NUSU Sessions began in October of 2025, when Pearly Gates' Tom Hunt approached Student Media Officer Libby Griffiths with the idea of a student gig night in collaboration with student media. Working with music subeditors Milly Thompson and Emma Monaghan, the four made sure the event was entirely student ran, celaboratory of student musicians and of course, a great success.
In a white vest and pink-linen shirt, Sammy Morgan brought his laptop and electronic sound to the stage. He provided the eager crowd with synthetic high hats and oscillating beats, under a soft pink lighting which made you feel as if you were dancing on a beach at sunset. Crowd-members commented how they felt transported to Ibiza, as Sammy set an energetic precedent for the night. Admittedly there was a sense of nervousness, as Sammy frequently looked down at his laptop and instruments. But with a smile on his face he was finding comfort in his passion, and by encouraging the crowd with his hands in the air he maintained good performance quality that was quite sentimental in the wider context of NUSU Sessions. You could feel the appreciation of a student artist who has been given a rare opportunity to showcase their talent in a highly-produced setting. This was amplified by the cheering of his friends, who all stood gathered at barrier in support. One heckled "SIGN MY CHEST", whilst the rest jumped for the pure joy of seeing their friend live. They were desperate to get recognition from their closest mate, just as if he had the same celebrity of Fred Again… or Kettama. It created a friendly, excited atmosphere amongst the crowd, and was a perfect way to start the night.
As the lights shifted from beachy pink to a dramatic red, Slamrat then came to the stage. Vocalist and guitarist Lily Bennett, lead guitarist Spencer Clemenson, bassist Elliot Williams and drummer Joel Gooder, began with a bang, maintaining the energy established by Sammy, whilst dramatically shifting into alternative gear. They blended gritty, punk vocals and sounds with the hooks of alt-rock, whilst unapologetically seasoning their lyrics with youthful, political angst (a favourite of mine was 'Are you rich? Do you ski?', unintentionally yet comically nodding to Newcastles very own ski society). Lead guitarist Spencer sported an oversized t-shirt printed with an eccentrically colourful cat, and explained to the crowd "this song is about pegging". They were unafraid to be open and honest, showing off their personalities. They conveyed a genuinity, making them all the more endearing to watch, especially offset by their top-form musicality. They delivered a cohesive hard-hitting, raw sound, founded in their years of experience across the north-east's underground scene. Shamelessly grungy and gritty, they successfully maintained the musical momentum of the night.
The middle slot of any gig is always at risk of hitting a lull: people are a few pints down, their feet have begun to hurt, and attentions can start to drift. But Risco refused the audience to get distracted, demanding attention as they delivered the gritty energy reminiscent of the 70s British Punk Rock movement. This non-conforming trio certainly made a statement as they came out with a punching, hard sound that blended a plethora of British Rock influences into one. Whilst the quick, fast and hard patterns from the guitar and drums brought the intensity of early Arctic Monkey's, Lead singer and guitarist Ralph Solis sang with a Gallagheresque whiney twang. It was satisfying to the ear, hearing melodic vocals seamlessly find their way through the drummers relentless smashing of his high-hat.
In a red cardigan and tie, Ralph echoed Jack Black and the characteristic rebellion of School of Rock. He contrasted this with a pair of yellow-tinted, retro glasses. Already Ralph was adding colour to order, presenting himself unrestricted by aesthetic boundaries. His colourful preppiness was then offset by the shamelessly punk look of his bandmates. Whilst drummer Fergus Hamil sported a pair of nonchalant, blackout glasses, bassist Maya Hammersley wore a double denim co-ord, complimented by a bold, leopard print guitar strap over her shoulder (a special mention to the classic, punk bleach blonde streak in her hair). Admittedly, they made an unusual looking trio, one that seemed they shouldn't go together. But this only amplified their musical non-conformity even more. And as soon as they began to play, their clearly defined sound unified them musically. They understood and complimented each other seamlessly. They made sense. They knew who they were and what they were delivering. This musical security made them comfortable and confident onstage and enabled them to deliver a top-quality performance, giving them an impressive maturity beyond the years of a student band. Myself and others were significantly blown away, reflected in by the chants and cheers that roared from the crowd throughout their set of both covers and originals. They showed dynamism, and ended with a powerful, punk-rock indie rendition of Fat Boy Slim's 'The Rockefeller Skank', which quite literally felt like a punch in the face. Risco boldly refused to be defined by generic limits, and delivered with a passion, from start to finish, that showed no mercy.
After the hard-hitting, rebellious aesthetics of both Slamrat and Risco, Claremont Wing took to the stage next and returned the crowd to the familiar. They covered a range of comforting, crowd-pleasing classics, old and new, that all could recognise. As they opened with the likes of Eagles' 'Hotel California', the beautifully melodic vocals of lead singer Megan Li relaxed the crowd to a much-needed comforting baseline, providing dynamism to the NUSU sessions.
Saxophonist Gina Blenkiron, also provided a fresh sound not yet heard in the night, and covering Sam Fender's 'Rein Me In', she echoed the soul-hitting brassy instrumentals of Johnny Bluehat. This felt like an gratifying homage to the north east and subsequent talent emerging from it, resonating with exactly what NUSU Sessions was doing. This sentimentality was amplified by Claremont Wing's almost orchestral sound. They were the largest band of the night, meaning this brass and thicker instrumentation benefited them massively by fleshing out general covers with a fuller and thicker sound, complete and characteristically Claremont Wing.
Their slowed down rendition of 'Honeypie' by JAWNY in particular was an impressive display of their creativity. They took a Covid-era, bedroom pop song and and moulded it into a more sophisticated R&B track, proving themselves to be more versatile than a plain-old cover band. As they appealed to the nostalgia and novelty of mainstream classics, continuing with tracks from The Strokes, Paramore and Bowie to name a few, they successfully kept the crowd in a buzz as we neared the back-end of the night.
The spotlights then suddenly shot up for the much-anticipated Pearly Gates. Bending club-ready dance music with the energy of a live band, Newcastle's very own Tom Hunt poetically returned us to the electronic music that began the night. With echoes and electronic beats which oscillated back and forth, Pearly Gates sent the crowd to space, dancing with aliens whilst floating on clouds. He curated a relaxed euphoria which immediately established his set as an all-out party, as friends chattered and two-stepped from first to last track. Keeping the dancefloor in a buzz the whole night, he unified the audience, successfully showcasing the uniting powers of dance music. He embraced both classic and synthetic instruments, blending them together in patterned melodic riffs reminiscent of pop tracks, whilst breaking his sounds up with interesting electronic breaks. Tom made his set more dynamic by breaking his set up, inviting two inspirational guests onstage, Caitlin Morrow and Holly Marks for a Shania Twain rendition, and at others moments intersecting wacky spoken voice audio-recordings between tracks.
At one point the audience could recognise the stuttering kid from 'Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales'. An appropriate reflection of the dreamy atmosphere of Tom's recognisable electric sound. As he left the stage (for the first time), he gave the instrumentation of his solo electronic project time to shine. The guitarist here gave a soul-hitting solo, played with unmatched passion and energy, which rejuvinated listeners as we reached the end of the set. After this moment of musical appreciation main-man Tom returned to play Chappel Roan's 'Good Luck Babe'. An ultimate crowd-pleaser which turned two-steps into jumps before Pearly Gates ended the night on their original 'All Night'. This was an upbeat, classic electropop track, returning from their pop-princess diversion to their characteristic electronic sound. The familiarity of bright pop structure and lyricism, layered with the synthetic complexities of electronic dance music, altered the music venue into a club-like dancefloor, hypnotizing the crowd into a sustained groove throughout the night, until the end. The current cultural revival of dance music made them appropriate main act of the night, and signifies the appeal of Pearly Gates to the student populous in the audience. Not only were they clean, well-rehearsed and musically secure, but relevant and current to the trends in the music culture imaginary, making them such an exciting one to watch, particularly for the North-East music scene.
But although Pearly Gates were the well-anticipated, main event of the night, each artist that performed was platformed and appreciated just as equally to the main band. It truly felt each artist had an equal opportunity to showcase their skills, and were supported in equal measure by the crowds response. The artists certainly delivered on their side, and the excitement in the crowd never faltered. This made NUSU Sessions so special because it didn't feel hierarchal, or competitive, but instead created a positive, friendly hub of student support that fostered creativity, passion and the appreciation of student music. The student bands weren't just gathering recognition for themselves but for each other too.
All the artists took the time in their sets to mention their immense gratitude towards the NUSU Sessions team for the opportunity to perform. Getting into the music industry is incredibly difficult: it takes money, equipment, opportunities and networks that the majority of students do not have access too. Thus NUSU Sessions not only celebrated musical talent, but gave these up-and-coming musicians an opportunity to perform and platform themselves in a professional sense too. It was more than just the music, but about students positively lifting each other up.
Futhermore, NUSU Sessions didn't just celebrate and showcase the musical talent of students, but the talent of the wider student community at Newcastle University too. The four organisers, interviewers, reviewers, sound, tech and three social media teams were 'the backbone', as Tom called them, of the night. They captured everything in real-time, staying attentive, present and on the ball throughout the sessions, enabling them to run smoothly. The night had started off slightly chaotic, as technical difficulties led to soundcheck starting late and significantly shifted set-times backward. However as this setback was overcome, the night played out smoothly, and showcased the resilience and adaptability of the students who organised the show. And hey, the late start gave everyone time for an extra pint upstairs in Luther's! The crowd still came in with unshifted high spirits, ready to support their friends and other students alike.
Completely student-ran, it was a truly special night both powered by and celebrating, student music and media in the north east. It showcased the power and solidarity within the student community at Newcastle, and what it can achieve under pressure.
The end of the night felt bittersweet: Bitter because it was over, but nevertheless sweet that it happened. Is anything truly really over though? It would be a shame to let such a successful night just go. Hopefully this was just the beginning. Hopefully NUSU sessions will return and continue to champion the talent of Newcastle student's for years to come...