Teen Star Pleads to Keep Redcar's Beloved Music Hub Alive

Seventeen-year-old Noah, a local musician and songwriter, is urging the council to keep a music venue called Tuned In! open for young people in Redcar. Noah is worried because Redcar and Cleveland Council has announced that a private company will soon take over running Tuned In! after a big redesign. The council says the changes will make Tuned In! a better place for young people, but Noah is concerned that it might not stay focused on helping kids learn music. He understands that the council needs to make money by holding events at the venue, but he believes it is just as important to support young people in the community.

Noah started going to Tuned In! when he was 13 years old. At that time, he was too anxious to go to school and was learning at home. Tuned In! became a safe place for him to learn music and meet new people. There, he met his music producer and vocal coach, which helped him become a real artist. Now, Noah has almost two million views on TikTok, over 11,000 streams on Spotify, and has performed at many shows in the Teesside area. He says that without Tuned In! , he would not have had the confidence to follow his dream of making music.

Tuned In! was built in 2011 with five million pounds from the European Regional Development Fund. It was meant to give young people between 13 and 19 years old a place to learn about music and the arts. The building is white with a green roof and has been used for other things too, like offices and a Covid-19 testing center. Noah says that Tuned In! has not been fully open for two years, and the weekly music group now meets in a smaller venue in Skelton, which is harder for some people to reach. The council is spending two million pounds from the Levelling Up fund to redesign Tuned In! with a new theater, box office, bar, café, and creative spaces. A council spokeswoman said the new Tuned In! will still focus on arts and performing, and they are looking for someone to run it. She also said the council is still investing in youth centers and other activities for young people. Noah hopes that Tuned In! will stay a place where kids can learn, create, and perform music.