What's On in Newcastle

The Music of Whitney - The Candlelight Concert — Imagine the soaring, impossible voice of Whitney Houston filling the grand interior of O2 City Hall, the whole room glowing in warm candlelight — it is the kind of evening that gives you goosebumps before the first note has even landed. This tribute concert takes one of pop music's most extraordinary catalogues and wraps it in an atmosphere that feels genuinely intimate and special, despite the scale of the venue. Doors at 6:30pm — check the website for tickets before they go.

Ward Thomas - Celebrating 10 years of Cartwheels — Country duo Ward Thomas head to the stunning Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead to mark a full decade since the album that made the nation fall in love with them. Ten years of Cartwheels means a night steeped in nostalgia and warmth, with one of Britain's most beloved acts at the peak of their powers. Kick-off is 7:30pm — check the website for tickets, and do not leave it too long.

Get The Blessing + Dilettante — If you like your Friday night music to take a few unexpected turns, Cluny 2 is the place to be at 7:30pm, with jazz-rooted experimentalists Get The Blessing bringing their restless, inventive sound to one of Newcastle's finest intimate venues. Support comes from Dilettante, and the combination promises exactly the kind of evening where you discover something new and spend the weekend telling people about it. Check the website for ticket details.

The Tamla All Stars — For a fiver at most, you can spend your Friday evening immersed in the glorious, feel-good sound of Motown at Billy Bootleggers, where The Tamla All Stars are doing what they do best from 7:30pm. This is the sort of live music night that reminds you why live music matters — unpretentious, joyful, and packed with songs that make it physically difficult to stay in your seat. Tickets are just £0–£2, making it one of the best-value nights in the city.

Hysteria dance — Powerhouse opens its doors at 7:00pm for Hysteria, a night that has built a devoted following for good reason — expect a dancefloor that means serious business and a crowd that knows exactly why they came out. Tickets are priced between £15 and £30, and for a night of this quality in one of Newcastle's most dependable nightlife venues, that feels more than fair. Get there early, pace yourself, and give yourself over to it.

World HQ presents Yung Singh — Late-night Newcastle does not get much more exciting than this: Yung Singh, one of the most talked-about DJs in the UK right now, takes over World Headquarters from 11:00pm in what is set to be a thunderous, euphoric, dancefloor-destroying set. Known for blending South Asian sounds with club culture in a way that feels both rooted and utterly fresh, this is one for the music obsessives as much as the party crowd. Tickets are £8–£16 — a bargain for a set that will be talked about long after the lights come up.