Music and mental health social enterprise, Headstock, has partnered with leading ticketing platform Skiddle, to create an exciting new event series, ‘The Drop’ – and local production duo Solardo are taking the stage for the launch night.
The DJ duo from Manchester, best known for pumping out irresistible house beats, have just announced their first Drop event, set to perform an intimate show at The Yard on Thursday, 10 October.
Known for igniting dancefloors wherever they go, Solardo has played in iconic clubs and wowed at festivals all over the world, including Glastonbury, Tomorrowland, Creamfields, Ultra and Burning Man.
For one night only, 300 lucky people will be able to experience the electric vibes of the duo at this new event in Manchester.
Credit: Press Images (supplied)
The Drop is a monthly house music event, designed to elevate the mood of partygoers and raise both awareness and funds for mental health charities.
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Aptly named, ‘The Drop’ obviously refers to the climactic moment in electronic dance music where a track’s crescendo releases a wave of euphoria – a really fitting metaphor for the event’s mission: to raise spirits and support mental well-being.
Each month, The Drop will welcome some of the world’s most renowned DJs for an early evening rave, with proceeds supporting the music industry and local mental health charities, chosen by the featured artists. This first one just happens to be Solardo and the cult favourite Cheetham Hill venue.
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The series will highlight house and electronic dance music’s ability to stimulate feelings of joy, and the 9pm finish gives you a chance to continue your night out or head home for a well-deserved rest.
The proceeds from Solardo’s gig will go to Music Minds Matters, a national charity that puts positive mental well-being, centre stage in the music industry and supports the UK music community’s mental health through a 24/7 confidential helpline, peer support and specialised online sessions.
Supporting Solardo are fellow Mancunian breakthrough double act: Shimrise.
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Yelena Lashimba and Latoya Reisner bring high-energy performances and take an electrifying twist on house music, infusing percussion, bass and nostalgia into their sets.
If you’ve heard even a little bit of their stuff, you’ll be just as excited to hear these two as Solardo.
Taking the stage from 6pm onwards, they’ll be getting things warmed up before the main event. It’s honestly going to be such a good party atmosphere.
Atheer Al-Salim, founder of Headstock, shared the inspiration behind the series:
“At Headstock, we believe passionately in the power of music and shared experience to positively impact our mental and emotional well-being. The Drop is an embodiment of this belief and an amazing shared experience for house music fans.
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“We are excited to partner with Skiddle to launch a new event series which exists to remind people just how powerful music can be to lift our mood and brighten our day.
“It’s very fitting that we’re kicking things off on World Mental Health Day with Solardo – raising money for Music Minds Matter. This forms part of Headstock’s long-term commitment to support the mental health of those working within the music industry.”
Get ready to grab your tickets HERE because it’s going to be an unforgettable night, especially if comes even remotely close to the Solardo sets we’ve grown accustomed to. That drop really is just the best feeling, isn’t it?
Peaky Blinders creator set to produce a documentary of the upcoming Oasis reunion tour
Danny Jones
If you had any doubt that the upcoming Oasis reunion shows weren’t going to be heavily documented, you’re an absolute fool. However, we’ll admit we weren’t expecting to hear the creator of Peaky Blinders‘ name connected to the tour.
Yeah, as in the Brummies with the flat caps on the telly – them ones.
That’s right, the same man who brought Tommy Shelby and Birmingham’s most infamous gang to our screens is apparently overseeing a major documentary project which will chronicle the return of the Gallagher brothers and put the best bits on film.
As announced by the band themselves this week, Steven Knight has been confirmed as the creator and producer of the Oasis ‘Live ’25’ world tour documentary movie.
The brain behind Peaky Blinders is creating the second Oasis doc after 2016’s Supersonic. (Credit: Taylor Rooke/BBC/IMDb)
It’s worth noting to begin with that besides the BBC’s blockbuster gangster series, which is soon to be followed up with the franchise’s first feature film on Netflix, Knight does have some background in music-related media.
The 65-year-old created the six-part BBC drama, This Town, which revolves around the rise of ska and the ‘two-tone’ revival movement in the Midlands during the 1970s; he also wrote the script for the 2024 opera biopic, Maria, starring Angelina Jolie.
Other names involved in the Peaky Blinders boss’ Oasis documentary are joint directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, who made the LCD Soundsystem film, Shut Up And Play The Hits, which covers frontman James Murphy’s final gig as part of the band at Madison Square Gardens.
Although we are obviously yet to get a release window at this early stage – they’ve got to get through all 41 dates first (touch wood) – more details are expected soon.
Who’s managed to grab tickets? (Credit: Press Image)
The bedlam around ‘Live ’25’ becoming a reality may have died down a little as now just have to play the waiting game and gear up for those first gigs in July, but there have still been plenty of exciting announcements since then.
As well as Richard Ashcroft and Cast being confirmed as the two support acts for the tour, the full reunion band has also reportedly been revealed, with another member of the original 1991 lineup set to make his own comeback.
We’re still way too far away from seeing leaks of the setlist and what they’ve been playing in rehearsals etc., but we
After all, as much as love debating the best Oasis songs of all time, we’ll just be glad to hear any of them being played by the Burnage boys, together again in the flesh, for the first time in 15 years.
James Arthur to play massive Manchester show on UK arena tour next year
Emily Sergeant
James Arthur is the latest act to announce a massive UK arena tour, and he’ll be paying a visit to Manchester next year.
On the day that Manchester’s newest live entertainment arena,Co-op Live, is set to welcome one of the world’s current biggest pop star, Sabrina Carpenter, another major pop act is set to take to that very same stage around this time next year, as James Arthur has today announced a huge arena tour.
The former X Factor winner is heading out on an 11-date tour of the UK in early 2026, and that includes a visit to our city in mid February.
After performing in some of the UK’s biggest cities in the days prior – including London’s O2, the bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham, and shows in other northern cities such as Sheffield and Liverpool – the will 37-year-old singer-songwriter will stop off Manchester to close out his impressive tour.
He’ll be performing at Co-op Live on Saturday 21 February 2026.
The announcement of next year’s UK tour next year’s coincides with the upcoming release of Arthur’s highly-anticipated next studio album, PISCES.
In recent years, Arthur has cemented himself as one of the biggest names in contemporary pop and soul, amassing 11 Platinum hit singles, more 38 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and two UK number one albums along the way – including his most recent release, Bitter Sweet Love, which was celebrated with a sold-out UK and Europe arena tour, culminating in a historic performance in his hometown of Middlesbrough to an audience of 25,000 fans.
James Arthur UK arena tour dates 2025
3 February – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
4 February – Glasgow OVO Hydro
6 February – Newcastle Utilita Arena
7 February – Aberdeen P&J Live
10 February – Birmingham bp pulse LIVE
11 February – Bournemouth International Centre
13 February – Sheffield Utilita Arena
14 February – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
16 February – Cardiff Utilita Arena
18 February – London The O2
21 February – Manchester Co-op Live
James Arthur is playing a massive Manchester show on his UK arena tour next year / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
With the upcoming release of PISCES on 25 April, Arthur is said to be ‘diving deeper into his personal struggles’ to create a collection of songs that is ‘as introspective as it is sonically adventurous’.
Tickets to James Arthur’s 2026 UK arena tour, including the Manchester Co-op Live gig on Saturday 21 February, go on pre-sale next Wednesday 19 March at 9am, and then on general sale on Friday 21 February at 9am.
Emily Johnson -
26th September 2024 
