Humanity Hallows Issue 5 Out Now
Pick up your copy on campus or read online
By Charlie Fyfe-Williams
Image: Eoin Carey
For the past week Manchester has once again become the second home to the SICK! Festival. Born out of The Basement, a small live performance venue in Brighton, the festival seeks to explore the difficulties humankind finds itself face to face with in life, gently unearthing and considering our most tender mental and physical sufferings, giving spotlight to uncertainty and deflating common misconceptions.
Embracing mental health through an ever-expanding range of arts, performance, consideration and discussion, SICK! Festival has formed platforms to have difficult conversations in the public space. It also connects the city and its people with subjects that are commonly perceived as awkward.
Since piloting in Brighton in 2013, the festival has continued to grow extensively, finding that gradually, an annual theme begins to naturally present itself within the programme. This year has given focus to ‘identity’ and the sense of belonging, addressing the refugee crisis and a climate recently saturated by politics.
Stretched out across some of Manchester’s finest venues, the likes of The Lowry, Home, Contact and the Whitworth Art Gallery have become partners of the festival, propping open their doors for the fortnight, and inviting the public to create a space for experience, connection and reflection. Events and exhibitions so far have included the Before I Die installation in Stockport and a wide array of performances at HOME such as the plays Fractured Memory and If These Spasms Could Speak.
There is still plenty more to see and do around the city as part of SICK! Festival 2017. Find out more on the SICK! Festival website.
Featured image and gallery: Truck Festival For almost thirty years, set within the rolling fields of Hill Farm in Steventon, Oxfordshire, Truck Festival has been a cornerstone of the British festival calendar. Dubbed the ‘godfather of the UK’s small festival scene’, the festival continues to live up to that title, with a line-up packed with…
Featured image: American Football – American Football album artwork The debut album has long been treated as a baptism of fire for artists – the deciding factor that determines whether a band will ‘make it’ or not. Some debuts set the tone for what follows: Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m…
Featured image and gallery: Lucy Elson-Whittaker Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra come to the Palace Theatre in Manchester to celebrate the release of their new album, Night Blooms. Liverpool-based Brooke Combe opens the evening with a stripped-back set alongside her guitarist, her soulful vocals instantly captivating the crowd. Blending heartfelt performances with quick-witted…
Featured image and gallery: Sally Stretch Three decades after they first emerged in Manchester, Take That return home to the Etihad Stadium and deliver an unforgettable show, combining circus theatrics and crowd-pleasing hits from across their catalogue. Formed in 1990, the group have released multiple chart-topping albums and embarked on numerous world tours, including 2009’s…
Leave a reply