Highlights include:
- Join Ollie Ollerton for an evening of live conversation
- ECHO Rising Stars Weekend
- Jaki Graham, a true pioneer of UK soul
- Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, the popular wife and husband duo
Ollie Ollerton
Saturday 16 November 2019, 8pm
Ex-special forces soldier and star of TV’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton has faced many break points in his life. As one of the first former UK Special Forces members to talk openly to the media and reveal their identity, Ollie has an incredible tale to tell.
Now, join him live in conversation as he shares stories about hardened criminals, high-speed car chases, counter-terrorism and humanitarian heroics. But it’s not all fearlessness and fame: Ollie has faced tough times in his personal life too – surviving a freak childhood attack, run-ins with the law as a teenager rebelling against a broken home, his self-destructive battles with alcohol and drug addiction, and his struggles with anxiety and depression. His final redemption as an entrepreneur and mental health charity ambassador has seen him overcome adversity to build a new and better life.
In this rare live event, Ollie will take you through the highs and lows of his military career in what makes for a fascinating, interactive evening. Expect to be shocked, entertained and truly inspired. After all, it’s only when you’re at break point that you find out who you really are.
Book Now: https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/ollie-ollerton-2019/
ECHO Rising Stars Weekend.
Saturday 18 January 2020
An afternoon of concerts given by the 2019/20 ECHO Rising Stars.
Each year the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) selects a group of outstanding artists to become its rising stars. They receive professional development support and perform a concert tour across the halls of the ECHO network.
This is a chance to hear the ECHO Rising Stars at Sage Gateshead all in one day.
Sage Two, 1pm
- Magnus Holmander clarinet
- David Huang piano
- Brahms Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op.120
- Molly Kien ECHO Commission
- Donizetti Andante sostenuto
- Bassi Rigoletto Fantasia
Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 2.30pm
- João Barradas accordion
- Bach Passacaglia and Fuga in C minor
- Yann Robin ECHO Commission
- Astor Piazzolla Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas
Sage Two, 4.30pm
- Simon Höfele trumpet
- Frank Dupree piano
- Hindemith Trumpet Sonata
- Miloslav Srnka ECHO Commission
- George Antheil Trumpet Sonata
Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 6pm
Noa Wildschut violin
Elisabeth Brauss piano
- Joey Roukens ECHO Commission
- Prokofiev Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2 in D major, Op.94a
- Tchaikovsky Meditation from Souvenir d’un Lieu cher, Op.42
Book Now: https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/echo-rising-stars/
Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Wednesday 4 March 2020, 8pm
Singer/songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich returns with new single, Elephant, and announces a tour of venues he’s never played before, including Sage Gateshead.
Benjamin’s melancholic brand of acoustic folk-pop has drawn comparisons to the likes of Jose Gonzalez and Iron & Wine. Inspired by Elliott Smith and Bruce Springsteen, he taught himself to play the guitar aged 10, and fronted indie pop outfit The Nicoles in his teens, before embarking on a solo career.
After recording his first EP, A Million Miles Out, he supported I Am Kloot, Fionn Regan, and Lisa Mitchell on tour, and attracted attention for his cover version of Arcade Fire’s Rebellion on Dermot O’Leary’s BBC Radio 2 Saturday Sessions show.
In 2011, his first single, Pictures, taken from his second EP of the same name, was declared “The Hottest Record in the World Today” by influential Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe. Later that year he released his debut album, Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm.
A year later, he returned with the EP In the Open, followed by the 2014 single, Shine. In 2016, Leftwich delivered his second studio album, After the Rain, featuring the single Tilikum, recorded in the wake of his father’s death.
Book Now: https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/benjamin-francis-leftwich/
Jaki Graham
Friday 13 March 2020, 7.45pm
Jaki Graham is one of the most appealing soul entertainers to emerge from the UK, and a true pioneer who has paved the way for many black British female solo artists.
Jaki achieved international success with a string of hits from 1985 including Could it Be I’m Falling In Love?, Round and Around, Set Me Free, Step Right Up and Breaking Away, also making the Music Guinness Book of Records in the 80s as the first black British female solo artist to have six consecutive Top 20 hits.
Jaki is officially a Motown artist, and is one of the only British females to hold this credential alongside Kiki Dee. Jaki also holds a doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton, for which she was also made pro-chancellor due to her outstanding contributions to the music industry and awarded her very own star on Birmingham’s Broad Street.
Jaki Graham firmly maintains her position as one of Britain’s most revered ladies of soul, with the 2018 release of her long awaited new studio album When a Woman Loves, which topped the UK Soul Charts and produced a US Independent Chart No.1 single.
Book Now: https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/jaki-graham/
Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham
Tuesday 17 March 2020, 8pm
Having toured together since 1986, to packed concert halls all over the world, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham have won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Best Duo Award and have been nominated in the Scottish Traditional Music Awards for Live Act of the Year.
Aly was a founder member of the Boys of the Lough and his passionate fiddle playing has also found its way onto recordings by the likes of Eddi Reader and Richard Thompson.
He was responsible for launching The Transatlantic Sessions TV series in which both he and Phil continue to feature. Accordion player Phil has been named as one of Scotland’s 25 most influential people and his mastery of the instrument has led to him working with the likes of Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Rosanne Cash and Midge Ure. Together they are simply the best traditional musicians you are ever likely to hear.
Book Now: https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/aly-bain-and-phil-cunningham/
Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman
Saturday 18 April 2020, 8pm
In fact, 2020 marks 25 years of making music together for this popular wife and husband duo. Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman have long established themselves as one of the UK folk scene’s most rewardingly enduring partnerships.
To celebrate and acknowledge this milestone, the couple will revisit and reinterpret songs which span their career. From the early days of folk super group Equation, through to the current release Personae, with a nod or two along the way to their extra-curricular musical adventures, the evening promises a whistle stop tour through their artistic journey to date.
Book Now: https://sagegateshead.com/whats-on/folkworks-kathryn-roberts-and-sean-lakeman/