New virtual music and mental wellbeing festival Headstock announces bumper lineup
The two-day event is set to be beamed out across the nation via the United We Stream platform - with support from the Hits Radio Network and in aid of charity partners Help Musicians and Manchester Mind.
Mental health and music festival Headstock has confirmed a bumper lineup for a full weekend of live performances, talks and experiences in October.
The two-day event is set to be beamed out across the nation via the United We Stream platform – with support from the Hits Radio Network and in aid of charity partners Help Musicians and Manchester Mind.
A virtual festival replaces a week-long event originally scheduled to take place across Manchester during May 2020, postponed due to coronavirus.
Headstock reincarnated will go live on World Mental Health Day – streaming on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October.
Anyone can access the event for free, with donations encouraged to raise funds for Headstock’s charity partners Help Musicians and Manchester Mind, raising awareness for text support service Shout 85258.
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Already confirmed to appear on the bill are UK chart-topping rock band Nothing But Thieves and acclaimed Irish rock band Kodaline, alongside exciting Greater Manchester bands Larkins, The Slow Readers Club, The Lottery Winners and Lucy Deakin.
There’ll be comedy curated by Nodding Dog Comedy (filmed in Escape to Freight Island), a Yoga Rave with Liam Browne, and two-hour set from legendary DJ Paulette.
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Wellbeing sessions are also being hosted across the weekend including Yoga Nidra with DJ and Bestival co-founder Rob Da Bank, a Sound Bath with Morning Gloryville, and Energising Morning Flow and Sound Healing workshops delivered by boutique gym BLOK.
United We Stream executive producer, Sacha Lord commented: “In my role as Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, I am fully aware that my sector is more prone to Mental Health, than the majority of other sectors.
“With new measures in place, many venues still closed, there is an underlying amount of fear and anxiety for the future, not just amongst operators, but amongst employees too. The next few months see us venture into the unknown and this reiterates the importance of Headstock.
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“We need to be talking, we need to be looking out for each other. Music brings us together and I’m delighted that United We Stream could again help out Headstock as a platform.”
Closing the weekend is Lord’s seminal night club series The Warehouse Project.
Known for hosting legendary nights in Manchester since the mid-noughties, WHP will showcase a four-hour party followed by an exclusive performance from House Gospel Choir and back-to-back headline sets from Yousef and Prospa.
Eight artists will then go head-to-head to create an art masterpiece in just 30 minutes – with the final product auctioned off and proceeds split between the artists and Headstock’s charity partners.
Former World Champion boxer Ricky Hatton, DJ Brandon Block, and BBC Radio 1’s Dr Radha will be logging on to take part in talks.
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Hatton said: “The Headstock Festival is a great idea and it’s so important to be having such a positive event during these difficult times.
“We all have to manage our mental health, particularly as we deal with lockdown and this can be as simple as going for a walk or run, listening to music or hitting the punchbag.
“You have to try and do something you like everyday and stay connected with the people around you.”
According to Headstock organisers, the event will focus on the positive impact that both music and movement can have when it comes to managing and maintaining good mental health.
The festival launched in October 2019 as a direct response to the disproportionate level of mental health issues across the North West; founded upon a belief in the power of music to positively impact our emotional and mental wellbeing.
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Focused on prevention rather than cure, Headstock aims to empower people to take stock of their own mental health.
Headstock Founder, Atheer Al-Salim said: “Through the power of music and shared experiences, our goal is to create change by changing the conversation around mental health. Music has a huge role to play in our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and that applies now, more than ever.
“Like so many live events, our plans for 2020 have had to change, but we’ve adapted to the times, and are delighted to continue our relationship with United We Stream in order to deliver this exciting event. We’ve curated a jam-packed programme across World Mental Health Day weekend that combines music, talks and wellbeing experiences, so we really hope that people are able to take what they need from this very special virtual event.”
Viewers can tune in to the event for free on United We Stream HERE.
‘Festivalgoers’ are encouraged to buy a virtual ticket for the event or donate an amount they can afford via Justgiving.
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All proceeds from the event will go to Headstock’s charity partners Help Musicians and Manchester Mind. Donations will help support vital emotional and practical services for young people and musicians.
For the full line up, new additions and more information visit the Headstock Justgiving page HERE.
FULL LINE UP – MORE TO BE ADDED
SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER 2020
BLOK: Energising Moring Flow – Breath & Move
LIIMO
ARTISTS TBA
TALK: PROFESSOR TIM SPECTOR
LUCY DEAKIN
THE SLOW READERS CLUB
THE LOTTERY WINNERS
TALK: DR RADHA x JOSH CONNOLLY
KODALINE
LARKINS
NOTHING BUT THIEVES
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: RICKY HATTON
BLOK: BLOKsound with Koral
NODDING DOG COMEDY – At Escape to Freight Island – Brennan Reece / Freddy Quinne / Lindsey Davies / Bexie Archer / Phil Chapman / Matt Stellingwerf / Mike Newall / Vince Atta / Hayley Ellis / Isma Almas
SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2020
MORNING GLORYVILLE – DJ Paulette – Yoga Rave with Liam Browne (music by Rae Marie)
SOUND BATH – with Morning Gloryville
INTERVIEW: BRANDON BLOCK
THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT
HOUSE GOSPEL CHOIR
HEADLINE DJ SETS – YOUSEF / PROSPA
ART BATTLE MANCHESTER
Audio
Manchester’s beautiful winter Teepee is back, with free pints this weekend and live music every day
Daisy Jackson
Nothing heralds the arrival of the autumn/winter seasons quite like the appearance of The Oast House’s beautiful winter Teepee.
The popular seasonal space is officially reopening its doors this weekend, and inside you’ll find roaring fires, a giant disco ball, live music, and plenty of pints to keep the colder months feeling a little less grim.
After giving its beer garden a major glow-up this spring and hosting a summer packed with live music, The Oast House is bringing back one of Manchester’s favourite winter hangouts – and it’s kicking things off with a proper belter of an opening weekend.
We’re talking twinkling fairy lights, faux fur throws, and a dedicated bar pouring Staropramen fresh from the tank, all inside its massive winter Teepee.
And there’s even better news for the first few through the door.
To celebrate the Teepee’s return, The Oast House team will be cracking open a full tank of fresh Staropramen on Saturday 10 October, with free pints up for grabs for the first 440 guests.
There’ll be live music every night in the winter TeepeeManchester’s cosiest venue is back
The Teepee will be keeping things lively seven nights a week throughout autumn and winter, with The Oast House’s much-loved Open House programme moving indoors for the season.
Expect everything from Bandeoke and Musical Bingo to Retro Sounds and Oast Acoustic sessions, meaning there’ll be something different on the cards every night of the week.
The venue’s free monthly live music festival, Oast House Live, isn’t going anywhere either. It’ll continue inside the Teepee on the last Saturday of every month, bringing even more live music to the heart of Spinningfields.
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Oast House without a menu worth getting stuck into.
The kitchen will be serving up its 12-hour-brined rotisserie chicken, alongside a line-up of tempting sides like Ziggy Fries tossed in chicken salt and chicken butter, cheddar and onion slaw, and charred corn on the cob drenched in house-made Scotch bonnet butter.
Food in The Oast House Winter TeepeeThere’ll be 450 free pints given away on SaturdayRotisserie chicken
And if you’re after something a bit different, the house-special ‘addictive’ Chicken (T)oastie is one you won’t want to miss.
Sundays are all about the roast, too, with the kitchen dishing up its signature rotisserie chicken alongside chicken-butter roasties tossed in chicken salt, all the trimmings and bottomless house chicken gravy.
Basically, if you’re after somewhere to escape the cold without sacrificing a good night out, you know where to head.
The Oast House and its Winter Teepee are open daily from 11am until late throughout the season.
The Oast House Winter Teepee opens Saturday 10 October, with free Staropramen pints for the first 440 guests.
For more information and to book your table, head HERE.
Pussycat Dolls at Co-op Live – tickets, times and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
American girl group Pussycat Dolls have reunited for a UK tour, stopping off at Co-op Live in Manchester with their powerhouse pop anthems.
Releasing their first LP in 2005, this pop girl group have a variety of radio hits to their name like ‘Don’t Cha’, ‘When I Grow Up’ and ‘Buttons’.
Over the years, the Pussycat Dolls lineup has gone through significant changes with this latest reunion comprised of Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberley Wyatt and Ashley Roberts.
The trio even released some brand-new material to coincide with the announcement of their UK and EU tour titled ‘Club Song’.
Now the girls are about to put their Doll Domination to the test as they bring their PCD Forever Tour in arenas across the nation.
Gig guide – Pussycat Dolls at Co-op Live, Manchester
Doors for Pussycat Dolls at Co-op Live open from 6pm with a start time listed of 7pm with Lil’ Kim and rising girl group Deja Vu kicking things off.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can get home and loosen your ‘Buttons’, hopefully before the clock strikes twelve.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
The Manc -
29th September 2020 
