Fresh Thursday // Matthew C. Whitaker (Henge) + Shunya

Please note, the advertised start time is when our doors will open, generally music starts one hour after doors.

Fresh Thursday is a unique regular event that showcases new music alongside a home-cooked meal. For more information about how this event works please read the info at the bottom of this event carefully. Thank you. If you have a dietary requirement you can indicate it by selecting one of the free add-ons when purchasing your ticket.

Please note we are unable to offer refunds. You can click here to view our full refunds policy.

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Join Matthew C. Whitaker (HENGE) and Shunya for an evening of music celebrating the release of Whitaker’s second solo album, Songs for the Weary - a collection of graceful compositions incorporating classical guitar, rich string arrangements, and subtle electronics. Offering a serene listening experience, the album unfolds across eight gentle pieces woven with intricate harmonies and warm instrumentation. Co-produced and arranged in collaboration with Alan Keary (Shunya), the performance will also feature songs from Whitaker’s 2016 debut, The Man with the Anvil Hat, alongside a solo set by Shunya and special reworkings of select songs from the HENGE back catalogue.

Matthew C. Whitaker

Matthew C. Whitaker is a Manchester-based musician and composer best known for his work with cosmic prog-rave outfit HENGE, with whom he has released four acclaimed albums and toured extensively across the UK and Europe.

Alongside his high-energy work with the band, Whitaker pursues a more introspective solo practice. His debut, Man With the Anvil Hat (2016), introduced his flair for intricate harmony and richly textured soundscapes. His forthcoming release, Songs for the Weary (2026), continues this exploration with eight gentle pieces for classical guitar, lush string arrangements, and subtle electronics.

Shunya

Alan Keary is a multi-instrumentalist and producer, with a strong musical heritage, writing and producing music from the age of fourteen. Performing under the alias Shunya, his sound is a contortion of influences, stemming from his background in classical violin and jazz bass, and growing with the sounds of Manchester's electronic music scene.

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More about FRESH Thursdays...

FRESH happens every Thursday during our open seasons. It is a platform to bring you fresh new music served up alongside a homecooked plant based meal, board games and candles. It can be hard to get people out to hear music that they don’t know yet & this is why we decided to offer dinner as an incentive to try something new, these gigs are cosy, communal nights and often you get to hear completely new music for the very first time. The music varies across multiple genres but it is usually fairly gentle listening type music & well suited to a relaxed Thursday night. The gigs are seated and during the sets the audience is very music focused & quiet with time to chat in between the sets and at the end when we keep the bar open.

We cook the food from scratch usually and dinner is well suited to lover of vegetables and wholesome cooking, it's usually something like a dhal, veggie chilli, tacos, roast veg or similar, our base line is vegan sometimes with veggie options. We can cater for nut/gluten free meals, but nuts & gluten are used in the kitchen so if you have serious allergies please bear that in mind.

Doors at 7pm, we aim to get dinner ready by 8pm and will bring it to you when its ready… music usually starts around 8pm, sometimes later if it’s a busy night for food (we are a tiny team) and we aim to have the music finished by 10-10.15 pm. We can only guarantee dinner with advance tickets and these days we cap dinner at 60 meals and the food tickets do often sell out.

We hope/think it's obvious that quality music and dinner for £10 is all about culture & community and that these events cost us money… If you can afford to purchase a higher level ‘Cobalt supporters‘ ticket we appreciate the additional help towards costs very much.