Electronic act Denature are set to release their new EP after the band’s success at the Ubeat Music Awards. The North Tyneside group were thrilled to win the best video award for their single Time back in December and hope their forthcoming new material is just as successful. Bass guitarist Justin Januszewski said: “It was a fantastic feeling to win as we have worked very hard to make something we feel we can be proud of. To get that kind of recognition from that kind of audience is a real vote of confidence that we’re going in the right direction. And much of that credit must also go to our manager and the director of the video, who was the real creative force behind it, Chris Lavelle.” Denature have teamed up again with award-winning videographer Chris to create another video for their new single Escape, which features on their new EP, Loss.

South Shields band Far Pacific are set to rock the O2 Academy 2 in Newcastle on January 22 with their first headline gig. The indie four-piece are taking to the stage at the popular music venue to launch their debut EP I Can See The Sea. The teenage quartet are already making waves on the North East music scene with their brand of catchy indie rock music and their single Where Do We Go From Here gained high praise last summer. Despite being a fledging teenage band, Far Pacific, have worked hard to develop their sound and build a name for themselves on the local scene. The lads have gigged relentlessly, playing at venues such as O2 Academy, Head of Steam and Pop Recs, as well as supporting Lilliput at Independent in Sunderland and Belgian indie band Balthazar at Think Tank? in Newcastle.

Newcastle-based electronic alt-pop group Twist Helix release their debut single next week. The four-piece will be taking over one of Newcastle’s historic landmarks - the Mining Institute - to mark the launch of their highly anticipated single Decade. The single is the follow-up to the band’s demo Flare, which was well received by both music lovers and industry professionals last summer, and is the first track to be released from the band’s forthcoming album Manifesto. Since they cut their demo, Twist Helix have been in demand and have juggled spending time recording Manifesto, due for release in March, as well as performing live dates across the North East supporting the likes of Nano Kino and playing at the Newcastle OXJAM Takeover.

One band hoping to stand out from the crowd on the local music scene is The Firelight Opera. The alternative rock five-piece, who hail from Sunderland, do not have a frontman and were apprehensive about how North East audiences would react to their unconventional line-up. However, since coming together in the summer of 2012 the band have been thrilled with the support they have received and now have a loyal following.

Talented singer-songwriter Soham De has already started to get noticed on the North East music scene despite only playing a handful of gigs. Originally from Kings Lynn in Norfolk, the 18-year-old acoustic musician has spent the last three years experimenting with different guitar styles taking influence from his favourite acts to hone his craft. However, he didn’t start performing live regularly until this summer after sitting his A-levels and is now trying to play live as often as possible whilst studying Biological Sciences at Durham University.

Acoustic folk singer-songwriter Craig Clark is currently working on his highly anticipated debut album, Sometimes Bewilder. Featuring songs composed in the arrivals lounge at Macau Airport, on a train somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, and from the cabin of a plane over the Atlantic, Sometimes Bewilder, is an album concerned with the condition of travelling, and indebted to memories of conversations with strangers encountered in far-flung places.

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kate Edwards is thrilled to be releasing her debut single, Every Key, next week. Inspired by artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Belle & Sebastian and Elbow, Kate has been cultivating her own brand of tasteful, confessional alt-pop since moving to Newcastle from her hometown in East Yorkshire.

Indie-funk group Driving In Aspen are hoping to make a name for themselves on the local music scene. The fledging three-piece, who hail from North Shields, are currently working on their debut EP which they hope to release next year. However, it is definitely a work in progress as the band are recording it one song at a time due to juggling studying and music. The teenage trio – made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Peter Dyers, Matthew McDonald on percussion and bassist Andrew Thompson - all grew up with their own influences and musical interests, but it wasn’t until summer 2014 that they came together as a group.

Talented singer-songwriter Savannah Betts has already released two EPs, but is most excited about her forthcoming new material.Born in Hong Kong to a German mother and South African British Father, Savannah has always been creative, although she fell in love with both acting and music. She developed both her talents at school and began learning to play the guitar when she was nine, but didn’t perform live until six years later. Savannah said: “I was about 15 when I did my first live music performance at a school variety show and after that I joined a band with my friends. I then started to write my own music, but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I decided to buy my own equipment to make my own EP."

County Durham singer-songwriter Jodie Fitzgibbon is hoping her debut EP will help her stand out from the crowd. Growing up in musical family Jodie has been performing form a young age, and after being given a keyboard at the age of seven she became a skilled player and learnt to play music by ear. Three years later she enrolled in Reavley Theatre School, where she studied various styles of dance, theatre craft, drama and singing until she was 18. Jodie began writing music in her teens, as a way of chronicling life events – as she discovered that she can only truly express in music things that she has experienced personally.