Twisterella is a festival shaped by nurturing talent and community

Sure, it might not be cool to talk about a festival having heart and passion and a buzz. But Twisterella feels so completely authentic and wholeheartedly genuine, that it’s easy to understand why, while other festivals have sadly fallen to the wayside, it’s now celebrating its 10th Anniversary. The success of Twisterella can be equally credited to its enthusiastic founders, who have savvily managed to find a niche for themselves, and to the city of Middlesbrough that is its home. Teesside is a region that is often seen as deprived - a down-on-its-luck underdog that doesn’t have anything to offer the UK. Twisterella’s co-founders Henry Carden and Andy Carr are proving that this is far from the case.

Both Carden and Carr have successfully promoted gigs in the region for many years now, Carden as ‘Pay For The Piano’, Carr under the moniker ‘The Kids Are Solid Gold’. Individually, they brought acts such as Alt-J and The 1975 (Carden) and The Vaccines, Mumford & Sons and Daughter (Carr) to the North East while they were still emerging, so realising they each had a knack for this kind of thing, they shook hands over ten years ago and decided they would work together.

“We wanted the town to have something that would stand out from what’s happening in other places,” says Carden. “Our niche was breaking artists, so we wanted to start a festival that was predominantly emerging music. Middlesbrough Music Live had happened previously in ‘Boro, though that was bigger names and heritage acts. It was all council-funded, so when austerity hit, there was nothing. We wanted to put something in its place.”

“We weren’t trying to be anything we weren’t,” explains Carr. “We wanted people to come to our own town and have a really good time. We’re not a big city but we’re a decent sized town which has a bunch of people who love going to concerts and are incredibly supportive. They’ll buy merch and give a warm welcome to acts then travel to see them in Newcastle or Leeds or another city.”

Despite the pandemic knocking them slightly off their trajectory, both Carr and Cardon are quietly confident that things are back on track for Twisterella. Like many festivals across the country, they face multiple challenges such as increased costs and venues they have previously used closing down (the Westgarth Social Club being the most notable), but they have been able to evolve and adapt where others haven’t.

Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the help of sponsors and the local council. “We’ve had funding this year from Middlesbrough Council and Tees Valley Combined Authority which we’re very grateful for,” explains Carden. “It meant we were able to put in an extra stage at Middlesbrough Town Hall (the Town Hall Crypt is a new venue addition this year) and do more national press work with new marketing. For the Council, it’s about showing Middlesbrough in a positive light, especially with the recent riots and things like that. The focus is always on the downside, like when venues close, you’ll get the national press turning up and standing in the car park of a closed-down venue, but it’s rare that they’d come to something like this where we’ve got thousands of people here having a good time.”

Given it's in its tenth year, it’s safe to say Twisterella should no longer be considered an underdog festival. In fact, it’s one of the UK festivals leading the way when it comes to emerging talent, both local and national. With well over thirty up-and-coming acts across five main stages, you may well discover your next favourite artist at Twisterella.

“I write depressing songs. I know they sound fun and upbeat, but if you listen to the lyrics they’re actually quite sad,” quips rising slacker pop artist Melanie Baker, the first act of the day. The themes of anxiety and apathy that dominate Baker’s superb EP “Burnout Baby” are somewhat at odds with the “Common People”-esque flashing tile dancefloor her band performs on at The Townhouse, but it oddly fits her wry style. Songs about endless battles with slugs in her flat and killing all her house plants are delivered with a knowing smirk, and Melanie and her band really do look like they’re having a riot.

Back at The Student Union it’s clear that this isn’t The Howl & The Hum’s first Twisterella rodeo; it’s not even 2pm yet and the room is absolutely jam-packed. This is the third time York’s Sam Griffiths’ has played the festival, and this ‘reverse headliner’ slot is designed to entice people in early doors.

“Every slot counts, whether that’s one in the afternoon or ten at night,” explains Carden. “We never wanted it to feel like a hierarchical thing, which is why some of the more established acts are going on first. It shouldn’t be the case that the ‘best’ bands are on later, and for the local artists it means that they get to go on at eight rather than all the locals going on at one and playing to one man and his dog. It gives us the opportunity to treat every artist with a bit of respect.”

Watching the audience sing along to Griffiths’ at times painfully frank words, even on tracks from the newly released “Same Mistake Twice, is evidence of the human connection Carden and Carr are determined to build. You get the sense that the majority of this crowd is truly invested in The Howl and the Hum’s journey, and it’s very likely that came from the first time they saw Griffiths at Twisterella.

There are bound to be a few casualties at multi-venue all-day festivals, but Durham’s self-proclaimed sincerity rapper Faithful Johannes has stepped in to save the day after billed act Slate’s van sadly conked out on the way up North. Faithful by name, faithful by nature, Johannes tells us that if you need someone at the last minute, he only needs an hour’s notice. A couple of glitches are likely the result of this last-minute call, but Johannes takes it in his stride, delivering his lyrics in a way that somehow manages to be both deliciously languid and soporific yet rivetingly charismatic at the same time.

Folk songwriter Amelia Coburn has been making waves across the UK and even further afield, having just played alongside a stacked line-up at Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival and recently winning the Tees Valley Artist of the Year award. She’s an utterly captivating presence with undeniable star quality, her ethereal voice weaving effortlessly across tales of gothic drama and whimsical romance. She’s also incredibly endearing and clearly hasn’t lost any of her Teesside charm, speaking in-between tracks about the pitfalls of using Tinder in Teesside (“It’s like the Wild West,” she giggles) and recalling her first Twisterella appearance in 2017 where she had a bar full of blokes moshing to a cover of “This Charming Man.”

Coburn is a prime example of the development Carden and Carr want to offer the artists they book. Having played Twisterella multiple times in various venues, she’s now graduated to the 500-capacity venue of the Town Hall Crypt, and she’s damn near filled it. “Our music community is very supportive,” states Carr. “It’s not like some parts of the country where some people are highly competitive against each other, this is very collaborative. We like to see the bands we support progress and develop.”

It’s time to step into heavier territory as Birmingham duo GANS bring their raucous, groove-laden Rock ‘n’ Roll to The Townhouse - think Soft Play meets Death from Above. Earplugs are firmly in place: it’s astonishing how a two-piece can create such a thunderous noise with just drums and a guitar. Euan Woodman and Thomas Rhodes share dual vocals, with drummer Woodman leaving his perch during the driving “Talk Too Much” to command the crowd like an unhinged preacher. Bodies writhe as the first mini mosh-pit of Twisterella takes place, and GANS leave people practically salivating for more.

One of the things Twisterella prides itself on is its diversity in terms of both genre and gender. “We signed up to the Keychange pledge for more equality in the music industry to ensure we have a more diverse line-up, and it’s absolutely made for a better festival,” explains Carden.

“We also ensure that no one venue has a particular aesthetic or feel about it,” adds Carr. “If someone is staying in a venue, you want to expose them to something they’d not ordinarily hear. You might have an indie-guitar band and then next you’ve got something completely different. Suddenly someone discovers something new that might take them a little out of their comfort zone.”

One need look no further than the last few bands on the Student Union Hub stage to see that Carden and Carr are sticking to their word. The eclectic mix of the final three acts on the stage features soul, all-girl rock and experimental noise, which might seem like a bizarre blend, but there are no complaints, just a highly receptive audience.

Teesside outfit Moon Wax, with their sultry funk-pop hybrid, do run the risk of being slightly contrived with their late-night jazz café vibes, but ultimately, at eight on a Saturday evening their Prince-style guitar licks go down a treat. Italian/Punjabi sisters Baby Said display an insane amount of talent for their young age, and though at times they veer into Josie and the Pussycats territory, they clearly have rock chops and tonnes of attitude that will carry them far. At the moment there’s a lot of big classic rock style shredding, but one can imagine if they hone their sound into something more nuanced, Baby Said has the potential to be a force to be reckoned with.

Which brings us to the final band of the festival, Belfast’s Chalk. Uncompromisingly brutal, the trio creates crushing wall of noise soundscapes that vibrate through your whole body. They’re astonishing to behold, as vocalist Ross Cullen flails around the stage, switching between apathetic spoken word and otherworldly howls. Techno beats build into a crescendo before exploding into a sledgehammer of dissonant noise. Like Big Black (RIP Steve Albini), Chalk effortlessly mix dark industrial punk with pounding electro to create a sound that is nothing short of phenomenal.