Experience BBC Introducing Live at The Proms, a festival night bringing corto.alto, Maddie Ashman and ATFK to Sage Two at The Glasshouse in Gateshead on 23 July 2026. Plan your ticket purchase and get ready for jazz, electronics, experimental pop and unconventional instrumentation in one focused programme
BBC Introducing Live at The Proms in Gateshead: new music in an intimate festival format
BBC Introducing Live at The Proms is neither a traditional orchestral evening nor a concert with a single star at the top of the bill. At Sage Two, it brings together three performing projects - corto.alto, Maddie Ashman and ATFK - while the programme is hosted by musician and BBC Introducing presenter Shakk. The concert is scheduled for 23 July 2026 at 20:00 at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead.
Since 2007, BBC Introducing has provided a platform for new and unsigned performers through radio airplay, live performances and festival opportunities. Here, that model moves onto the stage: jazz, electronica, hip hop, pop, unconventional tuning, accordion, drums and vocals all appear on the same programme without trying to sound alike.
The audience does not come for a familiar repertoire, but for a curated cross-section of music that is still developing. Tickets for this event are in demand.
How this evening fits into BBC Proms
BBC Proms in the North East 2026 takes place from 23 to 25 July in Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. This is the festival's fifth year in north-east England, and the first time the programme extends across three cities. Such a schedule changes the usual image of the Proms as a festival primarily associated with a single large London venue: the regional weekend builds its own identity through local performers, new collaborations and venues of different sizes.
BBC Introducing Live at The Proms takes place on the first evening of the regional programme. On the same day, The Unthanks, special guests and Royal Northern Sinfonia perform at Middlesbrough Town Hall. The following day, Sage Two hosts a performance of Morton Feldman's work "Crippled Symmetry", while Nadine Shah and Royal Northern Sinfonia come together in the large Concourse area of The Glasshouse. Saturday brings a choral programme in Gateshead and a Royal Northern Sinfonia concert featuring works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Mendelssohn and Mozart at The Fire Station in Sunderland.
The programme moves between contemporary popular music, experimental chamber music, folk, choral singing and classical repertoire. A ticket for Sage Two applies to this concert slot; separate admission should be planned for the other festival programmes.
Who is performing and what kind of sound to expect
corto.alto
corto.alto is a project by Scottish producer, multi-instrumentalist and composer Liam Shortall. It combines jazz with electronic production, hip hop rhythms and the energy of a larger ensemble, together with rhythmic changes and layered wind-instrument parts.
The project was nominated for the 2024 Mercury Prize, so it is not merely a beginner's name. It attracts audiences interested in the new British jazz scene, while remaining connected to platforms for discovering new music. At Sage Two, both the details of the arrangements and the live energy should come to the fore.
Maddie Ashman
Maddie Ashman begins with the pop form, but takes melody, tuning and structure in unexpected directions. The listener recognises a pop sensibility, but does not always receive the expected chorus, harmonic resolution or regular symmetry. Her set demonstrates how young songwriters change familiar patterns from within.
ATFK
ATFK consists of Amy Thatcher and Francesca Knowles. The basic combination of accordion and drums sounds modest on paper, but the duo expands it with synthesisers, keyboards and vocals. The accordion is not merely a carrier of folk colour: it can breathe, growl, sustain long notes or cut into the rhythm, while the drums build a groove that pushes the music towards dance, electronic and experimental territory.
Their performance brings direct energy, rapid changes in intensity and playful melodic turns. The unusual instrumentation shows that "new music" here does not mean a single aesthetic direction.
Shakk as the evening's host
The programme is presented by Shakk, a musician from Middlesbrough and a BBC Introducing presenter who has been active on the scene since 2018. His role is to connect the three different performances into a single festival story.
The published programme does not provide a detailed timetable for the individual sets, so the order and duration of each performer should not be assumed. A total duration of two hours without an interval has been confirmed. With a 20:00 start, the performance can be expected to finish at around 22:00, provided there are no scheduling changes.
- corto.alto - jazz, electronica, hip hop and the energy of a larger ensemble
- Maddie Ashman - experimental pop, unconventional tuning and changing structures
- ATFK - accordion, drums, synthesisers, keyboards and vocals
- Shakk - host and connection to the BBC Introducing scene
- Duration - two hours without an interval
Sage Two: a venue that brings performers closer to the audience
Sage Two is the smaller of the two main concert halls at The Glasshouse and can accommodate up to 600 people, depending on the configuration. The space extends across three levels and is known for its decagonal shape. The stage can be positioned at one end, in the centre or in other configurations, while the gallery levels keep the audience physically close to the performance.
In such a space, corto.alto's complex rhythms and the changes in tonal colour from Maddie Ashman and ATFK can feel more immediate than on a large festival stage. Sage Two is an enclosed, concentrated hall in which three musical languages alternate in front of the same audience.
The exact seating or standing arrangement for this evening has not been published in the available event description. Sage Two normally uses theatre, club, cabaret and in-the-round configurations, so visitors should check the category listed on their ticket and not assume that the whole of Level 1 will be seated or standing.
It is worth securing tickets in good time.
Who the programme is intended for
This is an evening for listeners who enjoy discovering a performer before they reach the major festival stages. It does not require prior knowledge of contemporary jazz, experimental pop or the British alternative scene. Different levels of recognition are deliberately placed side by side.
First-time Proms visitors should expect a less ceremonial event than a traditional orchestral concert. Nevertheless, Sage Two remains a concert hall rather than a multi-zone open-air festival. There is no campsite, no festival wristbands, no VIP area and no published afterparty programme associated with this ticket. The focus is on one evening, one venue and a sequence of performers who differ in sound and stage of career.
The age notice is clear: people under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Since the programme lasts two hours without an interval, it is advisable to sort out the cloakroom, drinks and a visit to the toilet before the performance begins.
Getting to The Glasshouse
The Glasshouse is located at Gateshead Quays, on the south bank of the River Tyne, opposite central Newcastle. The glass-and-steel building stands close to Gateshead Millennium Bridge. The address is St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR.
The nearest main railway station is Newcastle Central, around a 20-minute walk from the venue. Gateshead Metro station is around a 10-minute walk away. Ticket holders can use free travel to and from that station during the two hours before and two hours after the concert; the benefit also includes the Shields Ferry.
Bus routes and stops in the surrounding area are undergoing changes, so they should be checked on the day of arrival. In addition, the renovation of Tyne Bridge may affect road traffic and public transport, while the A167 Gateshead Highway flyover is currently closed to traffic. Travellers arriving by car should therefore allow additional time.
- Main railway station - Newcastle Central, approximately 20 minutes on foot
- Nearest Metro station - Gateshead, approximately 10 minutes on foot
- Building postcode - NE8 2JR
- Car park postcode - NE8 2BA
- Taxi drop-off - by the west entrance, on the side facing Tyne Bridge
- Bicycle racks - beside both main entrances
Parking
The car park uses automatic number-plate recognition. Payment is made by card at the machines or through supported mobile services; cash is not accepted. NE8 2BA should be used for navigation, and payment must be completed before departure.
If the main car park is full, listed alternatives include Church Street car park, just over 200 metres from the west entrance, Quarryfield Road car park at approximately 500 metres and The Quays multi-storey car park at approximately 700 metres. Private cars are not covered by the local Clean Air Zone, which applies to certain commercial vehicles.
Entrances, security checks and accessibility
The Glasshouse has two main entrances. The west entrance is on the side facing Tyne Bridge, with a gentle approach from Shore Road, while the east entrance faces Millennium Bridge and Baltic Square. Both entrances provide step-free access and doors adapted for wheelchair users.
Audience areas, including the box office, toilets, halls, café, restaurant and bars, are accessible without steps. Accessible toilets are located on every floor, and the car park is connected by a lift. The seats in Sage Two are 52 centimetres wide; most have fixed armrests.
Bags are routinely inspected at the entrance. Small bags are permitted, but visitors are advised to bring as few belongings as possible and allow enough time for the security check. The cloakroom is located beside the box office near the west entrance and operates when a performance is taking place. Exceptions to the usual bag policy can be arranged in advance for medical or accessibility needs.
Food, drink and arrival time
The published opening hours for The Glasshouse on the Thursday of the event week are from 18:30 to 23:30. Since the concert begins at 20:00, arriving between the building's opening and the start of the performance leaves enough time to find the entrance, pass through security and get oriented inside the building. The exact opening time of the Sage Two doors is not stated in the event description, so arriving at the last minute is not advisable.
The Glasshouse has a café, a restaurant and three bars. In Sage Two, open drinks are permitted on Level 1, while sealed plastic bottles are allowed on all levels. Since there is no interval, it is more practical to obtain a drink before entering. Photography and short recordings for personal use are permitted, provided the phone is silenced and consideration is shown to others.
Tickets for this event are currently on sale.
What to check before setting off
- Check your ticket category and the level layout in Sage Two.
- Do not expect an interval during the two-hour programme.
- People under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Bring a small bag and allow time for inspection at the entrance.
- Use NE8 2BA for car navigation and NE8 2JR for the building itself.
- Check current bus routes and possible traffic changes around Tyne Bridge.
- Keep your ticket when using the free Metro travel benefit.
Sources:
- The Glasshouse International Centre for Music - BBC Introducing Live at The Proms programme, confirmed performers, duration, age rule and location
- The Glasshouse International Centre for Music - overview of BBC Proms in the North East 2026, festival schedule across Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough
- The Glasshouse International Centre for Music - information about Sage Two, its capacity, venue configurations and accessibility
- The Glasshouse International Centre for Music - travel information, Metro, train, taxi, bicycles, roadworks and parking
- The Glasshouse International Centre for Music - rules concerning bags, cloakroom facilities, food, drink and behaviour inside the venue
- Mercury Prize - confirmation that corto.alto was among the performers on the Albums of the Year 2024 list