Generator, in association with Amazing Radio and NARC. Magazine are looking for the best emerging North East talent to play this year’s Evolution Emerging - our takeover of the best venues in the Ouseburn Valley over the Evolution Weekend. We’re asking regional bands and solo artists (from any genre) to apply to play this year's event.

Generator's Urban Music Training Programme will also be running a stage at this year's Evolution Festival showcasing the best vocalists and DJs from the UMT courses and submissions for Evolution Emerging will also be considered for the UMT: Emerging stage at Evolution Festival. 

Evolution Emerging will see over 25 emerging North East artists playing alongside big headliners at 6 venues in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle. 

All you have to do to apply to play is submit your track by the 24th February via this link . 2011's event built on the success of previous years to kick start an amazing Evolution Festival Weekender in style. Attendance across the event was close to 1,500 and highlights included a fantastic Hyde and Beast show at The Cluny 2, The Chapman Family's headline performance at The Tyne, and an after-show at the Star and Shadow that were ‘one in one out’ with all other venues close to capacity. The Cluny was also 'one in one out' with Bella Union signings Lanterns on the Lake headlining. 

Ongoing successes from Emerging artists in 2011 include Polarsets (the band has since released singles on Kitsune & Neon Gold); Vinyl Jacket, who played at Glastonbury Festival; Tomahawks For Targets, who performed at Reading and Leeds Festival; The Lake Poets, a North East favourite who has played across the country, secured national radio play and will headline a gig at The Sage Gateshead; Shields (formerly Pilots), who have received much national radio airplay; Baron Von Alias, who was one of many Emerging artists to play Radio 1's Big Weekend; Mausi, who performed at the UMT Emerging stage at Evolution Festival and have signed a single deal with a US label; and PRS' M Magazine 'One to Watch in 2012', Ajimal.

Joe Frankland, Music & Artist Development Manager at Generator says:“For over three years now, Evolution Emerging has been the highlight of our gig calendar. It’s great to see the North East music scene coming together for such a big event, and even better to see so many of our artists from last year go on to bigger and better things. The bar has been set high but with the opportunity to play at such a prestigious event and at the North East’s biggest and best music festival, we expect hundreds more submissions this year and look forward to selecting artists for this year’s event.”

Evolution Emerging is supported by Arts Council England, ERDF and PRS for Music Foundation.

Evolution Emerging and UMT Emerging at Evolution Festival form part of Generator’s ‘Building the Business of Music’ project.

•    The Building the Business of Music project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, securing £822,347 ERDF investment.

•    The ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013 is bringing over £300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region and will help create and safeguard 28,000 new jobs, start 3,000 new businesses and increase the region’s productivity by £1.1bn per annum.

•    The project will make a major contribution to the ambition of the ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013 by increasing the numbers and survival of business start ups in the region and increasing business productivity.

Filmed by Ryan Forde, Andy Binns and Andy Bloc, Edited by Ryan Forde, Interviews by Andrew Rawson