Wow weekend

SEASICK Steve, Maximo Park, Newton Faulkner, Cast, Kitty Daisy and Lewis, The Chapman Family, Young Rebel Set, Cattle and Cane, Django Django, Saint Saviour, Pete Molinari and Chased By Wolves are among the top acts at this year’s Stockton Weekender.

The annual Teesside event remains free on Sunday, August 7, but is charging for the preceding Friday and Saturday.

American blues musician Seasick Steve will be headlining Friday night having just released a Top Ten album, You Can’t Teach A New Dog Old Tricks.

Platinum-selling artist Newton Faulkner is also playing the Friday night, along with Teesside’s Young Rebel Set, rock’n’rollers Kitty Daisy and Lewis, Bruce Springsteen’s current man of the moment Pete Molinari and North-East favourites Cattle and Cane.

Newcastle’s double platinum-selling Maximo Park headline Saturday with lead singer Paul Smith making another welcome return to home soil.

Re-formed Ninties heroes Cast and Teesside darlings The Chapman Family will also be performing along with London-based four-piece Django Django and Stockton singer Saint Saviour, returning for her debut Teesside festival gig.

Other home-grown talent includes Jimmy and The Sounds, Sister Rose, Temujin, Be Quiet Shout Loud! and Collectors Club.

There is also a fully equipped campsite, only a short walk from the main site, perfect for those wanting a festival experience.

Sunday’s family fun day features The Wildcats of Kilkenny, Suspiciously Elvis and Henry Priestman.

The festival’s comedy tent stars Richard Morton, Dan Nightingale, Ian Stone, Barry Dodds and Gary Delaney.

Tickets: £15 a day (Friday/Saturday) or £25 for a weekend ticket. Children under 14 go free but must be accompanied by an adult. Sunday remains free.

Tickets will be £20 on the day.

Advanced comedy prices are £10 per day or £15 for the weekend; entry to individual sessions will be available on the day. Ticket information at stocktonweekender.co.uk.

The Stockton Weekender is presented by Tees Music Alliance with support from Stockton Borough Council and Arts Council England and runs alongside SIRF (Stockton’s International Riverside Festival) one of Europe’s finest festivals of street theatre.

NEWCASTLE’S MetroRadio Arena has moved into seventh place as one of the world’s busiest venues, ranked by paid attendance figures published by Pollstar magazine.

The poll is based on visitor levels to the venue for the first three months of 2011, and this puts the Tyneside building ahead of many world famous rivals, moving up three places from tenth position last year.

The figures include concerts and all other entertainment shows but do not include exhibitions, conferences and sporting events, which also attract many thousands more patrons to the North East.

Recent crowd-pleasers include Katy Perry, Andre Rieu, JLS, Peter Kay, The Script and Enrique Iglesias. Future attractions are Rihanna, Batman Live, Britney Spears, George Michael, Dolly Parton and a further show from Katy Perry.

Paul Tappenden, MetroRadio Arena’s marketing director says: “We would like to thank our commercial partners and staff for all their hard work, and of course the North-East public for its continued support of our venue. Judging by ticket prices it proves that they still want to enjoy a great night out and to see world class quality shows, even when times are particularly hard, as per the current climate.

“Recent announcements, including shows like Arctic Monkeys with tickets costing £29.50, have driven healthy sales, and with shows like Diversity costing from only £21.50, we’ve proved that top class live entertainment is still accessible at reasonable prices.”

RAMMSTEIN have assembled a retrospective of their greatest successes: Made In Germany 1995- 2011, which will tour to the MetroRadio Arena on February 29.

Tickets at £42.50 will go on sale tomorrow at 9am online, from the booking hotline number 0844 493 6666, and from 9.30am in person at the Metro Radio Arena Box Office. metroradioarena.co.uk