What's On in Newcastle

Annie Mac | NX Newcastle | 6:00pm | £20 — One of the most beloved names in electronic music, Annie Mac brings her impeccable ear for a dancefloor to NX Newcastle from 6:00pm — and yes, that early start time means you can go properly hard and still catch the last Metro. At £20 this is a genuine headline event, and NX's cavernous sound system will do full justice to every drop she throws at it. Do not sleep on this one.

Tru Alt Presents: Indie Night — Over in Gateshead, Station East hosts Tru Alt's indie night from 7:00pm, and at just £6 it is one of the best-value tickets in the city tonight. Expect the kind of sweaty, guitar-drenched atmosphere where everyone seems to know the words and nobody cares how they dance. If your happy place is somewhere between Arctic Monkeys and a band you've never heard of but immediately love, this is your Friday.

Rivkala + support — PILGRIM is one of Newcastle's most intimate and atmospheric venues, and Rivkala's 7:30pm show promises to make full use of every inch of it. With tickets starting at £8, this is the kind of gig where you might walk in not knowing the name on the poster and walk out a devoted fan. Bring your listening ears and an open mind — this is live music at its most exciting.

The Goodness - Friday Nights @ Billy's — Billy Bootleggers is small, loud, and completely unpretentious, which is exactly why Friday Nights with The Goodness from 7:30pm is such a joy. Entry costs between nothing and £2, which means you can spend your money on drinks and still feel smug about your life choices. It is the sort of gig that reminds you why live music in sticky-floored bars is an irreplaceable thing.

BLITZ - Techno/Hardgroove/Trance/Hard Dance - FREE RAVE — World Headquarters kicks off at 11:00pm with BLITZ, a free rave — yes, genuinely free, though there is an optional £5 on the door — covering techno, hardgroove, trance, and hard dance under one roof. WHQ has been a cornerstone of Newcastle's underground scene for decades and nights like this are precisely why it has endured. If you want to feel the bass in your chest until the sun thinks about getting up, this is the room.

Dvoid x Khaotic Present: Toxic Machinery, Incult, Damaxy & More — Digital Newcastle's night from Dvoid and Khaotic is a proper underground techno bill, with Toxic Machinery, Incult, Damaxy and more lining up for what promises to be a relentless few hours from 11:00pm. Tickets run from £15 to £25, reflecting the seriousness of the lineup and the production values that Digital reliably delivers. If you like your Friday nights dark, loud, and uncompromising, here is your destination.