Hels Pattison is a singer and songwriter who has recently made a big impact on the local music scene with her sweetly sad songs and personal lyrics, delivered in a distinctively melodic voice. In 2026, Hels toured the UK and she has played at the Vault and the Bandstand Sessions in Hexham and at Alston Live Festival, in addition to many gigs elsewhere in the region

Hels’ songs have been compared with the work of Mary Chapin Carpenter and Phoebe Bridgers. She has always been fond of country music and, now that she has a full band, she is leaning more strongly into an Americana style of performance. Hels is now recording an EP of new songs that will reflect this trend.

We recorded this episode at In Heart Studios in Blaydon. It was engineered and produced by Dean Parker. Hels and the band’s guitarist Zac Savage recorded three songs for the podcast, two of which were unreleased at the time. They are, in order: Skinny Dipping in November, Love is a Fire and Ruby.

You can find information about Hels’ gigs on her website

https://www.helspattison.co.uk/

where you can also sign up to a monthly newsletter to stay up to date with releases and announcements. You can listen to and buy her music on Bandcamp at

https://helspattison.bandcamp.com/

and you can stream it on the usual platforms.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

Gareth Davies-Jones is a singer-songwriter who lives in Tynedale. His many albums and the long list of his collaborations and achievements in music are evidence of his skill at capturing story in song.

In 2025, Gareth walked from Holy Island to Durham Cathedral, following St Oswald’s Way and the Way of Light, one of six trails based on ancient pilgrimage routes that lead to Durham. He took his guitar with him and performed concerts where he stayed, all the while capturing his impressions of the journey and his environment.

These experiences were the inspiration for his new album A Troubadour Journey, which he has recently been touring around the North. I talked to Gareth about the origins of his pilgrimage and how the fourteen songs on the album describe the spiritual impact of his solitary travels. Gareth recorded two songs from A Troubadour Journey for this episode. They are: Follow the Way and Juniper.

Gareth’s music is available from his website, https://www.garethdavies-jones.com. There, you can buy a CD of the album together with a 32-page companion booklet of lyrics, artwork by Horsley artist Rebecca Vincent and photographs Gareth took along the way. This is the best way to appreciate the music and the journey that inspired it but the album is also available on streaming platforms.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

Photo: Richard Durrant

Richard Durrant is an indie-classical composer and concert guitarist who plays guitar with great enthusiasm and skill. The word ‘passion’ is much overused these days but, as our episode today shows, it’s an apt description for Richard’s relationship with all forms of music. He is a connoisseur of the guitar, playing a bog oak, nylon-strung guitar made by Northumberland luthier Gary Southwell, and it was a visit to the workshop that brought him here on May 1st to play a concert as part of his anniversary tour celebrating 40 years of performance. The set list reflected his wide-ranging taste and included his own compositions and works by Bach, John Renbourn, Scarlatti, Bert Jansch and his favourite classical composer, Agustin Barrios.

We talked about Richard’s musical journey, taking in folk, classical and improvised music, the joy of cycling between performances, the value of being neurodiverse, and why playing Bach on the banjo is so rewarding.

This episode includes three of Richard’s compositions. They are: Wheels Above Clouds from his album Cycling Music; Forr All Mankinne Nede from the album Rewilding; and The Girl at the Airport Part 2. Danza from the album of the same name.

You can find Richard’s music on Bandcamp at https://richarddurrant.bandcamp.com/and the usual streaming platforms with the exception of Spotify. As this episode is published, Richard’s tour is still in progress and there’ll be another chance to hear him play at Alnwick on August 29th.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

Aaron Duff is the singer, songwriter and the driving force behind one of the North East’s most successful bands, Hector Gannet. He has sold out Hexham’s The Vault three times in a row.

Aaron’s work is strongly identified with his hometown of North Shields and he writes about aspects of his life there and the area’s history. But his songs are far deeper than those words suggest – carefully written, dealing with personal issues that we all experience and filled with melodic twists. Add to that Aaron’s continuing urge to evolve the arrangements of the songs and the instrumentation of the band, and you begin to appreciate the quality of his music.

I spoke to Aaron at the Engine House, a small venue in North Shields that is highly valued by grass roots musicians, shortly after his return from performing at the prestigious South by Southwest festival in Texas. We spoke about how the band came to be, how important it is for a performer to be true to himself, the inspiration for and challenges of songwriting, and the forthcoming Hector Gannet album The Great Shakedown.

This episode includes three singles from the album – The Jetty’s End, A Stitch in the Fold and Seven Signs.

You can find Aaron’s music on Hector Gannet’s Bandcamp page and there is information about the band and tour dates on its web site https://hectorgannet.com

I’d like to thank Mark Elliott of noredindian artist management for his help with putting this episode together.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

My guest today is Rupert Hughes, guitarist, singer and songwriter with the bluegrass band The Often Herd, and also a guitar tutor, sideman for the likes of Martin Stephenson, and someone who has been known to knock out the occasional classic in his other band Rupert Hughes and the Old News.

The Often Herd are one of the North East’s most successful bands. They’ve taken their brand of bluegrass all over the country and toured Europe. In 2025, their talent was recognised with an award from the International Bluegrass Music Association that will take them to the United States this year to play in Nashville, Kentucky and at the Grand Ol’ Opry.

Rupert suggested three songs to include in this episode. They are: Cool Summer Rain, Sycamore Gap and Remember my Name. You can find these and the band’s album Where The Big Lamp Shines, on their Bandcamp page, and there some excellent videos of live performances on their YouTube channel.

https://theoftenherd.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.youtube.com/@TheOftenHerd

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com