UK: James Bay is the first headline artist announced for this year’s Mouth of the Tyne Festival in Tynemouth. The Grammy-nominated English singer, songwriter and guitarist will perform an outdoor concert at Tynemouth Priory and Castle on July 9.
Bay’s 2014 single ‘Hold Back the River’ has now been certified platinum. His debut album Chaos and the Calm followed last year along with achieving the Brit Awards ‘Critic’s Choice’ prize. In December, he received three Grammy Award nominations including Best New Artist.
Taking place from July 7 – 10, Mouth of the Tyne Festival is a four-day cultural celebration of music and performing arts that takes place each summer in Tynemouth, North East England. Its main outdoor stage is situated on a spectacular coastal cliff location, adjacent to the Tynemouth Priory and Castle, overlooking the picturesque King Edward’s Bay beach and North Sea on one side, and the River Tyne on the other.
The Mouth of the Tyne Festival, now in its 12th year, has welcomed a vast range of household name artists to North Tyneside including: Paul Weller, The Specials, The Script and James Morrison. It celebrates music and performing arts across four main locations: Tynemouth Priory and Castle, Playhouse Whitley Bay, Tynemouth Front Street and Tynemouth Station. 2015’s event saw 90,000 visitors to the festival and over 10,000 attending the outdoor Priory concerts.
Besides nationally-known bands there is a very popular free jazz stage at the end of Front Street, which will be a blaze of colour and activity throughout the festival, and includes a programme of street performers, parades and the hugely popular children’s pageant.
The Playhouse Whitley Bay will play host to live bands and musicians and Tynemouth Metro Station hosts a takeover for the duration, with dance troupes and a wide variety of musicians and performers. There will also be a designated ‘Early Years’ area for children featuring a storytelling, music and craft activities. Local food and craft stalls will line the station’s platform offering a delicious array of locally-sourced produce and decorative work.
