AS I make my way across the Atlantic, where I’ll be spending the next month entertaining our colonial cousins, I’m almost sorry to be missing some of the great music coming up in our region in the week ahead.

Not least, among a varied array of concerts, are two shows entitled The Lindisfarne Story, one at The Customs House in South Shields, tonight, and one at Whitley Bay Playhouse, on Saturday.

Sadly, the band themselves won’t be back together for these concerts, but we get the next best thing, with The Billy Mitchell Band, including original Lindisfarne drummer Ray Laidlaw, delving deep into the songbook of this legendary group. Saturday also sees popular local combo, The John Wrightson Band, at Washington’s Davy Lamp, plus a festival of clog and rapper dancing at Gateshead’s Sage that will appeal to folkies and non-folk fans alike. There’s also another concert to celebrate Cramlington Folk Club’s 40th anniversary, this one featuring The Tom McConville Band and The Reel Gentlemen.

The Sage’s Friday night offering is a concert by Fay Hield and The Hurricanes, a muchlauded group centred around Fay’s interpretation of mainly traditional folk songs. Meanwhile, one of our own local songbirds, Marie Little, who was a veritable smash-hit at the recent Fylde Folk Festival, is closer to home, on Sunday, with an appearance at Guisborough Rugby Club.

Finally, another of my very favourite lady singers, American balladeer Sara Grey is at Stockton’s Sun Inn, on Monday. During my own sojourn Stateside this month, I’m always reachable at jez@jezlowe.com for all your news and this-is-what-we-do’s to be heralded to the world at large, so I look forward to hearing from you.