The Wylam Brewery is the last of the great gig venues here in Newcastle, a long tree lined walk from the city’s edge, to a lake and the brewery. That’s right a Brewery for gigs, amazing, a marriage made in heaven for some, including me.
If this photo was being used as 'evidence' on the History channel, they’d be saying the road was really a runway for an emergency escape, invasion landing, from WW2. The tall glazed atrium was in fact the control tower. Such are the conspiracies that pervade history nowadays, yes it COULD be that, BUT that doesn’t mean it was, or is.
The reality is, the building was the main exhibition hall for a 1929 trade fair, a celebration of the Industry and Art of the North East. All the other buildings have gone. For years a dilapidated and unloved military vehicle museum, closed and sold. Taken over a few years ago, now a brewery, pub, live music venue. It is a cracker, on the edge of a park, no nearby residents to disturb, and a great huge hall to play in. Great beer, and food, a packed hall, dancing, mosh pitting, and sweating, beer-cooled from the barrels on show.
In case you’re wondering it’s not in Wylam, it was, but it moved. A wonderful location and great for that summer sit out, beer and food, swans and ducks. Hot but not too sweaty. A magnificent edition to the Toon’s varied gig scene. Of the great diverse gids I've attended there, the 'serial music' of Phillip Glass, or Hayseed Dixie... Hayseed including their killer Bluegrass version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Gig or no gig the place is delight, sitting outside, lounging inside, summer’s last knockings, long ray, dappled water, silver reeds. On those long shadow, midday rays of Saturday sun, gig or no gig, the place is perfect away from the crowds thronging the Toon’s pubs. And Wylam has a life OUTSIDE music. Hopefully it may make through the dark COVID days and out the other side, fingers crossed.
