Soundtracking the North East: House Proud’s Picks

House Proud are a post-punk four-piece rising fast from the dusty heart of the North East. Formed in 2023, they’ve already carved out a name for themselves, sharing stages with the likes of Courting and Pit Pony, and earning slots at Roulette Festival and the upcoming Monument Festival- where they’ll line up alongside heavyweights like Yard Act and The Twang.

With regular slots at local staples like Museum Vaults and Pop Recs, House Proud are quickly becoming a mainstay on Northeast lineups. And while their sound is clearly reaching beyond the region, we figured-who better to ask for a few local recommendations? We caught up with the band to hear about some of their favourite acts from the area.

Onlooker

Onlooker are great live and great in the studio, we’ve seen them play a few times and recorded with their drummer, Kitto. A post-hardcore/garage rock band from Teesside, we love the super tight but chaotic sound they can conjure up. We’d highly recommend getting into a crammed room with these guys and sweating out a set. Listen HERE.

Bugman

Something about Bugman reminds us of a cross between a dangerous science experiment (gone very RIGHT), and being crammed into a dingy underground store room while a wise mentor figure shows you his rock collection. He’s got a prolific catalog of tunes (he’s brought out 8 albums in just about as many years!). Bottom line is, these riffs shake and Bugman will show you his rocks. Listen HERE.

Claudia

Imagine if Kathleen Hannah and Courtney Love had a baby, they would name it CLAUDIA. A riot grrl trio with a simple yet effective set up, the first time we saw these play, we all instantly loved their tracks and stage presence. “Dog Food” and “Revolt” are 2 great examples of a class punk band who stand out in the local music scene. Listen HERE

Black Rain

Black Rain are a band that we’ve loved ever since we overheard them practicing in the Bunker back when they first started out. Their tagline “Too goth to be punk. Too punk to be goth” sums them up pretty perfectly.  They are in the middle of getting some stuff out so definitely be on the lookout for them. Listen HERE

Seizure

Hendon born Sunderland rapper Seizure mixes his own style into RZA-esque beats.  With lyrical content ranging from the movie “Seven” to avoiding the TV license people knocking at your door. Taking the stage with his footy top and DJ he delivers the lyrics with such a unique style, few can compete (a lyrical wordsmith some might say). We’ve been following Seizure for a while now, each performance and each new tune getting better and better. “Couch” is our personal favourite. Listen HERE