The team behind Middlesbrough Art Week and The Auxiliary Project Space invite you to join the racket this summer as Sonic Arts Week (SAW) returns – louder, weirder, and more playful than ever.
Running from Friday 27th June to Thursday 5th July, SAW25 will transform Middlesbrough into a vibrant sonic playground filled with experimental sound installations, surreal street performances, cutting-edge evening gigs, family-friendly workshops, and much more.
A major highlight this year is the UK premiere of ‘WETRIP’ by Daisy Dickinson and Simon Fisher Turner – a striking fusion of abstract visuals and immersive sound. Dickinson, widely recognised for her work with Samurai Kerridge and Snapped Ankles, collaborates with Turner, the celebrated composer behind the scores for Derek Jarman’s films ‘Caravaggio’, ‘The Last of England’, ‘The Garden’, ‘Edward II’ and ‘Blue’.
Choreographer and dancer Ashling McCann will also unveil her innovative Sonic Playground installation, inviting audiences to co-create live soundscapes within an empty retail unit at Hillstreet Shopping Centre.
As ever, the streets will come alive with roaming performances by acts such as The Junkoactive Wasteman & The Tin Can Twins, The Doom Orchestra, Ed Devane, and Noisy Toys. Expect surreal interventions, mobile sound experiments, and one-of-a-kind DIY instruments bringing spontaneity and sonic chaos to everyday spaces.
Get an early taste of the mayhem at Orange Pip Market on Saturday 31st May, where the fantastically eccentric Rimski Piano will perform as part of a teaser event ahead of the full festival.
Families are especially welcome at Summat for the Bairns – a series of free, hands-on workshops designed for young people and their grown-ups. Activities include DIY instrument building, craft zones, and microphone madness, all encouraging creative exploration through sound.
In the evenings, Industrial Coast will once again host a lineup of experimental artists across The Auxiliary and Disgraceland, with pay-what-you-feel gigs from JK Flesh, Cut Hands, Tactical Pagan, and more. Cut Hands will also help soft-launch The Auxiliary’s grand reopening in September – unfinished building or not, the show will go on in true underground style.
Festival Director Liam Slevin said: “A personal highlight is Noisy Toys – their Audio Assault Buggy is going to be wild. And I can’t wait for JK Flesh – I saw him at CTM a few years ago and it was unbelievable. We’re hiring the biggest sound system we can find.”
Whether you’re a local, a sonic adventurer, or just passing through, Sonic Arts Week promises a unique and unmissable cultural experience.
For further information head to sonicartsweek.com.
