Punk takes over Newcastle Museum on 1 October

Newcastle Museum is not exactly the first place that comes to mind when you think of punk, but on Thursday 1 October it is trading its usual quiet for something loud. NM:PM : PUNK!, put on by New Annual and the museum, is a free, unapologetically local night that runs from 6:00pm to 10:00pm, with a support band kicking off at 5:00pm. It is all-ages, free and drop-in, so there is no need to book ahead.

The lineup is a genuine cross-section of the city's punk history. Boudicca open at 6:00pm, a thrash-infused hardcore punk rock band from Muluubinba / Awabakal and Worimi Country, right here in Newcastle, who have shared stages with the likes of Amyl & The Sniffers and the Dead Kennedys. Their new EP, Wretched, takes on uncomfortable histories and an unacceptable present through music that is hard to pin down. At 7:00pm comes No Reason, a loud power trio that has been going since 1989 and pulls from punk rock, melodic and indie influences that lean towards GBH, Poison Idea, Husker Du, The Afghan Whigs and Archers of Loaf. Michael Cornish on vocals and bass, Peter Flood on drums, Theren Saxon on guitar and vocals and Luke Williams on drums have a discography that runs from the 1993 single Someday to the 1994 debut album Way Splattered Youth, the 1997 Above All and the 15-track compilation Resurface.

8:00pm brings Bitchcraft, a Newcastle punk rock band returning for a one-night-only comeback after eighteen years together and a five-year hiatus, with new songs and a recording in the pipeline. And at 9:00pm, The Porkers close things out. They started as The Pork Hunts in 1987 before becoming The Porkers in 1990, with their first release, the Tired of Being Pork Hunts EP, in 1990 and their debut album, Grunt!, in 1994. Pete Porker is still at the front, with Bigfil on saxophone.

There is plenty to do around the music. DIY Alley lets you make zines, posters, badges and fashion; there is a human-sized claw machine, vintage footage of the city's most legendary gigs, food trucks, a bar and merchandise. If you are bringing kids or anyone who needs it, the museum is wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly, all on a single floor with fully accessible entrances, galleries and accessible toilets within the main exhibition area. A few sensory warnings are worth knowing before you go: loud music, dark spaces, concert lighting, smoke machines and the possibility of coarse language during the sets. The City of Newcastle acknowledges the Awabakal and Worimi peoples and their cultural heritage, beliefs and continuing relationship with the land.

So, if you fancy a night of loud, local punk in a place that usually asks you to keep your voice down, this is it. The full run-down of the night is free and open to everyone, with the support band at 5:00pm, Boudicca at 6:00pm, No Reason at 7:00pm, Bitchcraft at 8:00pm and The Porkers at 9:00pm. It is a rare chance to see four generations of Newcastle punk on one bill, all under one roof and without spending a cent.