“The urban rhythms of his hits seem surgically designed to get micro-skirted bottoms moving; when Stryder raises his arm, the audience do, too, and screams greet a T-shirt giveaway – not least because he carefully adds his own sweat before throwing them to the hordes.” (The Guardian)

Pint-sized rapper Tinchy Stryder brings his chart-topping grime-pop to the O2 Academy in Newcastle tonight following the success of last year’s Catch 22 LP.

Brooklyn-based indie outfit Air Waves play The Dog & Parrot this Thursday with support from O’ Messy Life and Dick Bull.

“Getting excited for AIR WAVES this Thursday at The Dog & Parrot. Really loving their indie pop; softly tropical and cosy without being overly twee or hackneyed. Vivian Girls confirmed that these guys are indeed some of their favourite musical neighbors in Brooklyn and Dan Deacon agrees too. Of course, though; such homely and slightly euphoric jangly guitar pop!” (PRMNT VIBES)

“The Air Waves song that goes by the name of “Waters,” is a terrific introduction to the kind of scene that singer Nicole Schneit wants to depict with her band, Air Waves. Her words are on wheels, bounding over a haunting and bumpy roll of guitar strumming, lazily taking their place right where they need to be – sidled up to the feeling that everything told is a silhouette of a wayward daydream of average issues, coming from a paper heart that’s been shredded by a thoughtless somebody.” (Daytrotter)

Definitely not to be missed.

Oldham-based mod-rockers Twisted Wheel play brand new indie night Roxy’s launch party at Offshore 44 in Newcastle on March 3. Support comes from local indie outfit Night Of Sevens.

“Twisted Wheel have a tight sinewy sound that takes up from where the Libertines and Artic Monkeys left off and skews it with a Manc attitude and a curiously Johnny Cash-style stripped-down engine room of rock n roll.” (DiS)

“A numerology-inspired rock ‘n’ roll democracy, Tyneside-based outfit Night of Sevens unleash a fearsome barrage of apocalyptic psychedelia. Drawn together by a shared love of outlaw literature and socialist ideals, the acidic drone-pop collective are firmly in control of their own destiny.” (BBC Tyne)

Check out the video for Danish five-piece The Kissaway Trail’s brand new single ‘SDP’, taken from their forthcoming third LP Sleep Mountain. The band play The Cluny on March 8.

Listen to Generator’s Joe Frankland chatting about North East music on BBC Introducing. Keep your ear out for local faves Brilliant Mind (pictured) and plenty of plugs for Evolution Emerging.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/b0089jhs/Sunday/console/

Some gigs worth getting yourself along to this week:

Monday February 8

Band Of Skulls, The Vaudeville Class, Love Bites & Bruises @ The Cluny

Tuesday February 9

Tinchy Stryder @ O2 Academy

Wednesday February 10

Jon Allen, Dot To Dots, Lesley Roley @ The Cluny

Friday February 12

Vampire Weekend @ O2 Academy; B>E>A>K @ The Fish Tank

Saturday February 13

Mansfield Holiday @ The Head Of Steam

Sunday February 14

Stornoway (pictured), Beth Jeans Houghton @ The Sage

If, like me, you’ll be shaking your aging Britpop arse at Disco Down tonight then why not get yourself in the mood with this classic video from nineties also-rans 60ft Dolls?I bought their debut album on tape back in ‘96. Remember tape kids?

Watch the video for Delphic’s forthcoming single ‘Halcyon’ due for release on March 15. The Manchester-based outfit play Teesside University on March 4 then Digital in Newcastle on March 12.

This year’s Shockwaves NME Awards Tour kicks off at the O2 Academy in Newcastle tonight with live sets from The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Big Pink and The Drums. I managed to get my hands on a couple of complimentary tickets (thanks Matt) so can avoid the usual ‘am I/aren’t I’ guestlist shenanigans and bring you all the action as it happens. It’s my first attempt at liveblogging anything so there’s a pretty hefty chance that it’ll go tits up. Point your browser back here at around 7pm and see for yourself.

Ubiquitous in this year’s One’s To Watch lists, New York City-based outfit The Drums fuse the rain-soaked monochrome of late eighties Manchester with the sunkissed pop of California to startling effect on their debut EP. Dazed & Confused said Summertime! ‘took the Sun Records blueprint, added some parochial wit and peppered it with flashes of synth pathos’ which sounds pretty much bang on to me. Look out for their debut full-length later this year.

Download ‘I Felt Stupid’ here:

The Drums – I Felt Stupid MP3