Leading up to the MOBO awards that will be held in Newcastle at the Utilita Arena on the 18th of February, the city is hosting MOBO fringe which will combine live performances, workshops, industry summits, and community led initiatives across the five day celebration.
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00:00I think it'll become easier. We've got a North East Mayor who's focusing on culture which is
00:05really important so we've got huge backing there, political backing. I think we're seeing a real
00:10change in Newcastle generally. We've got a burgeoning creative sector which is really
00:16exciting to see. I think something like Mobo's really helps encourage that diversity because
00:24we know that people from disadvantaged areas find it harder to be involved in things like
00:29music and music production and that then increases again if you're a person of colour.
00:35So clearly something like this will have a huge impact and it's about recognition as well for
00:40those people who are involved in the sector. The contribution will be huge and there'll be
00:45a huge economic impact. We expect through the event itself obviously we'll have people here
00:51using our hotels, our bars, restaurants, clubs which will be a huge impact but then there's a
00:56week of fringe events which our communities will really benefit from across Newcastle and Gateshead.
01:02Again that has an economic impact because people will be here for that whole week
01:05but hopefully the lasting legacy is from that week and those fringe events
01:09to really encourage particularly young people in the region to get involved in music.
01:15The Mobo Fringe that Councillor Kilgour mentioned will take place from Thursday 13th
01:19until Monday 17th February in the run-up to the Mobo Awards ceremony.
01:24The Fringe will combine live performances, workshops, industry summits and community-led
01:28initiatives across the five-day celebration. The launch of Mobo Fringe will take place at
01:34the Glasshouse which will celebrate local businesses and of course there'll be live
01:37performances which includes local artist Kay Grayson who performed at the announcement back
01:42in October. While the Glasshouse will host the majority of the Fringe events there'll be R&B,
01:48karaoke and performances from artists at The Grove on Friday the 14th February as well as
01:53other events taking place across the city which includes workshops with local schools.