* Page Loading - Please Wait *
Sorry, This Event is in the past!
Newcastle?s Ruth Lyon celebrates strength in vulnerability and the allure of imperfection, challenging societal norms and igniting a journey towards self-acceptance and empowerment ? all unravelling through offbeat anti-folk, commanded by her soulful vocals and witty yet raw lyricism; influenced by such acts as Fiona Apple, Aldous Harding and Regina Spektor.
Lyon grew up in North Yorkshire, before moving to Newcastle Upon Tyne to study Fashion Design. Meanwhile, she began fronting the cult folk-rockers Holy Moly & The Crackers, with which she has toured the UK and Europe extensively.
She began developing her solo music in 2020, when she was invited to be artist in residence at The Glasshouse. Soon after came lockdown, and while she was shielding, she slowly built a new musical identity from the confines of her bedroom. For her last release Direct Debit To Vogue (2022), Lyon collaborated with Bristol producer John Parish, who has notably worked with PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding and This Is The Kit.
Another key inspiration came when Lyon made her USA debut at SXSW TX in March 2022. She spoke on a panel and performed at a showcase with fellow Disabled artists Eliza Hull and Lachi, from Australia and the US respectively. Here, she heard brand new perspectives on community and accessibility, and was deeply moved to witness the performances from her fellow artists which spoke to their own experiences. ?It was almost like a spiritual thing for me,? she says. ?I came back and realised this career is so much bigger than myself. I think I have a duty to push this as far as I can and to be as honest as I can.? She harnessed this in a burst of writing upon her return, completing Direct Debit To Vogue with a new commitment to her authentic voice. She says, ?I wanted to evoke the feeling of the kinda music that just punches you in the gut ? I want to emotionally drag some stuff out of people.?
Since the release Lyon has received accolades from the likes of PRS Women Make Music and has received airplay from BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music, as well as invites to perform at The Great Escape, Latitude Festival, Secret Garden Party, Greenbelt and Glastonbury. She has been nominated and shortlisted for the 2024 Disability Power 100. She has just returned from recording her debut album, again with John Parish, for release in 2025, as well has recording an exclusive BBC live session at Abbey Road.
Over the years, Lyon has established herself as a key and active member of the Newcastle music scene, including in her role on the Board of Trustees at The Glasshouse. ?Because there isn?t a lot of industry up here, it can feel like you have to move to London to be successful,? she says. ?But I?m really proud of the musicians that are trying to make it so we can be established, we can be successful, and we can make good art in the North.? She has also advocated for the Disabled community in her work as an ambassador for Attitude Is Everything, a charity that aims to improve accessibility for Deaf and Disabled people in live music; Lyon herself has been a wheelchair user since the age of 21.
?Chamber pop artist and songwriter Ruth Lyon positions herself as a force to be reckoned with in the industry? ? Wonderland Magazine
?A refreshing slice of leftfield alt-pop that?s full of heart? ? Rhys Buchanan, Glastonbury Emerging Talent
The 200 year long story of The Castle Hotel is woven not just into it’s bricks and mortar, its Victorian tiles or its mosaic floors. It’s a feeling that you can’t put your finger on. It’s in its people. In its memories. And in the layers of history built up over centuries of experience.
The Castle Hotel started life in 1776, although records show that there has been a dwelling on the site since the 1400s. Over the course of a century the pub changed name several times, trading first as The Crown and Sceptre, then The Crown and Anchor and later The Clock Face. In the late nineteenth century the pub was acquired by Kay’s Atlas Brewery and started a new chapter as The Castle Hotel; which is probably when the current tiled façade and bar were added. In the early 1930s Frederic Robinson took over Kay’s Atlas Brewery and, consequently, The Castle Hotel.
The pub’s now deeply cemented relationship with the city’s music scene probably began when it was a stopping off point for people on their way to Band on the Wall.
In 1979, a now legendary John Peel interview with Ian Curtis took place here, weaving The Castle further into the fabric of Manchester’s musical heritage. Sadly, The Castle fell on hard times and closed it’s doors in 2008. This cherished public house was not to remain closed for long though, and in 2009 friends Jonny Booth and Rupert Hill took over The Castle Hotel and set about bringing the decrepit building back to life.
After a period of restoration which saw the infamous leaky roof replaced and the pub’s entire interior sympathetically brought back in line with it’s rich heritage, the renovation was completed in October 2010 with the grand unveiling of the new Music Hall and Theatre at In The City 2010.
So that’s the story so far. And now The Castle Hotel is ready for it’s next chapter; one which will see this historical drinking house continue to evolve at the beating heart of Manchester’s creative communities. So come along, pull up a stool, and become a part of our story.
66 Oldham Street,
Manchester,
Greater Manchester,
England,
M4 1LE.
0161 237 9485
Sorry, This Event is in the past!
Currently showing information provided by...
Show information provided by....
instead
Whilst every effort goes into ensuring this event listing is accurate and up to date, always check with the venue before you travel.
