What a weekend! Tonic Music Lounge @ Shiiine On in Skegness
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Tonic Music made their debut appearance at the Skegness 'Shiiine On Weekender' in March, where we set up the Tonic Music Lounge, as well as selling merchandise, vinyl and CDs, and a raffle.
If “ideas in a pub are usually always the best” is not the perfect way to explain how Shiiine On Weekender came to be by one of its founders, then it’s hard to know what else is.
Since launching in 2015, Shiiine On Weekender is one of the UK’s best indie and dance all-indoor festivals, celebrating the iconic eras of 80s and 90s alternative, britpop and dance music.
Across the weekend-long party, there were many big names performing, such as Lightning Seeds, Embrace, The Enemy, as well as pool parties, DJ sets and various other activities to be enjoyed.
Tonic Music journeyed up to Lincolnshire's coastline for the very first time at Skegness’s Shiiine On Weekender with the Tonic Music Lounge located in the Beachcomber Inn’s conservatory.
From acoustic sets, to poetry, to DJ sets that turned the Beachcomber Inn into a rave, our Live Lounge was taken over by a range of different performances throughout the three-day extravaganza, as well as many mental health-related chats with our lineup.
Plenty of our stylish merch was available to be purchased, along with a party-goers dream of festival clothing and accessories, an eclectic selection of records and CDs for sale, our very own raffle, and resources on the mental health services we provide.
Day One
First up on our Lounge was singer-songwriter Mike West (pictured below), who certainly knows how to stir up a storm with a banjo in hand.
Originally known as the lopsided-fringed frontman of indie band The Man From Delmonte during the late 1980s, the musician emigrated to New Orleans in the 90s and kickstarted his solo career in music, where he would go on to release 10 albums during this time.
A set filled with a thick American-country accent and a whole lot of Bluegrass-style banjo picking, what wasn’t there to love about West’s live set?
“All musicians are in the same boat,” said West, “we are just getting through the day with the same kind of demons, just like anybody else.”
“You’ve got to forgive yourself for the things you screw up and for the things that do not go well – you have to be able to acknowledge it, get past it, and be like yep, I did that.”
Our Programmes Lead, Jeordie Shenton, hosted a live interview with radio presenter and comedian Iain Lee, who spoke about his love for The Man From Delmonte and being part of the reformation of the band last year.
As well as this, Lee opened up about his mental health journey – from addiction, to being diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar later on in his life, to becoming a counsellor.
When discussing Lee’s initial idea on wanting to become a counsellor, he explained how many things led up to him training as a counsellor.
“I am a recovering drug addict, and I have bipolar,” he admitted, “but the main turning point was when I was doing a late night phoning show, and we had a man calling in who had overdosed.”
“I came away from that situation thinking I wonder what I could have done if I had been trained.”
During COVID-19 in 2020, Lee lost his job in radio and for the first time in 25 years, the phone did not ring for work.
So, Lee was at a crossroads in his career. “Someone who had also been on telly and trained to be a counsellor got in touch, and I ended up doing a course, and then that became my job.”
Shiiine On’s resident DJ Trappsy (pictured below) hopped onto Tonic’s decks and played us some classic dance tracks, perfect for the club-goers of the 90s.
Team Tonic had the pleasure to chat to the resident DJ, where he spoke about his experiences with panic attacks during the start of his DJ-ing career.
“I had everything– a good girlfriend, a house, earning a lot of money, and all of a sudden I just didn’t feel well.”
When meeting a like-minded individual who shared the same experience as the DJ, he explained that “getting to talk about it with somebody made me feel so much better, which is much easier said than done.”
“It sometimes feels embarrassing for people to talk about mental health, and it isn’t easy to talk about it, but in my own experience meeting that one person who shared the same experience helped me one hundred percent.”
Day Two
Bringing the sunshine to our Lounge on a bitterly cold morning was Sarah L. Dixon (pictured below), where the blue-haired poet read aloud poems from her most recent book A bit like falling in love, as well as reading new poems that are yet to be published.
Writing for 35 years, most of Dixon’s work is inspired by the nostalgia of being an indie kid during the 90s, and capturing her experience and passion for music.
When listening to music, the poet shared she’s “in a world of utter joy.”
“When I listen to music, in my head I’m a 15 year old 90s indie kid all over again.”
Promptly after Dixon finished her set, Iain Lee was back again and sat down on the Tonic Music sofa with 90s icon James Atkin about his musical career with EMF, teaching, and what he was up to at Shiiine On.
With Spinout Revenue DJs playing a lively mix of 90s dance music after Atkin and Lee’s interview, Babyshambles drummer and Tonic Music psychotherapist Adam Ficek hit the decks alongside Steve Facer, playing a combination of indie, Madchester, 60s, new wave and northern soul music throughout the afternoon.
Not only this, we had a fantastic acoustic set from Scottish band The Shermans (pictured below), as well as the opportunity to sit down with the two guitarists from the band and discuss their go to pick-me-up albums of their choice.
“Enema Of The State by blink-182 is my go-to album because – I know you are laughing!” Says guitarist Nick Cheetham as he is interrupted by his bandmate finding his choice of album amusing.
“blink-182 were my first band I got into when I was 14, and that was before life gets stressful. So when I listen to that album, it takes me back to that time in my life.”
Finishing up our second day at Shiiine On was singer and guitarist Tommy Washington (pictured below), who played a brilliant acoustic set amongst the hustle and bustle of the Tonic Music Lounge and shop.
Day Three
With the weekender coming to a close, we still had a banging lineup throughout the last day of Shiiine On to get through at the Tonic Music Lounge.
After The Loose Cut (pictured below) played a compelling acoustic set, Team Tonic seized the opportunity to have a chat with the Yorkshire-based band, with a particular question in mind to ask them.
If you are not aware, The Loose Cut’s social media is rather unique compared to other contemporary bands. When going onto their Instagram page, the first thing your eyes will stumble upon is the singer George Fayle commenting on different pastries. Yes, you read that correctly.
“I saw a video of some pastries rising in an oven, and I just started saying out loud what I was seeing – bread, pain au chocolat,” explained the singer, “and I posted it for a laugh, and before I knew it I had 1.7 million views on it.”
“People were finding those commentary videos, then finding the band’s music. It was completely by accident!”
With the pastry-talk out of the way, the chat led onto discussing their single Haunt, to which the singer shared his experience of losing his mum to pancreatic cancer.
“It was an incredibly difficult thing to experience,” he opened up, “and the most cathartic thing for me was writing Haunt, and every time I get to play it I feel that little bit lighter.”
“I feel like I am getting it out of my system and confronting it. I encourage everyone to express themselves and talk about their difficult experiences.”
Originally a 90s band that made electronic dance music, Surreal Madrid rocked up in snazzy suits to play an all acoustic set – something they never probably expected to do.
With a vocal style similar to Phil Daniels in Blur’s Parklife, the five-piece band certainly brought the good vibes to the Skegness weekender, along with their first acoustic set to go down a treat with the audience.
“I am coming towards the end of studying Music Therapy,” shared pianist Ken Box, “in our essays, we have to provide information about how we handle our mental health– and one of the things for me is playing in this band. It is an escape from the intensity of this course.”
Manchester-based band Rosellas performed a short but sweet acoustic set, stating how music is “like an escape.”
”Playing music, songwriting, and going to gigs, it’s an escape for me,” said guitarist Euan Mail, “It’s massively beneficial to my mental health.”
James Atkin returned to the Tonic Music Lounge for a 90s dance DJ set, turning the Beachcomber Inn’s conservatory into a pint-sized rave.
To complete Tonic Music’s debut at Skegness’s Shiiine On, The Bluetones singer- songwriter Mark Morriss joined Jeordie Shenton for a live interview.
At this point in the day, the remains of Atkin’s rave still lingered, so it was once again packed in the Lounge – leading to a very intimate live interview.
Once the interview had come to an end, the singer-songwriter had just enough time to play two songs on his acoustic guitar, before rushing off to rehearse for The Bluetones to play later that night.
Thank You
A big thank you to Shiiine On for inviting us to our first weekender at Skegness – we are sure it will not be the last!
Thank you to everyone who donated – every donation helps us to support music communities access free therapy sessions, peer groups, skills workshops and training courses.
We look forward to seeing you at this year’s Shiiine On Weekender in Minehead!
Don't forget to check out all our Courses, Groups and Workshops currently open for registration for working musicians and those working within the music.
