Beyond the Moor 2024

Beyond the Moor celebrates folk and roots music, where we platform artists spanning the genres of traditional music. Started in 2022, the live music event showcase's the best in local and national musicians playing contemporary, alternative and traditional folk and roots music, in the inclusive and accessible environment of Gosforth Civic Theatre.

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The music takes place across two stages at GCT, on our main stage in our 200 capacity Theatre and on the Sessions stage in our intimate studio space. Eight artists will play sets from 3pm to 10pm while you can settle in with food and drink available at the venue throughout the day.​

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O'Hooley & Tidow

Leveret

Cri du Canard

Me Lost Me

Jez Lowe

Newcastle University Folk Degree

Sam Baxter

Ouseburn Folk Choir

Stage Times to be confirmed.​
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Newcastle and the North East’s folk scene is strong and vibrant and Beyond the Moor seeks to harness this by pairing it with genuine world class touring bands. Gosforth Civic Theatre’s folk club gigs have seen an increase in popularity and there’s a tangible thirst for more platforms for contemporary folk and roots music in the region.​

Kari Macleod and Bernard Wright, who co-produce Beyond the Moor, said: “We were conscious that there’s a highly regarded folk and traditional music degree in Newcastle but there is currently no event of this kind happening in the city right now. We wanted to create an opportunity for people to see some of the best and most exciting artists, both regionally and nationally, under one roof as a celebration all forms of traditional and roots music; with the hope to inspire the next generation of musicians and audiences.”

Early Bird ticket £30 available until 31 August 2023​

Full price ticket £35.

Students/u18s £20.

​Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.

​A booking fee of 6.5% + £0.49 per sold ticket is included when booking a ticket online through our Eventbrite platform.

Much loved Yorkshire folk duo Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow have been propelled into newfound fame for penning the theme tune to Sally Wainwright’s hit BBC1/HBO drama ‘Gentleman Jack’, earning them global admiration and even an acting role for Belinda on the iconic TV drama Happy Valley.​

Belinda and Heidi’s boundless songwriting has been described by The Guardian as ‘exceptional’ and The Independent as ‘defiant, robust, northern, poetical, political folk music for the times we live in.’ Their first full studio album in seven years; ‘Cloudheads’ delves into the mindscapes, passions and inner worlds of two highly individual women; Belinda and Heidi. Moving, melodic, dramatic and tender, from stories of parenthood, the call of a song thrush, to a portrait of the last days of a touching relationship between their neighbour Matthew and his beloved Alsatian, Ted, and even a collaboration with Gentleman Jack herself, Suranne Jones on ‘The Ballad of Anne and Ann’, they explore, consider and connect subjects and stories in a distinctive, inventive and memorable way.​

Having the originality and skill to invite comparison with the most celebrated harmony duos, 6 Music’s Tom Robinson says ‘They sing together in the way families do. Normally, you only get that closeness in the voices with family bands like The Coppers or The Watersons.’

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ANDY CUTTING • SAM SWEENEY • ROB HARBRON

Leveret is a unique collaboration between three of England’s finest folk musicians. Andy Cutting (button accordion), Sam Sweeney (fiddle) and Rob Harbron (concertina) are each regarded as exceptional performers and masters of their instruments. Together their performances combine consummate musicianship, compelling delivery and captivating spontaneity. Leveret’s music is not arranged in the conventional sense and the trio rely on mutual trust and musical interaction to create new settings of their repertoire in the moment, with no two performances alike. Their playing is relaxed and natural, drawing audiences in and inviting them to share in music making that is truly spontaneous and yet deeply timeless.

Fiddler Sam Sweeney was the 2015 BBC Folk Awards Musician of the Year and the inaugural Artistic Director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble. He is known for his work in Bellowhead and The Full English, and his solo recordings including 2022’s Escape That. Box player Andy Cutting, a three-time BBC Folk Awards Musician of the year, is a compelling solo performer and works with Blowzabella, Topette, Anne Niepold, and Roger Daltrey. Concertina wizard Rob Harbron leads the English Acoustic Collective Summer School, released his own solo album Meanders in 2019, and is known for his work with Emily Portman, The Full English and Emma Reid.

Cri du Canard are a French folk trio, currently based in the North of England. With passion and experience coming out of their ears, these three highly regarded musicians throw themselves into their work, performing and leading workshops across the UK and EU with expertise, humour, and panache.​

After properly establishing this band in 2021 - following a glorious summer's evening of music, dance, and food - Grace, Sam, and Dave warmly invite you to share in the joy of French and Breton music, dance the night away to these infectious, energy-infused grooves, or simply sit back and enjoy the hypnotic interplay of fiddle, flute and box.​

Expect to be transported to the beating musical heart of France, with an experience as nourishing for the soul as a good bowl of boeuf bourguignon. Pied gauche, à temps - Allez!

Me Lost Me delights in experimenting with songwriting, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully push the boundaries of genre. The project of Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent who takes influence from folk, art pop, noise, ambient and improvised music, her work has been described in The Guardian as "stripping folk back to its bones while letting its future echoes bleed out".​

With her prolific writing and extensive touring schedule, her unique sound has won much support across the musical spectrum. Dent has notably performed live for BBC Radio 3's After Dark Festival and as part of the 2022 BBC Proms alongside Spell Songs, Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Voices of the Rivers Edge Choir. She received the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Composers and was 2020-2021 Artist in Residence at Sage Gateshead.

Jez Lowe is a much-travelled, much-covered singer and songwriter who has released twenty-plus albums of original songs over the last forty years, earning himself a loyal following along the way as well as a raft of awards and nominations. He continues to record and tour world-wide, and in addition to his work as a broadcaster and commentator, he is about to publish the fourth in his series of novels inspired by the folk tradition of his native North-East England.

Sam Baxter is an interpreter, arranger, and performer of traditional song. With a skilful blend of electric/acoustic guitars, drones, and fiddle, he creates deeply personal performances filled with warmth and emotion. Sam sings a carefully selected repertoire, expressing the full gamut of human experience. He is especially interested in how the the thoughts and feelings in traditional music can transcend time and speak to modern audiences. Through his music, he explores stories of love and loss, queer narratives, songs of industry, nature and social injustice.

Based at the top of the Ouseburn Valley in the historic Cumberland Arms, Ouseburn Folk Choir sing a variety of the great songs our traditions have to offer. Led by Janice Burns, you can expect some folk club classics, rousing choruses and some moments of reflection. Song choices are influenced by the seasons, the environment and industry.

Host or Publisher Gosforth Civic Theatre