The fog on the Tyne is all grime: how Geordie boys are stamping their own style on British grime

As the biggest names in the grime music industry merge genres with hip-hop and pop, are we waving goodbye to the traditional sound of British youth? After almost a two-decade existence, the future of grime music is being questioned but upcoming grime duo the North-East Dons aren’t afraid of giving the genre a new sound.

The North East is fast evolving into one of the most formidable regions in England for new and emerging music. Since forming in July 2017, Newcastle born and bred duo, Will Lawton, 19 and Morgan Cole, 20 of the North-East (NE) Dons, are continuing to impress audiences with their regional take on grime.

Sticking to their roots and letting their Geordie accents and dialect resonate, the youngest grime duo in the region have grabbed worldwide attention with their alternative grime style, although believing that the North East has a “lack of outlets” for grime artists to progress further into the world of music.

“We don’t want to sound like everyone else, we’re from the North East and we’re proud of that. We have Geordie accents so why change that? We’re different.”– NE Dons

The Dons’ relentless work rate and complex wordplay has brought the boys to the top of the regional grime scene but to them, their success has been quite a surprise. Catching the attention of BBC Newcastle’s ‘Introducing in the North East’Nick Roberts and even making a breakthrough in the South on Radio 6’s Tom Robinson Show, the boys have received national radio play and because of this, have a dedicated track playlist on the BBC Music website.

Raised on the sound of grime since it emerged in the 2000s, Will and Morgan expressed their love for the genre from a very young age and had always fantasised of pursuing careers in music. However, as children, they were often confused by grime lyrics that often revolved around gritty depictions of East London urban life – where the genre originated.

With grime originally tied in UK pirate radio stations such as Rinse FM, the boys expressed their understanding of the negative stereotypes that surrounded the genre.

Morgan said: “People think the genre is just shouting and that it encourages violence but that’s not the case. The biggest names in grime have had hard lives and are using their music platforms to talk about it, they aren’t trying to spread a negative message and neither are we.”

A sub-genre of electronic dance music, for a while grime was considered exclusively London based, becoming more popular throughout the UK in the mid 2000s. Considered the ‘God Father’ of grime, Wiley, in a recent interview with NME explained how the genre of grime only experiences chart success if it is “built on pop music”. However, this hasn’t stopped the Dons from forming their own unique grime sound with the help of producer Tom Roberts, who goes by the name ‘Dialled’.

In light of fellow Geordie singer-songwriter, Sam Fender, recently winning the 2019 Critics’ Choice Award, the NE Dons expressed their respect and admiration for a local musician achieving such a renowned accolade.

“The North East music scene is great and there is some really raw talent so it’s nice to see fellow Geordie’s going far. The region doesn’t get the recognition it deserves so we can’t believe the success we’ve had since starting,” explained Morgan.

As well as using their music as a platform for regional expression, the boys have found a new lease of life since forming the Dons. For Will, after having to leave sixth form due to a debilitating health condition, he believes his role in the NE Dons has given him purpose and made him feel driven again. Furthermore, after losing his dad at the age of 9, Will is proud to follow in his late father’s musical footsteps.

Their journey began after discovering they had a shared passion for grime music when they met five years ago. Spending a lot of time together, through break-ups and Will’s period of ill health, the boys began casual freestyling and rapping as an outlet for frustration. It wasn’t until 18 months ago that Will and Morgan decided to record their first song, which received 1,200 plays on Sound Cloud.

Morgan said: “We were literally just messing around, it was a laugh at first and we didn’t expect anything to come of it. Looking back at the song now, it was quite terrible but we were buzzing from the response considering it took us around two weeks to write and record it.”

From then on, the boys began attending an open mic night in Gateshead. It was here that they discovered the North East grime scene and began catching the attention of fellow rappers. Both working full time, the boys would often work long shifts and then put hours into writing lyrics and recording music when they got home.

To date, the boys have 15 songs out including their debut EP ‘Nang’ that features tracks with other popular grime artists such as MrTraumatik, Eyeconic and Blitz. A lot of their early work can be found on Sound Cloud but their most professional and latest work is available on Apple Music and Spotify with ‘Levelz’, ‘Pick ‘N’ Mix’ and ‘Nang’ being their most popular. Watch ‘Nang’ here:

“We don’t get a lot of money from the songs we make. On Spotify, we receive 0.007p per play but it’s not about that. We are getting recognition in over 17 countries and having national radio play is more than we ever expected,” said Will.

Their humble attitude has aided their support from people across the region. Videographer Jack Craggs has helped the boys bring their music to life- filming and editing music videos for the Dons’ latest tracks which are available to watch on YouTube.

At the moment, the boys are performing at a couple of gigs a month all over the region and have supported the likes of Tremz, Annix and SHY FX. They performed at the Meet the North Festival in 2018 and are also the resident MC’s for Asylum Events who specialise in both grime and drum & bass events.

Over the last 4 months, the boys have received recognition on the streets of Newcastle but their main goal now is to get bookings outside the North East. As well as working on solo EP’s they have a line-up of new music to share with their dedicated fan base across 2019.

Will said: “If it wasn’t for the genuine kindness and dedication of our friends, acquaintances and fellow musicians, there is no chance we’d be where we are today. We’re taking every day as it comes and can’t wait to see what the future holds for just two average Geordie boys.”

Keep up with the NE Dons’ journey on their social media: @NE_Dons on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and listen out for new music on their Youtube, Sound Cloud, Spotify and Apple Music pages.

By Lucy Clayton

*All information accurate as of January 2019.