Sounds of an Eccentric

Photos by Jack Herron I caught up with J Smirk ahead of his show at Newcastle's O2 Academy to chat about his slot at Hit the North Festival and his new exciting side project. It's been a while since you've been on the blog. Welcome back! You've not been making music for very long but you've already achieved so much! For the readers not familiar with you and your work - give them a whirlwind introduction. I'm J Smirk, I'm a Newcastle based hip-hop/rap/r'n'b artist. I started making music seriously about a year and a half ago and it's just flown over. I've already had the opportunity to work with so many amazing people. At the moment it's all abut pushing forward and experimenting. You've been selected to play Hit the North Festival. Although it's only in its second year, it has established an indie-centric sound. How do you feel about playing a the festival as an urban artist?  It's going to be interesting. ...

Photo by Alethea Shephard This year is flying by! Don't be a fool this April - go support your local music scene. 1st - Arcades with support from The Americas, Bad Bug, Follow the Giant at The Lending Room 2nd - La Rissa, Mutabase, Cynthias Persiscope, Work, Tom Bramfoot at Wharf Chambers 3rd -  Veda at Hyde Park Book Club 4th - Ivory Wave, Northern Comfort, The Brackets, Spearmint Tongues at The Lending Room 5th - SG Lewis at Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen 6th - Tuesday's Secret, The World Keeps, Elastic Waste, Fudge at The Lending Room 7th - Double Denim Live Presents: The Brazen and Neon Dolls Co-Headline at Key Club 8th - Myles Manley at The Carlton Club 9th - Queen Zee at The Castle 10th - This Feeling Presents: Trampolene, Himalayas, Sophie and the Giants at The Junction 11th Keyon Harrold at Brudenell Social Club 12th - Goat Girl at The Shipping Forecast 13th - Orielles at Brudenell Social Club 14th - Double Deni...

Former NME writer and veteran journalist, Gavin Martin, has teamed up with Newcastle indie group VITO on his latest single 'I want to tell you something'. Martin showcases his flair for writing through a spoken word monologue, discussing how the world and music industry has changed over the span of his lifetime. The most endearing part of the monologue is: "You kids, you don't know nothing about what really went on. You never heard King Rory sing his cowboy song, you never saw The Clash, or slept on Strummer's floor and you never heard Costello play encore after encore. You see I come from a different era, it's one that's now out of bounds because nowadays there is no Record Mirror, Melody Maker or sounds". The track is given a surge of energy through VITO's instrumental. They use simple bass lines, peppy drums and catchy guitar riffs to create a steady pulse while Martin speaks, before exploding into a gritty jam in the interlude...