The Newcastle music scene is bursting at the seams with fresh talent and exciting sounds. Spotlight Music UK are a young and fast-growing team that look to unearth these hidden gems. Jordan Davidson, an MA student here at Newcastle University, heads up the Writing Team and spoke to The Courier Music.
Spotlight Music UK run events, gigs, publish articles and scout for talent across the city. Davidson says, “I adore the music scene in Newcastle, it’s so incredibly diverse and yet everyone is so interconnected.” He is also keen to stress the importance that social media plays in the availability of opportunities for up and coming artists. “The increase in social media and open minded smaller venues in Newcastle is helping a lot of talent that would usually really struggle to get noticed. There is no excuse not to discover it anymore, have a quick browse on social media or just pop down to the Ouseburn to see what’s going on.”
We’ve got a great local music community in the North East, once you tap into that you’ll find everyone is very accommodating.
The company also put on regular Spotlight Music Presents events which endeavour to give a platform to local artists who deserve to be heard. “We’re proud of every line-up we put together so it always feels like we’re presenting something special to the public.” These happen regularly throughout the year with entry a mere £3 on guestlist, whilst the company have just announced their first ever gig in Sunderland to celebrate International Women’s Day. A host of female-fronted bands and acoustic artists, including Twist Helix, Human X and Eve Simpson, will take to The Independent’s stage. For artists with such great potential, it provides the perfect chance to get acquainted with future big names.
The Courier Music spoke to Spotlight Music UK about what advice they would give to bands or artists taking their first steps in the industry. “Make use of social media and don’t be too scared to network, we’ve found that venues and promoters are always more than happy to offer help and advice. We’ve got a great local music community in the North East, once you tap into that you’ll find everyone is very accommodating.”
For students who love music and want to get involved with the Newcastle scene, Spotlight offer ways in for artists, writers and fans alike. Davidson tells us, “We love hearing from artists of all levels, even if you’ve just put your first song on SoundCloud or you’re playing your first gig, please get in touch. We can share links to your music or gigs on out social media, review them for our website to help it get more attention and we even do video sessions.” The Head of the Writing Team also calls for writers “no matter what genres you like or what level of experience you have, as long as you love the local music scene in the North East you can make some great content”.
If you’re interested in getting in touch with Spotlight Music UK then you can reach the team at spotlightmusicuk@gmail.com or at www.spotlightuk.co.uk, as well as their socials.