NARC.

Welcome to the digital platform of NARC. Magazine, your go-to source for alternative music and culture in the North East. We have a deep appreciation for the cultural scene in the region, and our innovative magazine and website are designed to highlight the finest in music, art, literature, comedy, film, theatre, and beyond for our loyal readers.

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NARC. COMPILATION ALBUM: MELANIE BAKER - DOUBLE DECKER DEATH MACHINE

1 week ago | narcmagazine.com | Steve Spithray

Every year to celebrate our birthday, we curate a free compilation album which showcases some of our favourite artists from the last year. We hope you enjoy this year’s selection! Download the album in full for free from our Bandcamp. Here’s a peek at the track from Melanie Baker…Geordie Courtney Barnett, Melanie Baker’s ode to Arriva unravels into a slacker rock paean to the loneliness of the night bus and the hopefulness that can still be found on the back seats there. Lovely stuff.
LIVE REVIEW: This Is Middlesbrough @ Teesside University SU, Middlesbrough (05.04.25)

1 week ago | narcmagazine.com | Damian Robinson

Image: Mandrake Handshake by Tracy HymanMiddlesbrough’s Twisterella has always been one of the North East’s premier occasions to talent scout for up and coming, interesting acts. Their Spring iteration, under the name of This Is Middlesbrough, showcases 18 excellent acts across three stages, which says as much about the foresight of the bookers and promotions team as it does about the venue.
NARC. COMPILATION ALBUM: LABYRINTHINE OCEANS - PINCH

1 week ago | narcmagazine.com | Steve Spithray

Image by andichrist19Every year to celebrate our birthday, we curate a free compilation album which showcases some of our favourite artists from the last year. We hope you enjoy this year’s selection! Download the album in full for free from our Bandcamp.
NARC. COMPILATION ALBUM: GAYDAR - JAN GOT HER TITS DONE IN TURKEY

2 weeks ago | narcmagazine.com | Steve Spithray

Every year to celebrate our birthday, we curate a free compilation album which showcases some of our favourite artists from the last year. We hope you enjoy this year’s selection! Download the album in full for free from our Bandcamp.
INTERVIEW: Split The Ticket

2 weeks ago | narcmagazine.com | Damian Robinson

Releasing their second EP quickly after their debut, and juggling university studies in-between, local indie rockers Split The Ticket are nothing if not focused. And, as it happens, the term ‘focus’ might not only apply to their behaviours. Tight, controlled, and with some killer guitar lines, their new EP Cornerstone is immediately heavier than their debut, and sees the band exploring more mature ideas and musical textures.
TRACK REVIEW: Earth Farm - Always Sick

2 weeks ago | narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse

Earth Farm have once again shared a powerful and enigmatic alternative rock release with strong vocals and deliciously slick riffs. Always Sick is their first in a series of new releases, cementing the band’s position within the regional music industry. Earth Farm’s raw and gracefully unrefined live shows always leave quite the impression, and so does this new release which captures that raw live energy, bottles it up, and spits it out, demanding to be listened and bopped along to.
TRACK REVIEW: ivies - i don’t wanna care

3 weeks ago | narcmagazine.com | Niamh Poppleton

Indie-pop band ivies’ most recent release, i don’t wanna care, comments on the struggles of being a chronic people pleaser and the commonality of self-consciousness in the digital age. The track combines emotionally vulnerable lyrics with an upbeat musical facade, the composition represents the very nature of being a people pleaser: hiding your true feelings behind a happy disguise. Throughout the track, a seamless blend of drums and guitars create an almost summer-like feeling.
TRACK REVIEW: OUTRI feat. Ruth Lambert - Skylark

3 weeks ago | narcmagazine.com | Niamh Poppleton

The fifth single by OUTRI, Skylark, marks a one-off collaboration with Ruth Lambert, a classy and versatile jazz singer. OUTRI is a solo bass project by Ian Paterson, who has described it as being borne out of a love of jazz, folk, electronica and found sound. The imagery of a songbird serves throughout as a commentary on hope and the impact of the human desire for love. Lambert is vocally reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald, though subtle elements of Billie Holiday shine through.
NARC. COMPILATION ALBUM: BITCHFINDER GENERAL - SLASHER MOVIE

3 weeks ago | narcmagazine.com | Steve Spithray

Image by Nostalgia KidEvery year to celebrate our birthday, we curate a free compilation album which showcases some of our favourite artists from the last year. We hope you enjoy this year’s selection! Download the album in full for free from our Bandcamp. Here’s a peek at the track from Bitchfinder General... If a name like Bitchfinder General isn’t enough to turn a few heads then the conceptual darkwave synth pop of Slasher Movie should do the trick.
TRACK REVIEW: French Exchange - Speak French

3 weeks ago | narcmagazine.com | Laura Rosierse

Speak French is an angelic new alternative pop release driven by hazy vocals that blend English and French like they’re the same language. Indie pop duo French Exchange shared an irresistible and tongue-in-cheek track with us about the allure of a foreign accent. Its vocals and narrative are supported by a softly thumping soundscape which seamlessly combines elements of commercial electro pop and soft indie hooks.