Introducing Middlesbrough Gigs Association, a brand-new venture bringing live music to the heart of Middlesbrough, who will be promoting shows at Middlesbrough Town Hall and Crypt, Teesside University Students Union and Café Etch.
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Middlesbrough Gigs Association is set to bring at least twenty shows to the town over the next two years starting with Charlotte Carpenter at the intimate Café Etch in March. Future shows are already in the pipeline for the same venue while the other larger venues promise established, touring artists as well as a focus on supporting local artists and creatives. This with a view to nurturing best young talent in the area and graduating them to some of the areas most well-known music festivals such as Twisterella and Stockton Calling.
Hailing from the East Midlands, singer-songwriter Charlotte Carpenter will be playing the opening show in support of her superb debut album, A Modern Rage, a restorative collection of tales of womanhood, which was released in October last year. After initially establishing herself on the alt-folk scene with a series of releases including the Another Year single in 2019 the singer then promptly disappeared. Now returning with a clutch of new tracks citing such disparate influences as Avril Lavigne, Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell, pitching Charlotte in Café Etch’s homely surroundings already feels like something of a coup for Middlesbrough Gigs Association. Tickets are on sale now.
Support on the night comes from Teesside’s acoustic folk-pop singer Alex Lyons who has been steadily building a TikTok following with her introspective take on the Emmylou Harris blueprint and the perfect person to open the first ever Middlesbrough Gigs Association show.
Middlesbrough Gigs Association co-founder Clare Hargan said, “This is an exciting opportunity to reinvigorate the grassroots music scene in Middlesbrough. It’s great to be working with Andy Carr to deliver this project and we are thrilled to have the support of Arts Council England. We are passionate about live music and Middlesbrough and are intent on giving the very best for our town.”
