Headstock is proud to announce the Headstock Weekender taking place via the United We Stream platform in aid of charity partners Help Musicians and Manchester Mind.
On the 10th and 11th October 2020, Headstock will again be taking over the United We Stream GM platform to host a virtual music & mental wellbeing weekender to mark World Mental Health Day (Saturday 10th October).
“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. 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.”
(Sacha Lord, United We Stream Executive Producer)
The online event will feature two days of live music, exclusive talks, and immersive wellbeing experiences. Anyone can access the event for free, with donations encouraged to raise much-needed funds for Headstock’s charity partners Help Musicians and Manchester Mind, as well as raising awareness for text support service Shout 85258.
The two-day virtual event replaces a previously planned week-long festival pencilled to take place across Manchester during May 2020. Unfortunately like many other live events, it had to be postponed as a result of the global pandemic.
The weekender festival will feature exclusive performances from the likes of UK chart-topping rock band Nothing But Thieves and acclaimed Irish rock band Kodaline, along-side some of Greater Manchester’s most exciting bands including Larkins, The Slow Readers Club, The Lottery Winners and Lucy Deakin.
Across the weekend viewers will be treated to a whole host of content including an evening of comedy curated by Nodding Dog Comedy, filmed in Escape to Freight Island, Manchester’s brand-new COVID safe outdoor entertainment space. Headstock has also teamed up with the UK’s notorious sober rave Morning Gloryville, inviting viewers to rise and shine with Liam Browne’s Yoga Rave before the legendary DJ Paulette takes over with an exclusive 2hr set.
There will also be wellbeing sessions 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.
World Champion boxer and Mancunian Ricky Hatton MBE, who has spoken openly about his mental health.
“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 every day and stay connected with the people around you.”
(Ricky Hatton)
Headstock launched in October 2019 as a direct response to the disproportionate level of mental health issues across Greater Manchester and the North West and is founded upon a belief in the power of music to positively impact our emotional and mental wellbeing. Focusing on prevention rather than cure, Headstock aims to empower people to take stock of their own mental health.
For full line up, line up additions and more information visit the Headstock Justgiving page here.
