Rivkala + Ceitidh Mac + ATFK (NFOJAiM 2026)

Rivkala + Ceitidh Mac + Amy Thatcher and Francesca Knowles

The Globe - Newcastle
Sunday 4th October 2026
Seetickets: £10.00 + Booking and Processing Fee = £11.00
(£12.00 On The Door Subject To Capacity)
Doors: 2.00pm (Music Starts 2.30pm) 
Performance times may be subject to minor adjustments

Amy Thatcher and Francesca Knowles (2.30pm)
Ceitidh Mac (3.45pm)
Rivkala (5.00pm)

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2026

For the 14th and final concert at this years Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music we welcome a superb trio of Tyneside acts all appearing as part of this years Jazz North 'Northern Line'

Rivkala

Showgirl, singer and storyteller, Rivkala, is an award-winning multidisciplinary jazz/soul artist, vocalist, writer and bandleader. Within the campy vessel of her larger than life cabaret bar, Crushed Velvet, Rivkala, and her esteemed 6 piece band blend influences of jazz, soul, funk, and klezmer to orchestrate provocatively playful social commentaries on gender, wealth inequality and mental health. Under the warm glow of her beloved lamp Lucille, they balance serious grooves with comedic theatricality. 

Born in Manchester, but based in Newcastle, her "soulful melodies and thought-provoking lyrics" (BBC Introducing), have earned her a place as a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition 2026, and her detailed world-building has produced award winning videos (Best Music Video, YMA 2025) featured in BIFA qualifying festivals.

Championed as "One to Watch" by BBC Introducing (2025) and Youth Music (2026), her captivating, burlesque-inspired stage presence has landed her two BBC Proms performances, as well as MOBO fringe festival, Manchester Jazz Festival , SxSW Roadshow and supporting Postmodern Jukebox at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.

As one of Jazz North's 2026 Northern Line roster, she is planning a series of UK dates throughout 2026-2027, in line with the release of her second EP, exploring the showgirl within us all through themes of performance in everyday life.

"...the funkiest cabaret I've ever been invited to" - Soweto Kinch, 'Round Midnight'

"..a striking stage presence that harks back to the grand age of cabaret she stands out from other post-Winehouse singer-songwriters, and her witty observational lyrics often draw on personal experience, highlighting the mundane injustices of everyday life." - UK Jazz News

"...no ordinary jazz musician" - Notion 

www.youtube.com/@rivkalamusic

Ceitidh Mac

With a progressive twist to her music, Ceitidh Mac is an alt.folk singing / cellist, tipped by Jude Rogers as a 'Fascinating new Welsh-born, Tyneside-dwelling singer-songwriter and cellist, with an unusual, stunning voice.' Absorbing in its originality, Ceitidh Mac creates songs that soar with contemporary arrangements / instrumentation playing with live and electronic elements, whilst having a prominent folk influence.

Growing up in the wilds of Pembrokeshire before heading North to Newcastle Upon Tyne, she's been carving a name for herself across the UK and beyond. Ceitidh is pronounced Katie, spelt the Gaelic way. Working with producer/engineer Sam Grant [Richard Dawson, Pigsx7] Mac has released multiple EP's Including 'I Reach for the Pen' and most recently 'Seabird', with previous releases supported by BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales and local and national support from BBC Introducing.

The single 'Birds' was A-Listed by Amazing Radio as well as featuring on their Chart. She also garnered press coverage from Fresh on the Net, Velvet Sheep, Narc and NE Volume among others, as well as winning the Drake YolanDa Award 2022, and Artist in Residence at The Glasshouse (FKA Sage Gateshead) 2022/23. 

With a busy live schedule, Ceitidh has toured the UK as well as festival appearances including Shambala Festival, Green Man Festival, Kendal Calling, and Other Voices among others. Ceitidh Mac has supported alt.folk hero Rachael Dadd and progressive jazzer Alabaster dePlume, having previously supported the likes of Laura Misch and Dublin folk legends Lankum.

'Not just a highlight of this week's programme from Green Man festival, but I think a highlight from all of the programmes that we've had the privilege and honour to broadcast from Green Man Festival. Sublime and absolutely outstanding'- Adam Walton BBC Radio Wales

'Today it's an artist who's gonna do for the cello what Mary Lattimore has for the harp, i.e. make it achingly cool.' - Velvet Sheep

'She has also developed a style that is, in essence, Indie-Folk but infused with the smoky style and lo-fi studio sound and a contemporary electronic edge, embellished by unusual instrumentation. This is an artist whose own roadmap is clearly marked out' - Fresh on the Net

'Her live shows have that ineffable thing - call it a vibe, call it an atmosphere - that was very evident to anyone who saw her support Lankum at Sage Gateshead' - The Crack

'Stunning lyrics and a genuine undertone gave me goose-bumps as Mac delicately created beautiful soundscapes through the cello' NARC magazine

www.ceitidhmac.com

Amy Thatcher and Francesca Knowles

Accordion and drums like you've never heard before.

Meet ATFK, the untethered brainchild of Amy Thatcher and Francesca Knowles. This genre-blasting duo defy the preconceptions of what their instruments can do, breaking with tradition while tactfully adopting it as a playground for experimentation. ATFK's sound is one of both raucous energy and sympathetic intensity, combining percussion, synths, keys and vocals for an unapologetic brew of colourful composition. Bringing their dynamic and ever-evolving live show back on the road in 2026 in support of their audacious sophomore album, REPEAT FOR JOY - prepare to be veered o? the tracks.

'A musically kinetic meeting of fragility and kick-ass strength' - RnR

'Brimming with invention and energy. Together they're dynamite' - The Crack

'Perverse... and often fantastic' **** - MOJO

'Unusual and really exciting' - Jamie Cullum, The Jazz Show, BBC Radio 2

www.atfk.co.uk

Presented by Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music in partnership with Jazz North, alongside Jazz North East and The Globe

The Globe
The Globe, 
11 Railway Street,
NE4 7AD
0191 272 5185 / info@jazz.coop
www.theglobenewcastle.bar

Age Restrictions | Accessibility | Travel

Age Restrictions: All ages welcome with under 18's accompanied by an adult.

Accessibility: Fully accessible for wheelchair users, a lift facility is available to access an upstairs fully accessible toilet.

Travel: Central Station Metro is located just under half a mile from the venue 
(approximately 8 minutes walk).

Buses: 12 / 12A / 22 / 22X to Scotswood Road.

Limited street parking outside of the venue, a small fee based car park is located across the road 
(Charges may apply).