How long have you been active in the north east music scene and what do you do?
I am the editor and manager for Spotlightuk.co.uk which is a North East based music blog, but we also occasionally do video content and put on gigs too.
My role is primarily to organise and delegate content to our volunteer writing team and make sure that it is of a good standard when we publish it and share it on social media.
In addition to this I am constantly networking with musicians, PR, managers, photographers and venues to make sure that they are on our radar and we are doing our best to help those who need it.
I’ve been active as a journalist and reviewer for around four years, an editor for three of those years and sole owner of the Spotlight brand since 2018 when it’s other founders moved on to pursue different projects.
How did you become involved in music and what have you done to get where you are today?
I’ve been going to gigs since I was 16, we used to get a lot of the national up and coming metalcore and hardcore bands come through Newcastle on tour so I was constantly at the 02 Arena and The Cluny for those. When I started a journalism course at uni I initially wanted to pursue a career in news journalism, but found myself being involved more and more in local arts and culture projects. I met one of the founding members of Spotlight while at university as it was just starting out and they were looking for writers, before long I was writing content for the website and not long after that I was sub-editing other writers’ contributions and helping to organise their events and social media.
Spotlight became my priority once I graduated from university and I jumped at the chance to officially take over ownership of the website in 2018.
What advice would you offer to others looking to be more involved in music?
If you haven’t found an artist or project you love in your local music scene, don’t give up! There’s always a huge range of hard working individuals in every genre imaginable, you just might need to scratch beneath the surface or try something new.
Take a chance and see a random band play live (Post-pandemic obviously) or start asking around for some recommendations, read blogs or listen to playlists and I’m almost certain something exciting will show up.
You can build some really rewarding relationships just by showing an interest in your local artistic community and more often than not the musicians are hugely grateful for your support.
If you’re wanting to get involved in writing reviews, features or music journalism I would say that there is no secret key to success other than to practice and delve into reviews made by others. Try out different styles and formats until you find something that fits you.
Start your own blog or see if you can contribute to a pre-existing one and be open to feedback and constructive criticism so you can learn and grow.
But definitely don’t be hard on yourself if you find yourself struggling to find inspiration or can’t quite reach a stage where you’re comfortable showing off your work to others yet.
Everybody starts from this point and you are absolutely as capable of being a fantastic writer as everyone else!
What are your favourite things about the north east music scene? Are there any particular highlights from your experiences?
I love that, even after all this time, I’m still finding new musicians, labels and projects that I’d never heard before!
There is always something new around the corner to discover, and a dedicated following ready to help support it, no matter how niche.
I’m also so encouraged by the fact that, once you start engaging with the music scene, familiar faces show up in crowds or on stage and that makes the experience feel more special.
This is especially true when you’ve been involved for a few years and you can see artists develop and grow over time!
Where can others find out more about your work and how can they get in touch?
Spotlight Music: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Categories
Northern Music Collective 