The Common Room

Search for Santa 2025 (Sold Out - Waitlist Available)
2025-11-29 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
“Search for Santa” is back and NE1 have a brand new trail this year – we are so excited to be part of it!
Every year NE1 welcomes families to participate in this tremendously popular sell-out event. Children collect their maps, pencils and Santa hats before going on their adventure. Following the map, families complete the clues, filling out the answers which give them a chance of winning a series of fantastic prizes with local businesses.
With stops on the way, children are able to get creative at craft checkpoints before continuing the trail to its end at The Common Room where there is a merry, festive atmosphere and lots to do including face-painting, storytelling, creative sections and a hot chocolate station with whipped cream and marshmallows, as well as the chance to meet the main man himself, Santa Claus! Before leaving, each child is given a free goodie bag full of Christmas treats.
Search for Santa is completely free to attend, but places are currently sold out. However, follow the ticket link and you will have the option to join the waitlist for any further tickets that become available from cancelled bookings.

Christmas: Bottle Painting
2025-12-03 18:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Create and take home a unique Christmas decoration or gift lit up with fairly lights.
Festive drinks & snacks will be available in 5|Quarter Café Bar, 6-8pm
Tickets: £15pp

Marconi Union (matinée show)
2025-12-07 15:00 - 17:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Marconi Union gained worldwide attention with Weightless (2011), a composition developed in consultation with the British Academy of Sound Therapy. The track was dubbed “the world’s most relaxing song” after studies suggested it reduced anxiety and physiological stress, earning recognition from TIME magazine as an “Invention of the Year.”
Despite its popularity, Marconi Union have consistently pushed beyond Weightless, releasing acclaimed albums including Different Colours (2012), Ghost Stations (2016), Dead Air (2019) and Signals (2021).
In 2023, Talbot left the group, returning Marconi Union to a duo. Crossley and Meadows re-emerged in 2025 with The Fear of Never Landing, a 55-minute continuous work divided into movements. With this album, they carried forward their pursuit of expanding their sound, embracing complexity while preserving the signature stillness at its core.

Talk: Colliers of the Utd Assoc. of Durham & Northumberland 1825
2025-12-08 18:00 - 19:30 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
This is the story of the first legal miners’ union forged in the great Northern Coalfield upon the repeal of the Combination Acts 1825.
The story of the first legal miners’ union. Forged in the great Northern Coalfield upon the repeal of the Combination Acts 1825. We explore the nature of pit work, the unequal stages of coalfield development which operated at the same time . The question of pre-teen labour, of female employment, methods of work and technical and scientific impacts. Seasonal employment, the Yearly Bond’ The illegal forerunner in the shape of the heroic Brotherhood of Colliers of Tyne and Wear. The rise and fall of this great human endeavour, the pioneer of two centuries of the mineworkers unions. We display the remarkable replica of a Miners Union Banner of the period and the immortalised hero’s and heroines whose faces appear on it.
David J Douglass served 42 years in the coalfields of Durham and Doncaster in rock headings and developments, on coalface caunches, in conventional, advancing and retreat operations. He served 25 years as a branch official of the NUM both as Delegate and Secretary at Hatfield Main Colliery, Doncaster [ the 2nd last mine in the country, closing in 2014]. An Executive Member and Vice Chair of South Yorkshire NUM Panel. Author of several histories of the miners and their unions, culture, dialects, technical operations and plans. He is a graduate of Ruskin College Oxford, Strathclyde University Glasgow, and Keele University. He is a member of NEIMME, as also serves on the Institute’s Council.
17:30-18:00 – Tea and Coffee
18:00-18:50 – In-person only Lecture Starts
18:50 to 19:00 – Q & A
NEIMME is the Royal Chartered membership organisation for Engineering, Science and Technology in the North.
For more information about our events and the benefits of NEIMME membership see: https://mininginstitute.org.uk/membership/
For information on IOM3 membership see: https://www.iom3.org/

Whisky Tasting - Taster Takeover!
2025-12-12 19:00 - 21:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
You’ve heard from the professionals, now it’s time to hear from the real people in the industry.
YOU!
For our final tasting of the year four of our exulted regulars have been given a budget of £100 each. With the purpose of purchasing one bottle and presenting it to us, at the Common Room, on Friday 12.12.2025.
That’s right, our own Malcolm Campbell, Steve Laidlaw, Phil Saint and John Hill have been scouring spirits retailers in the hope that they can tantalise you with whiskies of their own choice. And if that wasn’t enough I’ll be bolstering the line up with two drams of my own choice!
Who will bring the best whisky? Who’s presentation skills will impress the most? Who will be the first in the pub?
There’s only one way to find out!
We’ll see you there!

IDER
2025-12-15 19:30 - 23:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
456 Live Present…IDER, the singer-songwriter duo from London. Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville create music that combines features of various musical genres, and it has been described as “cross-genre”.
Formed in 2016 after performing as Lily & Meg for two years, IDER released their debut EP Gut Me Like an Animal in 2017, followed by the first full-length album Emotional Education in 2019.
Their most recent album, Late To The World was released 21st February, 2025
Markwick and Somerville have cited Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Nina Simone, Jeff Buckley, Etta James, Gillian Welch, Beyoncé and Dido as influences.
This is a special stripped back, acoustic live set.

Gloria Love: Christmas Extravaganza
2025-12-19 19:00 - 23:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Welcome to Gloria Love’s Christmas Party at The Common Room! Join Gloria Love and the Side By SIde Arts band for a night of festive frivolities, music and dancing. Get ready for a festive evening filled with joy and laughter on December 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM .
Join us for a night of celebration as we spread holiday cheer together. Don’t miss out on the fun!
A festive celebration like no other! Tickets will sell out quickly.
Held in the Wood Hall.
Bar open from 6:30pm – event doors 7:00pm, show starts at 7:30pm.

Mog's Christmas + family activities
2025-12-20 11:00 - 13:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
On sale now – our festive family screening is back! Enjoy a festive adventure starring our favourite forgetful family cat. Come early to enjoy some crafting time in our Wood Hall beforehand. Includes a delicious treat for every child. Hot and cold drinks and festive snacks available from our 5|Quarter Café Bar.
Doors:11:00
Film: 11:30
Tickets
£10 (admits one child + adult)
£5 for additional tickets

Candlelight: Christmas Movie Soundtracks
2025-12-20 19:00 - 20:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Newcastle upon Tyne. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Christmas Movie Soundtracks at The Common Room – Wood Hall under the gentle glow of candlelight.
General Info
📍 Venue: The Common Room – Wood Hall
📅 Dates and times: select your dates/times directly in the ticket selector
⏳ Duration: 60 minutes. Doors open 45 minutes before the show and close 5 minutes prior to the start. Late arrivals will not be permitted
👤 Age requirement: 8 years old or older. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult
♿ Accessibility: this venue is wheelchair accessible
❓ View the FAQs for this event here
🪑 Seating is assigned on a first come first served basis in each zone
🕯️ If you would like to book a private concert or buy regular tickets for a large group (+30 people), click here
🎻 Check out all the Candlelight concerts in Newcastle upon Tyne
🎁 To treat your friends and family to a Candlelight gift card, click here
Programme
White Christmas from Holiday Inn
Christmas Time Is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Skating from A Charlie Brown Christmas
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) from Alvin and the Chipmunks
The Nightmare Before Christmas Medley
Believe from The Polar Express
You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Where Are You Christmas? from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock from Jingle All the Way
Silver Bells from The Lemon Drop Kid
Winter Wonderland from While You Were Sleeping
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! from While You Were Sleeping
I Believe In You and Me from The Preacher’s Wife
Carol of the Bells from Home Alone
All I Want for Christmas Is You from Love Actually
Performers
String Quartet – String Infusion Quartet

Amelia Coburn [SOLD OUT]
2026-02-14 19:00 - 23:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
With a voice as enchanting as her stories, Amelia Coburn is fast becoming one of the UK’s most captivating new artists. Like her heroes Serge Gainsbourg, Scott Walker and Joni Mitchell, Amelia has a gift for making the unusual sound timeless — weaving gothic literature, film noir, and vivid nocturnal characters into songs that linger long after the final note.
Her Bill Ryder-Jones-produced debut album has earned praise from legends like Paul Weller and Paul Heaton, won her national radio play on BBC Radios 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Music and beyond, and found her tipped as “one to watch in 2025” by Louder Than War, Seetickets and Drowned In Sound.
Fresh from spellbinding sets at SXSW in Texas, Amelia’s star continues to rise with acclaimed shows alongside The Levellers, Hamish Hawk, Stornoway and Katherine Priddy — plus a standout feature on Paul Weller’s latest album Find El Dorado.
Both disarming and beguiling, Amelia’s honest, witty, and unmistakably North-Eastern charm makes every performance feel like a secret shared between old friends.
Step into her strange, shadowy world “between the moon and the milkman” — and discover why Amelia Coburn is one of the UK’s most talked-about new voices.
f54 Event.
TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY 9TH HULY 2025 at 10AM

TVAM plus Marina Zispin
2026-02-28 19:00 - 22:30 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Somewhere within a lifetime of repeats, reruns and reboots, TVAM lives, crafting work which touch on our memories but toy with our fears. A world in which broadcast becomes performance. Hypnotic tracks which straddle an impressive spectrum of influence; with Boards of Canada’s irresistible nostalgia, Suicide’s deconstructed rock’n’roll and MBV’s infinite noise all becoming touching points in Joseph Oxley’s musical output.
Since his debut album, Psychic Data, first burst onto the scene (direct from a small bedroom studio in Wigan, UK), TVAM has defined the sound and spectacle of nostalgia’s grip on our lives; from the sloganeering of Porsche Majeure, to the electioneering of Semantics.
TVAM’s debut Psychic Data spawned an ‘Album Of The Day’ and two daytime playlists at BBC 6Music whilst signature tune ‘Porsche Majeure’ was KEXP Track Of The Day and featured in HBO’s smash-hit ‘Succession’. Follow-up High Art Lite was released on Geoff Barrow’s Invada Records and received daytime playlist for ‘Double Lucifer’ on BBC 6Music and “Album of the Week’ at Louder Than War.
TVAM website: tvamindustries.com
Fans of Beak>, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Hypernormalisation and Boards Of Canada should be interested in this one!
A Wandering Oak presentation.
Image credit: Debbie Ellis

Marshall Gilmour Webbs
2026-03-08 19:00 - 23:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Marshall Gilmour Webbs are a group formed of Louise Marshall (celebrated vocalist from the Jools Holland band) Romany Gilmour (of number one single ‘Between Two Points’) and Hattie & Charley Webb (known for their work with Leonard Cohen and Tom Petty).
They developed a close bond on David Gilmour’s 2024 Luck and Strange tour. Performing a series of shows in July they took Piano Smithfield by storm, selling out and releasing extra dates.
Subsequently they have worked with RGB sessions to release both cover and original music online.
With swelling vocals, ethereal harmonies and eclectic instrumentation, they have performed the music of The Roches, Dolly Parton, Billy Joel, Minnie Riperton and more, along with their own original songs written collaboratively from Louise’s living room.
“A new vocal group steps into the spotlight with harmony, soul, and heart.” Wine Travel & Song
“A fresh sound and strong female presence in contemporary music.”
RouteNote
£15 – unreserved seating.

Steve Knightley : Sanctuary - songs from sacred spaces
2026-03-21 08:00 - 17:00
Steve Knightley, the multi-award-winning singer and principal songwriter of the acclaimed acoustic roots duo Show of Hands, is renowned for his powerful, historically accurate, and socially conscious songs that capture the essence of English life and history. Praised as the “gravel-voiced spokesman of the rural poor,” he has crafted enduring anthems like the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winning “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed” and the widely celebrated “Country Life” and “Cousin Jack.”
A formidable solo performer, Knightley delivers evenings of captivating storytelling and musical mastery. Expect a set list woven with crowd favourites, deep cuts from his extensive catalogue, and material from his solo album The Winter Yards. This is a unique opportunity to experience one of the UK’s most respected and enduring folk musicians live.
Special guest performance by Daniel Salvatore – hand-pan soundscapes and meditative ambience.
