Afterlight Festival 2022

With a brand new music festival taking place this weekend, we’ve spoken to the organiser at Afterlight Management to find out everything about the upcoming event. Read about it all here.

Afterlight Festival 2022. Where is it, who is playing, and what ideas have gone into the event?
The venue is called The Dirty Habit, which is located in Whickham, Gateshead. Ticket holders for this festival will be treated to one sonic delight after another – and they have a plethora of music to choose from!

Having the exciting opportunity to curate this Afterlight Festival is something I do not take for granted. Originally planned for 2020 (but we all know what happened during that year), I took the chance to host this event as part of my Level 6 Project, which counts towards my final year grade, as I’m currently studying for BA (HONs) in Music at the Academy of Music and Sound, Gateshead.

Taking my inspiration from popular music festivals such as NARC.Fest, Twisterella, Sol Fest, Lindisfarne Festival and Kendal Calling, the soundscape of Afterlight Festival reflects the changing themes of our glorious north east music scene, which is always in a state of flux. There’s the gentle acoustic indie-folk vibe, which evolves into the alt-electronic and hip-hop stylistics of our ever-fascinating electronic music scene which the north east’s very own Northern Electric Festival always does so brilliantly well. The last section of Afterlight Festival pays tribute to all the alt-rock bands that bring the party live on stage! That’s what I hope this first-ever Afterlight Festival will demonstrate on Saturday.


What sort of artists, genres, and styles can attendees expect to see and hear?
There’s acoustic indie from Aley V, skilful piano player and vocalist Lily Brooke Widdowson and Jon Doran who will be joined by the breath-taking Northern Assembly. Next up, we have smooth, soulful, and hip-hop infused Psimitar followed by the rebellious brilliance of SQUARMS. To finish off the festival in style we have four bands that every head-banger will be in their element. The dreamy indie-lo-fi of Holiday in Tokyo will be a joy to behold, while Manchester lads Uno Mas bring their upbeat indie-rock and smooth vocals. Newcastle trail-blazers (and main support band) Crux provide a naughty amount of hook-laden vibes and liveliness leading us all to our energetic, carnival-personified-in-a-band headliners, Feed The Elk! These guys will delight, surprise, and capture your music-loving heart. Feed the Elk represents a celebration of all that we love about being able to attend and embrace live music, and that goes for all the artists on this stunning line-up, too. Each artist is brilliant in their own, individual right. 


How many artists are playing and what time does it all kick off?
Festival goers can expect captivating performances for each of the nine artists that will take to the stage area of Afterlight Festival, doors are open from 15:00pm and the music starts at 15:30pm with Aley V showcasing her story-driven vocals and acoustic melodies.


Where can people get tickets, hear the artists before the event, and find out more about the festival?
Anyone interested in supporting this DIY music festival need only to click on https://bit.ly/AfterlightFestival2022 for all event and ticketing information. It’s much more cost-effective purchasing tickets early and via the online ticket link. Alternatively, there Afterlight Management via Facebook and then just head to the events section. AfterlightMgmt via Instagram and Twitter both feature promotional posts for the festival, too, so take your pick.

To get a sense of what’s to expect in preparation for the event, I’ve got Afterlight Playlist Picks #3: A playlist for all those who would like to get a sonic taste of the artist on the Afterlight Festival line-up, plus many more sensational artists from all over the UK.