THE annual North-East Guitar Festival is proudly presenting it’s tenth anniversary, from tomorrow until October 23 and, in keeping with much-loved tradition, the event will take place at Sage Gateshead, bringing together a galaxy of accomplished musicians, workshops and concourse events.

A host of young and up-coming starlets, as well as more accomplished favourites, will be showcasing their talents in this eagerly-anticipated extravaganza.

Among those performing are Bishop Auckland's RJ Thompson, who already has two albums and two EPs under his belt, and has gone from trawling the region's watering holes to opening for bands such as Ultravox, Deacon Blue and Sandi Thom. His work has a distinct bluesy flavour, however his recent creations – The Numbers and A Better Life show some new invention.

Rod Clements – of 1970’s band Lindisfarne fame – will introduce the interesting collaboration of singer-songwriters Michael Chapman and Patsy Matheson. Chapman is a jazz-turned-folk musician, who has toured the 1970s festival circuit with the likes of Mick Ronson and similar die-hards.

His first album, Rainmaker, released in 1969, was the beginning of a vast and varied back-catalogue of tracks, in both style and genre. Patsy Matheson – with her 20 years plus musical experience, throws a touch of pop into the mix with her new album Domino Girls, an album designed for a bottle-of-wine night, but by the same token, will blow your head off.

Joanne Shaw Taylor – the brainchild of Eurythmics' star Dave Stewart – is now onto her fourth studio album The Dirty Truth. Her trademark squeakly-clean guitar sound is apparently down to the accidental malfunction of her fuzz phase pedal, spotted and very much approved by Stevie Wonder.

The internationally-acclaimed Eden-Stell Guitar Duo will be presenting a series of easy-on-the-ear piano concertos, featuring the poignant, evocative work of Spanish composer Federico Mompou. This unassuming pair hide their light very much under the musical bushel as they celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Beijing-born Xuefei Yang will perform her new Philip Cashian creation, as well as a rendition of Chaconne by J.S. Bach, and some Stephen Goss thrown in for good measure.

The Danish guitarist, Mikkel Egelund Nielsen will be displaying his award-winning capabilities as a promising young gun in the world of guitar-playing, after scooping first prize in the 2013 London International Guitar competition.

Then there is Andy Fairweather Low, a name I had quite forgotten but am reminded of with 1970s fondness, and although now resembles more pin-head than pin-up, I am pleased to see that the years have been kind, and like a good wine, his musical genius has continued to flourish, having provided backing vocals for familiar names like Roy Wood, Gerry Rafferty and Leo Sayer. His band, The Low Riders, features some of the most proficient musicians from all corners of the earth.

Spawning from English folk, Tir Eolas will be taking their diverse Celtic aptitudes to the next level. This young, alternative ensemble is guaranteed to bring a refreshing twist to the concept of guitar-playing, combining foot-stomping entertainment with heart-wrenching ballads.

Nigel North, a stalwart with a heart, will give the proceedings a medieval throwback by performing on a renaissance lute, in a new compilation designed as a tribute to Italian composer Francesco da Milano.

As part of the Young Artist Programme, the Vickers Bovey Guitar Duo will be performing their new Joe Cutler commission, and don’t let the eye-candy cloud your judgement, these smiley novices have a gift for creating stunning, effortless melodies largely in the Latin American vein. Also on the Young Artist Platform is Sasha Savaloni, an Iranian/Scottish guitarist who will be performing a Philip Cashian festival commission, edging away from the soothingly familiar.

Flamenco guitarist Dani de Moron is set to step things up a gear with his tribute to the late Paco de Lucia. This time he comes as part of a set, joined by flamenco dancer Jairo Barrull and fresh-faced singer Miguel Lavi, putting the "flame" into flamenco.

For the creatively-minded among us, the festival, in its wisdom, also has an educational side, with Patsy Matheson presenting a song-writing workshop and Xuefei Yang introducing a classical masterclass. This conjures up an image in my mind of a thinking man’s Generation Game.

Events take place in Hall One, Hall Two and the Northern Rock Foundation Hall. Tickets: £7-£28.50. Box Office: 0191-443-4661 or online at sagegateshead.com