‘DownByTheRiver is one of those…forward-thinking promoters’ – NARC. magazine

‘A special place far away from the outside world….we left with a warm fuzzy feeling’ – The Crack

‘I can’t thank you enough for organising and managing it so amazingly well. It was a brilliant evening. I enjoyed every minute….I fear that everything else might now be a disappointment!’ – George Monbiot

DownByTheRiver promotes live music throughout the Northeast of England. Events organised by DBTR are not-for-profit and all ticket and door sales are paid directly to the musicians, minus any venue hire costs. We look on our events as a collaboration between DBTR, venue, musicians and audience.

It started as a DIY thing and will continue that way. We love music but dislike the business of music, our preference is to deal directly with independent musicians and to work with ethical venue owners.

I go out to loads of live music events and I’m always on the lookout. I read the local and national music press, listen to BBC6 Music (a lot) and do research online. I get a lot of submissions, which I always listen to. However, it has to be something I’m into and a lot of care goes into my programming. I think the DBTR audience appreciates that, and they know pretty much that I try and promote good quality music even if some of the musicians I book are relatively unknown. I’m quite eclectic in my taste, so there is no hard and fast rule. Over the years, I’ve featured everything from gypsy-jazz to cutting-edge electronica to blues, folk and garage rock.

This music promotion journey started in London around 1996. High points of the London experience were releasing Chris Chavez debut album ‘Skinwalkers Dance’ on indie label ZAMBRA. Critical acclaim duly followed and on the back of that we hosted several sold-out London shows: there were live BBC Radio sessions with Johnnie Walker and Bob Harris, a VH1/MTV set and a west coast US/Canadian tour on which Chris opened for Natasha Khan’s band, Bat For Lashes. The low point was when Jools Holland’s people came out to a Chris Chavez gig and nothing came of it. Chris continues to make music and teaches yoga worldwide.