Headstock Weekender Announced for World Mental Health Day

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 10 and 11 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 10 October). 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.

Headstock Founder, Atheer Al-Salim says: “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.”

Closing the weekend is seminal night club series The Warehouse Project.  Known for hosting legendary nights in Manchester since the mid noughties, they will showcase a four-hour party, followed by an exclusive performance from House Gospel Choir, and back-to-back headline sets from Liverpool DJ & producer Yousef and Leeds electronic duo Prospa. All of this will lead into Art Battle Manchester’s epic event conclusion, which will see eight artists going head-to-head to create a masterpiece in just 30 minutes. The artwork will then be auctioned off and proceeds split between the artists and Headstock’s charity partners.

Headstock Weekender will also feature exclusive talks and interviews with the likes of former World Champion boxer Ricky Hatton MBE, who has spoken openly about his mental health, DJ and founder of Happy Days for Everyone Brandon Block, BBC Radio 1’s Dr Radha along with wellbeing sessions from the likes of epidemiologist and author Professor Tim Spector and life coach Josh Connolly.

The event will focus on the positive impact that both music & movement can have when it comes to managing and maintaining good mental health.  Viewers are encouraged to take part in the wellness sessions, gain advice from the talks and dance their socks off to the exclusive performances.

United We Stream executive producer, Sacha Lord comments: “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.”

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.  Previous events include the hugely successful Moving Through the Silence: Celebrating the Life & Legacy of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis virtual event which included streamed conversation and performances from the likes of New Order, Elbow and The Killers’ Brandon Flowers and attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Joe Hastings, Head of Music Minds Matters at Help Musicians says: “We are so pleased to be a charity partner of Headstock in this extraordinary year; a year in which the support offered by Help Musicians has been needed more than ever. The pandemic continues to have a devastating effect on the landscape for musicians, and as tens of thousands of performers still unable to earn a living, the effects of this hardship on their mental health pose great concern. As a charity, we have expanded our financial hardship, creative development and mental health support to make sure that we reach as many musicians as possible. With the need set to continue for many months ahead, we’re delighted to be part of Headstock again and guarantee that every penny donated this weekend will go directly to supporting musicians in desperate need.”

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 HERE.  Alternatively viewers can donate £5 by texting HEADSTOCKLIVE to 70085.

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.

Elizabeth Simpson, CEO, Manchester Mind says: “We are proud to partner with Headstock for World Mental Health Day 2020. The coronavirus has brought with it a global mental health pandemic, which has especially affected young people. Here at Manchester Mind we focus on early intervention, as getting the right help at the right time is vital. We support 15-25 year olds through a range of emotional and practical services, which continue to evolve to meet current needs. Donations raised through Headstock will help fund our services for young people, and we are truly grateful for the lasting difference this will make.”

For full line up, line up additions and more information visit the Headstock Justgiving page HERE