Yes, I do indeed listen to a lot of local bands, but they are far from "crap".  I have made it my mission to convert them to fans of the NE Scene and all the glorious acts that make it so amazing.  My weapon of choice is a good old Souncloud playlist, filled with over 120 brilliant tracks. I've selected one track from each artist (bar ThemThings as their track wasn't available for embedding) as a taster for you lovely readers. #SUPPORTYOURSCENE Disclaimer: There are many more brilliant NE acts, however they're on Bandcamp or Spotify so I cannot get them all on playlist - Soundcloud was the best option for this article. LISTEN TO THE FULL PLAYLIST