Up-and coming Tyneside rock bands could find that a taste of “old school” is just what they need to launch their music careers.
An old school meals depot in Byker looks set to become the region’s hottest new rehearsal venue – and it’s all thanks to the vision of a North East punk rock legend.
Pauline Murray, lead singer of classic punk band Penetration, has painstakingly transformed the St Michael’s Road building into the new base for her Polestar Studios, which until May was renting premises in Ouseburn.
The popular studios, where Maximo Park first rehearsed professionally, has been providing local bands with cheap, well-equipped rehearsal studios for 21 years.
Penetration, from Ferryhill in County Durham, was big news on the punk rock scene in the late 70s and played at gigs with the Stranglers, Generation X and the Buzzcocks among others. The band performed their best known single Don’t Dictate on Granada TV’s iconic So it Goes music show.
Band members still occasionally perform today. But it’s that experience of writing, performing and touring which puts Pauline in the perfect position to give new bands the start in life that Penetration could only have dreamed of.
“When we started out as Penetration in Ferryhill we used to practice in the scout hut, the church hall, upstairs at the local pub. Places like Polestar just didn’t exist, especially where we lived. So when I came out of the band I knew what bands needed,” she said.
“We’ve been operating out of the Ouseburn for 21 years but then this building came up. It was an old school dinner depot, owned by the council. It had been vandalised and dilapidated. It’s taken seven months to get the back of the building done.
“We had to do it all from scratch, but now it’s ours. There are four rehearsal studios all fully sound-proofed and fully-equipped. All the rooms are brand new. You can’t hear the next band. It’s probably the best around at the moment.”
Polestar Studios charges by the hour, so all bands need to do is walk in and plug in their guitars. Equipment like amplifiers, microphones and even drums are provided. Pauline also has future plans to include a recording studio.
To find out more, visit the website www.polestarstudios.co.uk or call Pauline on 0191 265 8333.
Ends More Information from Keith Newman at Highlights Public Relations on 07814 397951
keith@highlights-public-relations.co.uk
