Newcastle art-rock/indie band Cat Ryan have announced an impressive 7-date UK tour that sees them take to the stage in Newcastle, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Bristol, Leeds, and Manchester, which kicks off their 2023.
Following on from their slew of successful releases, the latest of which – “Lost My Connection” – landed on BBC Radio 1 music. Maintaining this momentum, the band’s hometown shown sold out well in advance, and Bristol is reported to be closing in on a sell out show too.
As an independent, Newcastle band, Cat Ryan are ones to be watching as they continually go from strength to strength.
Hi Maius Mollis. How are you doing and how has 2022 treated you? It’s been great thanks! Lots of change and challenges coming my way. I’ve been busy writing new material, and getting ready to wind down for Christmas, bit can’t wait to share my plans for 2023…
We understand that you’re doing a Kickstarter campaign. What is it, how does it work, and what is it helping you to achieve in 2023? I’m super excited to have been selected as part of a cohort for Generator’s Youth Music funded programme ‘First Notes’ to record new original music. Funds will go towards the making of art, photography and a music video for my first release through this programme.
With the Kickstarter, how can people help? What can people do (both financially and non-financially) to help it reach its goal? The Kickstarter has just 11 days to go! Please donate if you can, and share with your friends if you can’t. I’ve been blown away by the generosity shown so far and any support is greatly appreciated.
How has the Kickstarter process been so far? Would you recommend it to other artists & creatives as a way of helping to finance projects? Being completely honest, launching a Kickstarter is very nerve wracking! It’s an intense and exciting process so be ready for that. If you don’t reach your set funding goal you don’t get any of the funds donated. There is also the added discomfort of asking for people’s money in a struggling economy, but I reminded myself regularly that I love being part of other artists’ journeys and that no one would donate if they weren’t able. I am so grateful for the kindness and support I have experienced throughout this process.
My tips for launching a Kickstarter: 1 – Snoop on other peoples completed Kickstarters…Some would call this market research! Look at other artists at a similar stage to yourself. What were they able to raise? What was their goal?
2 – Make your goal achievable. This is key. You want the funding goal to be a small challenge, but not something unrealistic that will set you up to fail.
3 – Read the Kickstarter guidance when you set up your project. They have lots of useful tips.
4 – Ask questions. Ask other artists who have set a Kickstarter up, google things, look up FAQ’s. Feel free to drop me a message if you have any questions.
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.
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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.
Northern Music Collective 