The Sage is a new music centre opening in Gateshead tomorrow. Designed by Norman Foster (Associates), the building is like a massive three-dimensionalised waveform sitting on the south bank of the River Tyne.

I think I prefer the subtle additions made to the BALTIC Grain Silo and the moving steel arches of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge than this kind of bold, incongruous architectural statement that Foster likes to make headlines with.

However, I’m sure my opinions of the building will change when I experience it from the inside. According to a friend who went to see Zoviet France at a pre-opening gig, the acoustics are incredible; apparently, when you talk you feel as though your voice doesn’t travel very far in front of your head. Not sure what the positive implications of this are for the performers, but it sounds fascinating.

Among the performers I wouldn’t mind checking out over the next few months are:

• Roy Ayers

• Denys Baptiste

• Lemon Jelly

• Diamanda Galas

You know, I’d really like to link the above to individual pages giving details about the gigs, but I can’t because the site is poorly designed. I seem to remember giving the BALTIC web site a good slating when that launched too.