For just their second show supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Middlesbrough Gigs Association is bringing esteemed indie-rockers Porridge Radio to the beautiful Town Hall Courtroom in Middlesbrough for an extra-special Sunday matinee solo show in May.
With six albums already in the bag this rare solo outing will showcase the nuances of such a catalogue from the Brighton-based band formed by vocalist, songwriter and lead guitarist Dana Margolin in 2015. The Town Hall Courtroom show is part of a short joint tour with Naima Bock a founding member of indie rockers Goat Girl. After departing Goat Girl, Bock signed with Sub Pop and released her debut solo album, Giant Palm, in July 2022. Naima’s most recent single, So Long Marianne, is a lush slice of modern folk.
Dana promises a mix of old and new material and has said of the shows, “the idea was to have some fun, play whatever we want to and enjoy the start of the summer. Naima is an incredible songwriter and after performing together in Austria last year, we decided it would be fun to play a short run of very intimate shows across parts of the UK we haven’t seen much of.” Tickets are on sale now.
The stunning courtroom venue was restored as part of the wider Town Hall refurbishment in 2018. Legend has it the ornate stained-glass ceiling was boarded up during the war and completely forgotten about until refurbishments commenced.
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.”
