The Globe lines up five acts for Mercury Prize Fringe

The Globe Showcase brings five very different sounds together at The Globe, Newcastle on Friday 16 October 2026, with Sophie Gordon Band, RYE, The Combovers, Jade Mia Broadhead and DJ Visra on the Mercury Prize Fringe bill.

The event starts at 6pm and runs late, giving one of Newcastle’s independent venues the chance to put its own musical identity at the centre of Mercury week. Rather than building the night around a single genre, The Globe has gone for a line-up that moves across disco, funk, pop, electronic music, art-school experimentation and folk-punk before Visra closes things out behind the decks.

The Globe Showcase mixes five sides of Newcastle music

Sophie Gordon Band headline with a blend of disco, funk and pop, while RYE brings electronic influences into the evening. The Combovers add what Generator describes as an art-student sound, and Jade Mia Broadhead takes the bill in another direction with folk-punk songwriting. Visra then rounds off the showcase with a DJ set.

That variety feels particularly suited to the Fringe. The wider programme is built around the city’s venues and creative communities, so this is less about forcing every act into the same lane and more about showing the range that can exist within one grassroots bill. For anyone looking to use Mercury week to catch several emerging names in one place, The Globe’s line-up should make for one of the easiest opportunities to do exactly that.

Mercury Prize Fringe runs across Newcastle from 15 to 22 October, leading into the Mercury Prize Awards at Utilita Arena Newcastle. Generator says every Fringe gig is Pay As You Feel, with contributions going directly back to the venues hosting the programme. Tickets are still required, so it is worth securing a place before the night.

The Globe Showcase
Date: Friday 16 October 2026
Time: 6pm until late
Venue: The Globe, Newcastle
Line-up: Sophie Gordon Band, RYE, The Combovers, Jade Mia Broadhead and DJ Visra
Tickets: Pay As You Feel; booking required

Read the official Globe Showcase listing and browse the full Mercury Prize Fringe programme.

Event details can change. Check the official event and ticket pages before travelling.