Headstock: Moving Through the Silence

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Visit now

Headstock: Moving Through the Silence

18 May 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image of Ian Curtis, courtesy of Headstock
Book now

On Monday, music and mental wellbeing festival Headstock is taking over the United We Stream platform. They’ll be hosting a fundraiser featuring music and conversation celebrating the life and legacy of Ian Curtis.

Moving Through the Silence falls on the 18th May for two reasons. This date marks the 40th anniversary of the death of the Joy Division frontman, and also the start of Mental Health Awareness Week. As a Manchester-based charity focussed on changing the conversation around mental health, Headstock are perfectly placed to deliver this event, and what they’ve got in store looks pretty amazing.

Tune in on Monday and you’ll hear New Order’s Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris in conversation with DJ/writer Dave Haslam, who has co-curated the event. They’ll share their thoughts about and memories of not only an incredible mind, but a bandmate and friend.

We’ll also hear from The Killers’ frontman, Brandon Flowers, who will be talking about the influence of Joy Division on his band. Elsewhere, tributes from Manchester-based singer-songwriters Jennifer Hardy and LoneLady, poet Oliver Lomax, and a special performance of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ ft. IORA, Untold Orchestra and The Northern Session Choir, led by Dan McDwyer.

In terms of Headstock’s broader mission to ‘use music to change the conversation on mental health’, there will be further contributions from Manchester bands Elbow and The Lottery Winners, as well as acclaimed Irish rock band Kodaline, all of whom are adapting to lockdown by finding new ways to engage and support their fans.

Finally, we’ll hear from record producer, Mark Reeder – a close friend of Curtis’ who hosted Joy Division’s first and only Berlin show – and Tamsin Embleton, founder of MITC (Music Industry Therapists & Coaches), who will be discussing mental health issues in the music industry and during the lockdown.

All proceeds from this event will go to Manchester Mind, the city-region’s night-time economy, cultural organisations, Nordoff Robbins and the Greater Manchester Mayors Charity.

Where to go near Headstock: Moving Through the Silence

Manchester
Food hall
Kargo MKT

Mighty food hall in Salford Quays, with around twenty street food vendors, serving a huge range of cuisines.

Asap Coffee Interior/ Counter
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
ASAP Coffee

If you’re looking for quality coffee and a decadent brunch in a setting that nails the Northern Quarter brief, you’d struggle to do better than ASAP Coffee.

Interior of George St Chapel
Manchester
Event venue
George Street Chapel

This beautifully restored former Independent Methodist Chapel in the heart of Oldham is as much a creative hub as a heritage landmark.

Chinatown
Restaurant
Pho Cue

Family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Prepare to queue for Pho Cue.

Come to Swithens Farm for a great family day out in Leeds. Our farm has plenty to offer whatever age you are!Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around. We now have a farm shop, café, playbarn and petting farm. When we first opened we only had the usual farm animals – cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and it was free entry. We now have llamas, alpacas, meerkats, rabbits, guinea pigs, donkeys and a pony.On the working farm, we breed our own cows, pigs and sheep and we sell the meat through the farm shop and the café. If you buy a sausage sandwich from the café the sausage will be from the butcher who has made the sausage by hand using our own pork. We also produce our own free-range eggs.
Leeds
Swithens Farm

Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around.

Peak District
Restaurant
The Chequers Inn

The Chequers Inn is a 16th century, family-run, traditional country inn with an impressive dining space. The Peak District at its best.

Testbed Main Space
Leeds
Event venue
TESTBED

TESTBED is a newly renovated 10,000 sq foot event venue in Leeds that offers endless possibilities for creating unique and inspiring experiences.

Manchester
Restaurant
Salt & Pepper

Chinese inspired British food in the centre of Manchester, backed up by plenty of well-deserved local hype.

What's on: Music

MusicManchester
MF Tomlinson at The Castle

London-based, Brisbane-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson brings album number three, Die To Wake Up From A Dream, to The Castle Hotel.

From £11.00
MusicManchester
Fat Dog at Aviva Studios

On the Day of the Dead, South London’s Fat Dog bring their wired, theatrical electro-punk to their biggest stage yet.

From £25

Culture Guides

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

It's busy month across the cinemas of the north as Halloween programming leads into two of the region's biggest film festivals.

A white mattress is burning in a black rocky landscape.
Exhibitions in the North

In galleries around the North this autumn, you'll find tactile sculptures, Treasures with a capital 'T' and plant magic.

Music in the North

From New York’s experimental underground to the most exciting sounds coming from local scenes, we're lining up a noisy autumn of gigs.

Hofesh Shechter - Theatre of Dreams at Lowry
Theatre in the North

Picks this month include bold visual art, wondrous opera and cinematic dance - plus a touch of ghostly storytelling for the Halloween season.

Poet Helen Mort.
Literature Events in the North

One to add to your TBR pile, our latest round-up is a bumper edition and features some amazing events in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and beyond...