Open mic sessions

Today’s episode is all about the open mic session – an opportunity for anyone to turn up and play the music of their choice to a supportive, if sometimes noisy, audience. Open mics could fairly be described as the roots of grass roots music: it is here that developing musicians and poets take their first steps as performers, with the opportunity to learn from their own experience and from watching more seasoned performers.

First, we hear from Chris Kelly, a musician who MCs the Buskers’ open mic session on Sundays at The Tannery in Hexham, about the practicalities of performing and what a newcomer might expect at their first night.

Then, it’s a short hop across the river to The Crown Inn in Humshaugh, where we meet MC and singer-songwriter Calum Tordoff and landlord David Harding, and hear the stories of the performers who entertained us that evening.

Open mics can include a lot of covers and this evening was no exception. I’m afraid I can’t include them in the podcast for copyright reasons but I hope there’s enough music here to give you a flavour of the session.

You can find information about these open mic sessions on the Facebook pages of The Tannery and The Crown Inn. Music by Chris Kelly and Calum Tordoff is available on the major streaming platforms and on Bandcamp, and more information is on Instagram and Facebook.