Shipyard Songwriters is bringing Un-Convention to the North East for the first time. Spread over two days the festival will combine a series of events looking at the art and creative processes behind songwriting. Unconventional spaces around the High Level Bridge in Newcastle and Gateshead will be occupied for a weekend of new works, talks and performances by some of the best emerging and established songwriters around.
We are delighted to welcome one of Chemikal Underground’s finest songwriters Aidan Moffat to round up Saturday night at the festival. Representing song-writing from the nation of Scotland he will give us his own unique modern slant on the human condition. Whether he is being ex-frontman of Arab Strap or L. Pierre, architect of ambient soundscapes, the man from Falkirk seems to excel in whatever musical or literary projects he turns his hand to. He has always been recognised for his remarkable way with a candid (and often lurid) lyric and with the release of his solo albums he has shown just what a gifted and observant writer he is.
On Saturday night at the Mining Institute, three highly regarded local songwriters – Jez Lowe, Pete Scott and Brenda Heslop (from Ribbon Road) will discuss how the writers of the past such as Joe Wilson and Tommy Armstrong influence them as song-writers today and what of their way of writing can we carry forward into the 21st century? The discussion will be followed by a concert with the writers who will illustrate their points in performance.
Launching the festival on the Saturday afternoon at The Mining Institute and The Bridge will be an opportunity for North East based songwriters to show their song-writing wares, with sets from Richard Dawson, Cath and Phil Tyler, O’ Messy Life, The Winter Hill Transmission, John Egdell, Ian Hunter and Paul Campbell and much more to be confirmed, plus a special appearance from Liverpool-based award winning playwright and songwriter Lizzie Nunnery to round off the afternoon.
Lizzie will also be performing on the Sunday afternoon at Morden Tower as Shipyard are delighted to work with Liverpool based Almanac to create a theatre production written especially for Un-Convention Tyneside. Commissioning some of the most exciting local and national songwriters, musicians and writers - 'Stories in the Walls – A Happening in the Tower' will create a piece of real collaborative theatre, where the songs and music are an integral part of the performance. Expect the souls and spirits, the waifs and wanderers within the city walls, coming out to tell you their story, waiting to perform, all the living and all the dead.
Add to this, talks by (amongst others) veteran North East songwriters Pete Dale and Nev Clay, an official ‘songwriters pub’ acting as a meeting place for artists and audience to have a drink together and other events still to be confirmed and it’s a canny nice festival for the North East.
For more information please visit -
http://www.shipyardsongwriters.com/
