Introducing the After Dark Festival 2022
A new overnight festival creating a unique after dark musical experience
From the German electronic producer Christian Löffler’s mesmerising reworkings of classical music, to the nature-inspired soundscapes of Scottish duo Kinbrae and an Indian raag at sunrise from Jasdeep Singh Degun, through to adventurous jazz, improvisation and spoken word, the inaugural After Dark Festival took place at Sage Gateshead on the Equinox weekend of 19-20 March 2022, and on Friday 18 March at Newcastle’s Star and Shadow (in partnership with TUSK Music). Exploring the sounds of the night, the festival included a unique overnight 4-hour deep night immersive experience with live performances from Manchester Collective, Memotone and others.
Hosted by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 presenters Elizabeth Alker, Hannah Peel, Sara Mohr-Pietsch, Corey Mwamba, Jennifer Lucy Allan, Ian McMillan and Matthew Sweet, you can now listen to performances from the After Dark Festival in special editions of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3’s Unclassified, Late Junction, New Music Show, Freeness, Free Thinking and The Verb. The broadcasts also include a specially curated series of The Essay charting the path of Hadrian’s Wall through the city of Newcastle, and a unique through-the-night edition of Night Tracks as the clocks changed to Spring Time.
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After Dark Festival: Free Thinking – Dark Places
With an audience at Sage Gateshead for an overnight festival: crime writer Ann Cleeves, theologian Mona Siddiqui, poet Jake Morris-Campbell and sea expert Thom Linley on darkness.
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After Dark Festival: Night Tracks Mix
Hannah Peel with a special mix featuring artists appearing at the After Dark Festival, including John Luther Adams's Dream in White on White, recorded live at the festival.
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After Dark Festival: Unclassified
Elizabeth Alker presents live music highlights from Christian Löffler, Darkstar and Kinbrae, recorded at Radio 3’s After Dark Festival in Newcastle.
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After Dark Festival: The Verb – The Chance to Change
Radio 3's After Dark Festival brings The Verb to Sage Gateshead alongside TUSK Music for poems of change from Kat François, Mike McGarry, Rowan McCabe and Kate Fox.
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After Dark Festival: Late Junction
Verity Sharp and Jennifer Lucy Allan bring you highlights from the After Dark festival in Newcastle, featuring Iceboy Violet, Nyati Mayi, Yeah You and Vashti Bunyan.
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After Dark Festival: New Music Show – Rakhi Singh, Lauren Kinsella
Tom Service with recordings from Radio 3's After Dark Festival, including music by Edmund Finnis, Missy Mazzoli and the duo of Lauren Kinsella and Dan Nicholls.
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After Dark Festival: Freeness
Corey Mwamba presents the best new jazz and improvised music with an adventurous spirit.
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After Dark Festival: Deep Night Tracks
A special overnight event from the After Dark Festival with Manchester Collective, Memotone, Me Lost Me, Xenia Pestova Bennett, Ed Bennett, and Jason Singh and Jasdeep Singh Degun.
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After Dark Festival The Essay – The Sounds of Tyne
Five different podcasts are being recorded by award-winning composer and sound artist Rob Mackay at five locations where remains of Hadrian’s Wall can be found in Newcastle. A rich audio landscape complemented by the words of writers and poets as they respond to the sounds of Tyne.
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After Dark Festival: Free Thinking – Equinox
An archaeologist and a cosmologist join Matthew Sweet to uncover the meanings and interpretations that humanity has given to the moment when the length of day and night is equal.
