The last few days have seen the launch and conference of AV Fest in Newcastle, Gateshead, Middlesborough and Sunderland – and after having a quick coffee with Gaby Jenks and Kate Taylor to catch up on what they’d managed to get to I launched in too. . . . The first event I saw was the performance Radiophonia at the Sage. The Radiophonia Workshop is 50 years old this year  - and like many movements born in 1968, there is a very strong aesthetic – the Doctor Who theme tune being the most famous sound track they produced. I really enjoyed this event. The group playing, described (rather elusively) as the Sage Participation Group had apparently only 3 days to prepare and were not previously musicians. Using a range of tools that included a lamp shade, a plastic bag, a wooden pestle and mortar, a microphone and a tape player and several electric keyboards, the group built up a very well structured and layered composition of sounds. It was sophisticated and fun. As well as a captivating output, the group clearly enjoyed the performance – and it was great to see this kind of participation taking centre stage within a festival environment.