Music Lives Here

Born from a joke name in the pub, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs are a five-piece Newcastle-based rock group that’s now an institution. A chest-beating, battle-crying, psychedelic stoner doom metal band with a little stage-side camp pantomime and a lot of noise. They’ve picked up a huge following and played stages around the world to crowds of thousands. Their debut, Feed the Rats, was released in 2017, and four albums later, Death Ridiculous launched in 2025. They’ve consistently picked up hype as one of the most entertaining, raw, and intensely joyous bands to see live. In this episode, Frankie hangs out with Matt and Sam to hear about life with the band, reputation versus reality, and why you shouldn't be afraid to get loud to make your mark and find your community. Subscribe to Music Lives Here wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. And help us get the sounds of the North East into more ears. --- Music Lives Here is a podcast from The Glasshouse and your invitation to hear from the musicians that make this place feel and sound like home. In each episode, presenter Frankie Jobling sits down with a different musician to hear all about what music means to them, their love of the North East, its people, its places, its history, and most importantly – its music. We're going to be hearing from classical conductors to hip-hop artists, nu folk singer-songwriters to stoner metal headbangers, all with the unique connection to The Glasshouse and to the North East. --- Music Lives Here is a Loftus Media Production. Producer: Jacob Dabb Executive Producers: Debbie Kilbride, Jo Rowntree Music: Chad Rogers

In this episode, Frankie and John talk musical beginnings, learn about the rich musical history of orchestras in Newcastle Gateshead, how he discovered his love – perhaps even obsession – with orchestras and lifting the bonnet to see how the music works. He’s now an Artistic Partner of The Glasshouse, with his world-renowned orchestra Sinfonia of London. But always with time and love for his hometown of Gateshead. Born and raised in Gateshead, John Wilson’s unpretentious style and extraordinary ear, built on working-class roots and borrowed library scores, have carried him from Newcastle College to stages all around the world as Artistic Director and conductor of his orchestra, Sinfonia of London. He’s worked with some of the finest orchestras and opera houses and won the RPS Conductor Award in 2026. See John Wilson and Sinfonia of London at The Glasshouse with concerts including Big Band Christmas classics, Rachmaninov and Holst’s iconic The Planets. This episode was recorded in March 2026. Subscribe to Music Lives Here wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. And since we’re new around here, give us a follow, a like, a comment and a share to help get the sounds of the North East into more ears. --- Music Lives Here is a podcast from The Glasshouse and your invitation to hear from the musicians that make this place feel and sound like home. In each episode, presenter Frankie Jobling sits down with a different musician to hear all about what music means to them, their love of the North East, its people, its places, its history, and most importantly – its music. We're going to be hearing from classical conductors to hip-hop artists, nu folk singer-songwriters to stoner metal headbangers, all with the unique connection to The Glasshouse and to the North East. --- Music Lives Here is a Loftus Media Production. Producer: Jacob Dabb Executive Producers: Debbie Kilbride, Jo Rowntree Music: Chad Rogers

Drawing on traditional North East English music, The Unthanks are a nu-folk duo with Tyneside roots. Their mythical harmonies and adventurous blend of balladry with jazz, orchestral, and contemporary influences have made them one of the UK’s most acclaimed acts. More than musicians, these two are storytellers. The songs of sisters Rachel and Becky Unthanks are deeply intertwined with local history and voices. Along with bandmate and manager Adrian McNally, they’ve graced stages from Gateshead to Glastonbury, and on multiple occasions had their work recognised with Folk Album of the Year awards by BBC Radio 2 and MOJO magazine. In this episode, we join The Unthanks backstage for soundcheck of their Friday Night Club at The Glasshouse, to hear more about their origin stories, a life rooted in the folk traditions and communities of the North East, and how music is our great intergenerational connector. Subscribe to Music Lives Here wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. And since we’re new around here, give us a follow, a like, a comment and a share to help get the sounds of the North East into more ears. --- Music Lives Here is a podcast from The Glasshouse and your invitation to hear from the musicians that make this place feel and sound like home. In each episode, presenter Frankie Jobling sits down with a different musician to hear all about what music means to them, their love of the North East, its people, its places, its history, and most importantly – its music. We're going to be hearing from classical conductors to hip-hop artists, nu folk singer-songwriters to stoner metal headbangers, all with the unique connection to The Glasshouse and to the North East. --- Music Lives Here is a Loftus Media Production. Producer: Jacob Dabb Executive Producers: Debbie Kilbride, Jo Rowntree Music: Chad Rogers

Rivkala is no ordinary musician. She takes to the stage in great button eyelashes, a prim pencil moustache, and a 1920s flapper-cum-cabaret-cum-businesswoman wardrobe. And her music is just as impossible to pin down as any one thing. Winner of the Youth Music Awards Music Video Award for Chess and part of Youth Music’s Next Gen programme, she released her debut EP, ‘Crushed Velvet’ in 2025 to widespread acclaim. Since then, she’s performed solo at the BBC Proms, collaborated with jazz heavyweights the Joe Webb Trio and Theo Croker, and has been described as pushing neo-soul to new heights, with worldbuilding that holds a mirror up to the performativity in all of us. Born Rivkah, a Hebrew name meaning 'to connect,' she's added the Yiddish term of endearment, 'la,' to make it her own. In this conversation, Rivkala lets us in on her creative process, her musical influences from Amy Winehouse to Erykah Badu and the music of her Jewish heritage, klezmer, Eastern European Jewish folk music. She talks about how she’s shaped her unmistakeable stage persona and how music has become an outlet and a platform for thoughts on power, politics and important social issues, jumping off from her politics and sociology degree at Newcastle University. And of course, she celebrates the diverse and tight knit musical community in Newcastle Gateshead – the venues and musicians who’ve been part of her music career so far. Subscribe to Music Lives Here wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. And since we’re new around here, give us a follow, a like, a comment and a share to help get the sounds of the North East into more ears. --- Music Lives Here is a podcast from The Glasshouse and your invitation to hear from the musicians that make this place feel and sound like home. In each episode, presenter Frankie Jobling sits down with a different musician to hear all about what music means to them, their love of the North East, its people, its places, its history, and most importantly – its music. We're going to be hearing from classical conductors to hip-hop artists, nu folk singer-songwriters to stoner metal headbangers, all with the unique connection to The Glasshouse and to the North East. --- Music Lives Here is a Loftus Media Production. Producer: Jacob Dabb Executive Producers: Debbie Kilbride, Jo Rowntree Music: Chad Rogers

Welcome to Music Lives Here, a podcast from The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. This is your invitation to hear from the musicians that make this place feel and sound like home. Each episode, presenter Frankie Jobling sits down with a different musician to hear all about what music means to them, their love of the North East, its people, its places, its history, and most importantly – its music. In this teaser episode, we meet singer-songwriter, music tutor and now, podcast presenter, Frankie Jobling to hear more about what we can look forward to in our first series of Music Lives Here. Subscribe to Music Lives Here for new episodes every Friday . Music Lives Here is a podcast by The Glasshouse International Centre for Music www.theglasshouseicm.org Music Lives Here is a Loftus Media Production. Producer: Jacob Dabb Executive Producers: Debbie Kilbride, Jo Rowntree Music: Chad Rogers