Print, Power & Northern Grit: Inside RADGE with Founder Meg

I was scrolling Instagram when I stumbled across some wild shots of Scotty T in the Grainger Market. If you don’t know who Scotty T is—first of all, how? Second, get to know. He’s a proper Geordie icon.

The photos were captioned as a shoot for RADGE Mag, and I instantly knew we had to stock it. I reached out to the founder, Meg, and the following week she popped into the Mag Lounge to drop some off. We ended up chatting for ages about how RADGE came to be, her freelance work, behind-the-scenes with Scotty T, and what’s next for the magazine.

Meg’s passion for the North and what she’s building is infectious—and we wanted to hear more. Here are a few questions we asked her, and Meg’s raw answers:

Let’s rewind to the start — why the name, why now, and what fire were you chasing when you kicked it all off?

The name RADGE was born out of a conversation with a friend from the South. I casually dropped the word “radge” into conversation, something I’d said my whole life, and she looked at me blankly. That moment made me realize how specific and special the word is to the North East. From then on, I became increasingly aware of how often I used it and how deeply it is ingrained in our local identity. It can mean anything wild, chaotic, bold, or passionate, depending on the context. It’s a word that captures a spirit. And honestly? There’s always someone being radgie and doing radge things, it’s never-ending.

I’d been wanting to start a magazine for a while. After five years as a freelance artist and constantly coming up against the gatekeeping and snobbery of a creative industry that often ignores or tokenizes working-class voices, I realised I had more to say than one collage or project could ever express. I needed to build something bigger. Something collective.

RADGE isn’t just a magazine, it’s a movement. It’s a platform for those of us in the North East who are done waiting to be seen, who are tired of the assumption that we have no culture beyond getting mortal or mining. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I know so many unreal creatives up here. Writers, photographers, painters, designers, working-class artists with vision, drive, and a radgie spirit.

The problem isn’t a lack of talent; it’s a lack of opportunity and representation.

“So that’s why RADGE exists. To celebrate, document, and elevate the culture that’s already here. To be a bit loud about it. To be a bit radge about it.“

If someone brand new picked up Radge, what three words would you give them to describe the mag?

Well… RADGE. Chaotic, camp, rebellious

What’s the most “Northeast” thing about your creative process?

When I was choosing submissions for issue 1, I did a lot of it sitting in the Five Swans on Northumberland Street, drinking AU blue raspberry vodka.

Who in the Northeast inspires you?

As someone who’s part of the queer community in Newcastle, I get inspired every day from hanging out and partying with my queer friends and family. The underground queer party scene is super vibrant; it feels like a whole vibe of rebellion where nobody’s trying to fit in. Everyone’s always creating, and there’s such a strong sense of Northern spirit!

I have to give a shout-out to Meg Jepson, a photographer I work with a lot. She shot our Scotty T photos, and her perspective is honestly one of a kind. She’s so confident in herself, and that confidence really shines through in her work. She mainly focuses on Northern working-class identities, and her photos capture personalities perfectly without any mockery. And I can’t forget to mention Jade Thirlwall, our Northern queen! She’s absolutely killing it right now!

You’ve got a billboard in the middle of Newcastle for a week. No rules. What do you put on it?

I have so many ideas that’ll probably get me put on a watch list or arrested ahah. I’d make Cheryl Cole get back in her fight for this love costume and demand “RADGIES WE NEED YOU” and make a call out for the girls and the gays and the theys to come be a part of the RADGE movement. RADGE for government???

If someone’s just starting out and feels a bit lost, what’s one piece of advice you’d give them (but maybe wouldn’t have listened to yourself at the time)?

When you’re starting out, especially in creative industries that can feel intimidating or gatekeepy, it’s easy to think you have to “fit in” or tone yourself down to be taken seriously. I definitely felt that pressure. I probably wouldn’t have listened to this advice back then, I was too busy trying to prove myself on other people’s terms. But looking back, the moment things started falling into place was when I stopped trying to mould myself to someone else’s version of “professional” or “artistic” and just leaned into where I come from, how I speak, and what I care about. That’s what made RADGE happen. Not compromise, but full-on ownership of my voice and community.

“So if you’re feeling lost: don’t wait for permission. Start something messy, start it scared, just start it as you.“

What is your favourite thing about being from the Northeast?

Parmos!!! And honestly, it’s the sense of community, too, especially growing up in a small town like Darlington. I knew everyone on my estate, and even though some people were rough or had been in and out of prison, you still knew you could rely on each other.

There was even that one bloke who’d cut about trying to flog “fresh meat” out of a bag for life, and somehow, everyone just accepted it as part of estate life like he was some sort of dodgy Robin Hood.

Even in a bigger city like Newcastle, you can smile at someone in the street and they’ll smile back. I had a proper culture shock when I went to London and realised people weren’t as friendly or approachable. It feels like the North has this amazing sense of collective community, whereas other areas can come across as a lot more selfish and closed off.

What’s your dream for radge- where do you see it heading?

RADGE is only going to get radger (if that’s even a word, maybe I’ve just invented it!) I’m already planning Issue 2, and this time I’m setting myself no limitations. My dream is to build a platform that creates real opportunities for working-class northern artists and properly puts the North on the map.

“More than anything, I want RADGE to be a movement, not just a publication, a form of rebellion that proves the North has culture, talent, and creativity. We shouldn’t have to leave our communities behind or move to London just to make it.“

I want RADGE to become one of the first northern-based magazines to stand shoulder to shoulder with industry giants because it’s our time to shine and we’ve earned it!!!

I want people to hear the word RADGE and instantly think: “Oh yeah, that’s that magazine from the North East, it’s propa class!”

@radgemag