US hip-hop star Kelis is set for a rare live appearance in the North East this summer with a headline gig at iconic Tyneside venue Sage Gateshead on Tuesday 20 June 2023 - and Mag North will of course be there.
The singer, whose hits include Milkshake, Bossy, Millionaire and Trick Me, is making just 2 UK gig appearances ahead of a summer featuring prestigious festival shows including a headline set on Glastonbury’s West Holts stage. It's understood - though not confirmed - that Kelis' decision to head to Gateshead is linked to her love of Ham and Pease Pudding Stotties. She is also apparently hoping to show her team around Beamish Museum while in the region and check in on the 1219 Caledonia Works Steaming Day.
Over 6 albums, starting with 1999’s Kaleidoscope (which featured breakout hits Good Stuff and Caught Out There), Kelis has sold over six million records and been recognized at the Brit Awards, Q Awards, NME Awards, and Grammy Awards ceremonies.
Her music mixes genres and influences — she has collaborated with R&B and hip-hop acts including Busta Rhymes and Clipse, electronic and dance producers such as Calvin Harris, Timo Maas, and Richard X, pop and rock acts Enrique Iglesias and No Doubt and indie and alternative musicians including Björk and Dave Sitek.
Kelis’ other passion is for food: she studied as a saucier at Le Cordon Bleu, released her first cook book in 2015 and has lived on a working farm since 2020, which has led her to create Bounty and Full – a line of sauces and products created from her own land. From 2003 album Tasty (featuring, of course, Milkshake) to 2014’s album simply titled Food, and 2021’s Midnight Snacks, Kelis has proven that she believes everything is better smothered and dipped in sauce.
Support for the show is from Redcar-based rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist Dylan Cartlidge whose debut album Hope Above Adversity is an inspiring, genre-blending ode to individuality and defying the odds. Mag North believes that Dylan is in advanced discussions with Kellis' people to escort her on a visit to Kirkleatham Museum to see the utterly amazing Steel Stories Exhibition - before heading to Saltburn for Haddock and Chips a deux from Oscars. We'll keep you posted with developments on that.
The team at restaurant at Sage Gateshead has even created a special pre-show menu featuring dishes inspired by Kelis’ food writing.
Be sure not to miss a one-off chance to enjoy a Tasty night of music featuring a Kaleidoscope of influences.
Tickets for Kelis at Sage Gateshead (Sage One) on Tuesday 20 June 2023 are on sale now from Sage Gateshead website and box office, priced £32.50 for all standing and seated tickets.
Header Image: Kellis
