Are You Affiliated: North Shields working men’s club to host Django Django’s only gig of 2024

British art rock band Django Django will play their only gig of 2024 at King Street Social Club in North Shields, in a major coup for the town’s music scene.

They take to the stage for an Are You Affiliated event on 7 December, with support from rising star Lizzie Esau.

 Are You Affiliated is an independent music venue operated by North Tyneside-based international DJ Man Power (aka Geoff Kirkwood). It has hosted some of the biggest names in electronic dance music for the last two years, with guests including Caribou, Skream, Daniel Avery, Optimo, Paranoid London and many more.

Django Django’s appearance marks the first live band performance in the venue since recent investment from Kirkwood and partners saw the venue upgraded to include the installation of a brand new Martin Audio sound system.

The bill features Lizzie Esau, a North East-based artist who is starting to gather lots of attention with support from BBC Introducing and an appearance at Glastonbury Festival.

The event has led to new music from the headliners with a collaboration between Django Django and Man Power being released exclusively on vinyl on the day of the gig, and available to buy at the venue.

The event is presented as a collaboration between Are You Affiliated, local promoters Shin Gigs, Mouth of the Tyne Festival and North Tyneside Council.

Geoff Kirkwood said: “For over a decade Django Django has been one of the most exciting and least predictable bands to dominate British leftfield music.

“They’ve chosen to do their one and only gig of 2024 at a working men’s club in a post-industrial town on the North East coast of England.

“This event sees all involved coming together to continue the incredible music-led transformation of a town that has previously seen relative hardship over the last decades.

“The musical offering in North Shields, combined with its warm community and open-minded audiences has seen it go from being a little-known town to a cultural destination in a very short space of time, with press coverage by everyone from The Sunday Times, to the Guardian, to Mixmag and more.“

Cllr Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor for North Tyneside and cabinet member responsible for Regeneration, Economic Development and Culture said: “The Council and its partners have been committed to revitalising and reimaging North Shields Town Centre through our ambitious regeneration programme. Events like this, securing a big name from the UK music scene to play at a recently developed independent venue, show that this approach is working at the North Shields Town Centre has so much to offer.

  “We are bringing the culture of our Borough to life, through shows, gigs, exhibitions, venues, the arts and creative spaces.

 “Working with imaginative minds like Geoff Kirkwood, Shin Gigs and Are You Affiliated gives the Borough a strong platform to deliver more, celebrating our rich heritage, bringing the stars of today to North Shields and showcasing the talent of the future.

 “The Mouth of The Tyne festival continues to go from strength to strength, we have already announced Elbow as a headliner for 2025 and are looking forward to revealing more of the line up and ticket information in the coming weeks.”