Newcastle’s multi-venue festival Hit The North kickstarted festival season with sunkissed singles and -.
Championing new music and rising acts across the Toon’s top venues, the sun was out for the occasion as it was time to embrace the UK’s music scene.
Starting our Hit The North Festival adventure was special guest Sam Fender who packed out Think Tank. His vocals were consistently strong as the crowd grooved along to his indie-driven tunes. In particular, ‘Play God’ was a highlight. His performance was the perfect start to set the tone for the day ahead as he portrayed a perfect snapshot of the city’s current music scene.
Crossing over to Jumpin’ Jacks, Yves cranked the rock dial up with a very promising set. ‘You Wanna Know’ was a well-received single and it seems their “big old dreams” could soon become a reality.
Bringing the summer sounds to Jumpin’ Jacks, Marsicans sunkissed singles instantly won over the room as hips were moving from the first note. ‘Friends’ received the best reception as the crowd bopped their way along to the shimmering singles as Marsicans brought the sunshine indoors. The band are evidently primed and ready for festival slots with tracks sounding almost written for the occasion with a set flowing with feel-good vibes.
From Marsicans upbeat indie bops to a laidback acoustic set-up, Riley Pearce captivated the Mining Institute with his powerful vocally led set. The room was the perfect setting, despite being surprisingly quiet, but within just one single it was evident that those who weren’t around missed out. ‘The Long Road’ was a beautiful ballad that stood out amongst the rest alongside ‘Misplaced’, as he captivated the room with an unbelievable sound for a solo venture, providing the perfect way to chill out from festival mayhem soundtracked to soulful singles.
Pale Waves casually strolled onto the stage at Riverside launching into ‘Television Romance’ and instantly brought their trademark sound to Riverside. With consistently catchy singles sounding exactly on record, the crowd had their karaoke voices ready for an indie sing-along as the band made their way through their recent releases with ease. However, despite the catchiness and commanding live sound, it was a surprisingly quick visit with little crowd interaction from the band, creating a short and sweet set that felt like a flying visit.
Heading back to town, Brew Dog provided an intimate venue lined with beer taps and adorned with its neon-clad signs. Festival-goers chilled on the balcony with a beer in hand, crowded around the doorway and stood against the bar for venue headliners Deep.Sleep who brought their indie-pop sound with ‘1994’ a strong single with the crowd constantly behind the local lads.
Sea Girls were one of our HTN highlights, with their festival ready releases taking over Jumpin’ Jacks. Another performance which deserved a larger crowd, it seems their sound is yet to be discovered by many, but those who managed to head along uncovered a gem. From ‘Lost’ to ‘Eat Me Whole’, they breezed their way through flowing with upbeat indie tunes primed to perfection. Alongside their releases, the band also took the opportunity to showcase new track ‘Adored’ with frontman Henry Camamile taking the opportunity to get amongst the crowd mid-song. Ending on sing along single ‘Call Me Out, it was a well-rounded set with the perfect mix for festival season, we guarantee you’ll be hearing a lot more of Sea Girls in the very near future and these small venues will soon be a thing of the past.
Down in Think Tank’s basement, Hockey Dad brought their surf rock to town for a hot and sweaty showcase including Spotify hit ‘I Need A Woman’ while Redfaces commanded Mining Institute library with their indie rock singles. Surrounded by bookshelves in an antique setting, the venue provided a relaxed set up contrasting to the rock performance. Tracks including ‘Wise Up’ were extremely robust with a promising slot from the youngsters who made the venue their own.
Back to O2 Academy, it was time for the pits as empty pint glasses flew across the crowd for Rat Boy. The venue was scattered with small groups gathered, with only those in the small section down the front looking as if they were embracing the festival feeling. This emptiness did bring the atmosphere down as the O2 Academy with its 2,000 capacity was only a few rows full, but regardless of the venue Rat Boy casually swaggered through his set with recent single ‘Laidback’ a crowd highlight.
Ending our Hit The North day, fangclub ramped things up with a rock injection at Jumpin’ Jacks. The intimate setting allowed the band to showcase singles from their 2017 self-titled album as heads nodded along bringing the night to a close with a loud raucous set to shake up the end of the day.
Hit The North’s multi-venue approach across town allows you to enjoy a multitude of bands throughout the day within walking distance in contrasting venues with a consistently strong line-up. The festival gives you the freedom to explore Newcastle and its music venues at your own pace, with no queues or hassle, providing the chance to discover the emerging stars of the festival scene.
The festival seemed quieter in venues compared to the 2017 edition with some bands drawing smaller crowds than anticipated, however, this did add to the feeling that you’d discovered a band before anyone else catches on.
Hit The North Festival served up the perfect starter to ease us into the festival season, leaving us with a list of new bands added to our playlist and musical memories to last well beyond summer.