Mercury Prize fringe festival to take place across Tyneside

A free weeklong fringe festival spanning the North East will kick off tomorrow and run for six days, preluding the Mercury Prize awards ceremony at Utilia Arena in Newcastle on Thursday 16th October. Powered by music development agency Generator, the festival will comprise songwriting workshops, showcases, and performances taking place at venues in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, and Hexham.

Striving to be a celebration of the North’s eclectic music scene, Mercury Fringe aims to spotlight emerging talent and build momentum in the area in the run-up to the award ceremony, the first in its history to take place outside of the capital. Mercury Fringe kicks off on Friday 10th October with an intimate songwriting class from Maximo Park’s Paul Smith, with other events including an emerging artists showcase celebrating the sounds of Sunderland, a closed workshop for neurodivergent learners in South Shields, and a full day event in Newcastle taking a deep dive into the process of creating an album. 

Take a look at the full schedule here and see what fits your fancy. 

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