On 20th March at the arts centre in Darlington there was a range of activities under the name of “Urban Splurge”. The evening was free for 13-19 year olds. The activities ranged from live music – break dancing – even making tee-shirts/bags.

The live music was created by Eskimo Sandwich, Settle For Less and Arsenal of Freedom.

Eskimo Sandwich are a band from Northallerton with George on vocals, Ally on drums, Seb on guitar and Dickie on bass. The genre of the music is alternative, pop/rock and a bit of indie. Their influences are Muse, Pink Floyd and The Music. The band at the moment are trying to signed. The band wowed the crowd with songs like “Drift Away”, “Amplified” and “Which Way to Go”.

Next up was Settle For Less who are from County Durham. Their name originated from not having to “Settle For Less”. The band consists of Chris Slater – Vocals/Guitar, Stephen Willson- Bass/Vocals, Chris Myers – Guitar and Will Shaw – drums. The genre is pop/rock (xylophonic hardcore!!!) with influences such as Children’s Toys, Chuck Norris, All Time Low and Sheep. The songs played on the night were a mix of their own (Open Your Eyes, Not Your Legs) and some covers (1000 Miles). Their EP is out soon! Also check them out at a charity gig they are playing at on 7th May at Darlington Forum – Tunes For Tilly.

Arsenal Of Freedom was last to impress the crowd. The band are from Newton Aycliffe with Jamie Farrell playing drums and vocals, Jason Snowball playing guitar Ross “the cook” Cooper and Kyle Robinson playing bass and barking. The name came from an episode of Star Trek Next Generation. The genre of the band is a metaphor to the earth – rocky with a bit of metal. Their influences are Killswitch Engage and basically any band that is heavy or sound good. Their EP should be out soon so keep a watch out for it!

Also on the night there was a break dancing session for the break. A group of people stood in a circle and came running in to different break dances, almost like a dance off. It ranged from professional to amateur. The break dance was situated on a big stage with rows of chairs for the crowd to watch eagerly.

Also in one of the surrounding rooms there were lots of arts and crafts to create tee-shirts. There were a load of tee-shirts in a room and you basically picked the size and style of the tee-shirt you want and then used the crafts to design one.

The night was basically a whole load of fun with lots of activities and a real good night.

By Emily O’Hara