Wallsend DJ curates special event at The Sage celebrating the North East

A special one-of-a-kind celebratory evening of the North East’s musical culture and identity will be held at The Sage in Gateshead on Friday November 4.

Geoff Kirkwood, who is better known by his musical stage name, Man Power - and is one of the North East’s biggest names in electronic music - has curated the event. Geoff, who was born and raised in Wallsend, has said that the dance music culture in the North East has helped to shape his life and career.

Geoff has a new musical project, which he will perform at the event, where he examines regional identity and internalision. While also addressing the struggles that working-class communities in the North East face.

The line up of performers include the experimental musician William Masinski, renowned BBC DJ Tom Ravenscroft, composer Fiona Brice (who has worked with the likes of Kanye West, Sugababes and Westlife),  classical orchestra, The Royal Northern Sinfonia and Geoff himself - combining electronic music, contemporary classical music, experimental music and DJ culture into one night.

Geoff will premiere a new piece on the night of the event, named NXS8, in collaboration with Fiona Brice, with arrangements from the Royal Northern Sinfonia. The piece will act as a fusion of creative worlds, combining experimental electronica and classical composition.

To accompany this piece, an audio-visual showreel has been created, filmed by local young filmmakers - funded by the Arts Council England. The showreel will display North East spirit and history, and will include interviews with factory workers.

Ahead of the Sage Gateshead event, Geoff Kirkwood said: “Growing up where I did, when I did, means that I come from a generation of North Easterners who were wrongly made to believe that arts and culture were for other people and not for ‘the likes of us’.

“It’s testament to the region that in less than a quarter century since I left school someone like me can find themself not only being supported in my desire to pursue creating an artwork that is inspired by the North East, but that I would find that support coming from such an iconic local musical institution that is also recognised around the world.

“As much as things have improved in my lifetime it is my belief that there are still many barriers that remain for members of the working classes and those with less privileged backgrounds when it comes to access to participating in the arts, and I hope my appointment to this position, and the artwork that it has enabled me to create, might go some way towards removing those barriers and inspiring people with similar backgrounds to my own, or anyone who feels excluded in any way simply because of who they are or where they are from.”

The show will begin at 7.30pm. Tickets start from £18, which you can purchase here.