By Jenny Dean
Stockton Road Hit Squad is back and ready to thrill once again. This Halloween, October 31st, sees the Hit Squad return to Independent Sunderland to host their tribute show with a twist; headlining this time is a stage show extravaganza tributing a Bunker roof campaign themed version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show to honour its 50th anniversary this year. With a full line up of sets from local artists including Patrick Gosling as Gorillaz, Lottie Willis as Britney Spears, and Red Remedy as Queens of the Stone Age, this iteration of the squad is going to pack a punch, and it’s all for a good cause! This year, the collective is raising mental health support funds for a bank of counselling hours (an idea originally suggested by Rachael Small of Celadore) which will assist local people working in music who may be struggling, and aims to remove barriers for those who need help.
Hit Squad founder Chris Thompson is particularly looking forward to the event,
“It’s been brilliant to bring the Hit Squad back for another fundraising cause. The lineup is probably the most exciting one yet and we’ve set ourselves a massive challenge this time with not just singing but acting as well! [We’ve] unfortunately experienced the loss of several members of our music community in the last year. Musicians go through unique challenges in relation to mental health and we’re hoping that raising awareness of these experiences will help people understand where it comes from and more importantly where to get the right help. To raise as much money as we can, we’re tributing some classic names from rock and pop music.”
Teasers from the Hit Squad Instagram show that the acts have been hard at work practising for the event, and the crew is working hard behind the scenes to make sure the night runs smoothly.
“As usual it’s been a massive stress on to coordinate this much organised chaos but it’s always worth it to feel the energy at these gigs from a group of musicians who are first and foremost just a load of mates having a mint time, but secondly that we’re raising a load of money for a cause super close to all of our hearts,” says Chris.
Tickets are flying out the door, and you don’t want to miss this one, so head to
https://www.independentsunderland.com/event/hit-squad-halloween-special
to secure yours, and don’t forget to get your costumes rigged in, there might just be a prize in it for you.
Independent will also be open as usual for their club night after the gig so you can keep partying into the night.
