Hit The North 2017: The music festival that took Newcastle by storm
19th May 2017Hit The North, Newcastle’s first ever inner-city music festival was praised as being a major success over bank-holiday weekend, as it saw more than 80 exciting bands play across 15 venues in the city.
The multi-venue event saw hundreds of people travelling to the city to get a glimpse of some of the hottest acts such as English punk duo, Slaves, headlining the O2 Academy. While many others trekked to some of the city’s more independent venues to see emerging new artists such as The Hunna and VANT perform to a more intimate crowd making the experience just that little bit more special.
The day-long festival attracted more than 3000 music enthusiasts who ventured throughout Tyneside’s most acclaimed musical venues including the 02 Academy, The Riverside, The Boilershop and Digital. Hit The North also showcased all genres of music from indie to folk, hip-hop and punk, so there was a little something for everyone to enjoy.
From the most anticipated acts such as grime MC, Lethal Bizzle, to Newcastle’s very own and beloved Little Comets, the highlight of the night was folk singer Charlie Straw from Wirral who played a very intimate set at The Jazz Cafe.
Charlie’s sweet melodic gave everyone chills in the room. Without the need of anyone except his guitar, Charlie is the definition of a true, natural performer. We spoke to the folk singer after his set and he expressed how important it is to play new and upcoming events and how beneficial it is to the community – in this case Newcastle’s community.
He said: “Well this is all part of starting out I guess. Coming into a city where people don’t know me is very important.”
As a result of Newcastle’s largest inner city music festival’s major success, SSD Concerts, who conceptualised Hit The North has confirmed it will return next year, promising to be bigger and better.
You can check out some of the highlights and interviews with some of the bands who played Hit The North above.