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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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?
Sankeys nightclub is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s officially happening: iconic local club Sankeys is coming back to Manchester city centre almost a decade on from its gutting closure.
The iconic ‘Sankey’s Soap’ nightlife space – which started out over in Ancoats during the mid-’90s – enjoyed numerous stints during its time in the clubbing world, as well as opening multiple partnered venues in the country and even overseas.
Now, approaching nine years after the shutdown, Sankeys is returning to Manchester in the new year, and Mancs are currently losing their minds.
Whether you are one of those who ‘remember it when’, or someone who sadly missed out on the halcyon days in the old Beehive Mill, we assure you that everyone is in agreement that this is nothing short of massive news…
First teasing the comeback back in July, as our city and the world at large were gripped by ‘Britpop Mania’ 2.0, the largely dormant Instagram account posted: “This week Manchester, and the UK, has been blessed with a homecoming of our very own, Oasis.
“We think Manchester deserves another homecoming… Definitely, maybe?”
The North West corners of the internet and veteran revellers alike were understandably quick to get excited by the potential revival, but nothing else had been said for months – until now.
Confirmed on Tuesday, 25 November, the infamous and storied nightclub’s social media team began by writing, simply: “The Legend Returns” and beckoning “a new era for Sankeys”.
It is still unclear as to where exactly the new and improved club(s) will be, but we do know that the events will be in the city centre. However, we do know we’ll be getting a familiar matrix grid installation as part of the design once again.
They will also be enforcing a strict new no-phones policy, which has become increasingly popular across the scene, thanks to the likes of Amber’s right here in Manchester.
Sankeys first opened in Manchester as "Sankeys Soap" in June 1994.[3] It was so called due to its residence inside Beehive Mill, Ancoats, which once was used to manufacture soap. The basement of the mill was transformed into a club and live music venue#pub#historypic.twitter.com/cnM6Nt23uZ
Sankeys may have remained an active promoter in the days since the building on the corner of Radium and Jersey Street (M4 6JG) closed – going on to become an unsuspecting office development – this will be the first event of the aforementioned next chapter in a flagship venue.
Promising a limited capacity of no more than 500 people, Sankeys is set to make its landmark return on
“We will only be open one night a week on Saturday. There will be no VIP or phones allowed on the dancefloor — everyone is a VIP. People need to stop taking pictures and start dancing to the beat.”
Hordes of clubbers, ravers, students and more are already signing up for early access and general admission tickets for the first two nights on Friday and Saturday, 30-31 January 2026 go on sale at 9am this Friday (28 Nov).
Get ready to grab yours HERE and party like it’s, well, 1994, 2017 – take your pick.
Review | ‘Hopefully!’, you get lucky enough to see the spectacle that is Loyle Carner live
The Manc
The O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester has this week played host to Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner this week, a.k.a. Loyle Carner, as he serenaded adoring listeners with his captivating lyrics, spine-tingling bass and drumlines, as well as his ever-laid-back warmth and charisma.
His stage name is the only spoonerism you’ll ever find in this man’s craft, as every syllable is as intentional and well-placed as the last.
Accompanied by an incredibly talented band and golden production, the night lends itself to a thought-provoking performance that leaves you wanting more. Consider me listening to nothing but this setlist for the foreseeable.
As the rumble of eager, loyal/Loyle – take your pick – listeners awaited his arrival, you could sense what this artist and his poetic music mean to people.
We've seen @LoyleCarner twice this week. We might even go again tonight – yes, he really is that good. 🎤
Opening with ‘in my mind’, just like that, you saw the crowd suddenly holding each other’s hands whilst comfortably sitting in the palm of Carner’s.
Let’s not forget his brilliant band, either, who all got their time in the spotlight and wowed as a collective.
Carner and the crowd definitely gave them the recognition they deserved, with piano solos throwing a blanket of respectful silence and tentative listening over the whole audience.
Loyle’s well-loved and special lyrics were echoed throughout the venue from start to finish.
He insisted (and not for the first time) that there’s “something special about playing in Manchester” – and we couldn’t agree more.
Carner’s vulnerability onstage opens a glowing portal for his listeners to do so as well. He encourages feeling. And as an audience, this is extremely clear in the room. It was a sea of warm embraces, agreeing heads and ignited eyes.
Loyle Carner was just as good on night two at Victoria Warehouse as he was on the first. (Credit: Audio North)
As the setlist crept towards the end, the crowd were not ready to say goodbye as the customary chants of ‘one more song!’ bounced off the Victoria Warehouse walls.
We were then blessed with a solo Loyle, who shared a typically creative and reflective spoken-word Carner special with us.
Without any demand, the crowd fell sweetly silent and absorbed his every word. A poet, pure and simple.
The 31-year-old rapper and wordsmith plays one more night at the venue to round off his mini residency tonight (Tuesday, 25 November 2025); you can try and grab last-minute tickets HERE.
Emily Johnson -
26th September 2024 
