MEET THE TEAM.
Welcome to Northern Parasol’s new blog! We will be posting regular updates, reviews and various other items that pop into our heads. For now, here are 20 questions with Northern Parasol’s two founders, Aaron Chislett & Tom Pritchard.
Aaron Chislett
Role in Northern Parasol? I am the co-founder and co-director of Northern Parasol. I’m in charge of booking artists for our shows, as well as being the artist liaison and social media manager.
Where are you from? Warrington. A large town slap bang in between Liverpool and Manchester. The scousers tried to claim me, but I was having none of it.
Tell us a little bit about your interests outside of music? I’m an avid record collector and self-described audiophile. I love playing guitar, and I have a slight obsession with the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (the 60s-70s obsession goes way back). 20th-century history is a huge passion of mine, especially the Cold War and events surrounding Vietnam.
What becomes of the brokenhearted? Cigarettes and whiskey and the occasional fence jumping.
What was your first concert? Liam Gallagher @ Manchester Arena
What’s your favourite concert? Paul McCartney @ COOP Live 2025. I didn’t have a ticket, so I stood outside the venue with a cardboard sign asking for a spare ticket. It worked!
How do you like your eggs? Shaken, not stirred.
Who is the most important artist in your life? Oasis - the first band that I got into without direct influence from my parent’s record collection. They opened the door to music for me, and I wouldn't be where I am today without those five lads from Manchester. Bowie, TRex and Boston are all honourable mentions.
What does Manchester mean to you? It's the best city in the world, a must for all music lovers, old and young. With more rockstars per capita than any other city in the known universe, it's where music flourishes. From early British blues to post-punk and Madchester, Manchester’s got it all.
Indian or Chinese take out? Who wants a Chinese? Boshhhhh.
Oasis or Blur? I think you can guess what my answer is.
The Beatles or The Stones? The Beatles, my whole time at uni was plagued by “Has anyone ever told you that you look like John Lennon?”. Hopefully, I don't get shot walking out of my flat building anytime soon.
JLS or One Direction? One Direction - proud to say they’re not even a guilty pleasure, they’ve got some bangers!
What’s your personal Northern Parasol highlight (so far)? The success of our ‘Nightshift’ residency shows at Eagle Inn.
What is your personal aim for Northern Parasol? To make an impact on the British music scene, big or small. To even have the smallest part to play in Manchester’s vast musical history is truly an honour.
What’s your favourite song by a band that has played a Northern Parasol show? Green Eyes by Blindspot - is an unreleased already legendary song by a band called Blindspot - who I can proudly call my close friends.
Tea or Coffee? Tea. I’m English.
What venue outside of Manchester would you like to put a gig on at? Rock City in Nottingham.
What did you have for tea last night? Spag bol.
Tom Pritchard
Role in Northern Parasol? I’m the co-founder and co-director of Northern Parasol. I’m also in charge of policy decisions and bookings with the venues.
Where are you from? I was born in Bath, growing up in Wiltshire until I was 8 then my family relocated to Mid Wales. There I met the boys from Marshal & The Hats and Ben, the bassist from Thee Spicy Leviathan. In September 2020, I moved to Manchester for Uni, met Aaron, met my partner and now live here permanently.
Tell us a little bit about your interests outside of music? I studied Filmmaking at Uni, so shockingly I quite like film, specifically the Noir films of the 30s & 40s, silent film (which was the subject of my dissertation) and I love basically any indie, British film. I like football, though I support West Bromwich Albion and it’s questionable if they actually play football. I also love a good spreadsheet.
What becomes of the brokenhearted? They become West Brom fans and it gets worse
What was your first concert? I believe my first concert was Bjorn Again, an ABBA tribute band that I saw when I was 4? Maybe 5? One of the first gigs I properly remember was Los Pacaminos when I was 5 or 6. The first gig I paid for and took myself to was Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in Birmingham in 2018.
What’s your favourite concert? I’m setting these questions and I’m going to break the rules because, well, it’s my company. I saw Arctic Monkeys in 2023 which was a big one for me as I’d missed out when they toured for Tranquility Base. I’ve seen Pulp at Castlefield Bowl - incredible, Patti Smith in Cardiff - iconic, Nick Cave - spinetingling. I’ve seen Squeeze four times and they’re always incredible. Gogol Bordello tore the roof off when I saw them in 2023. Also BC Camplight at the Ritz in 2021 was special. So one of them probably. Other than Northern Parasol’s shows, of course.
How do you like your eggs? Scrambled, but I’m a bit of a twat and prefer scrambled tofu.
Who is the most important artist in your life? Again, I’m making my life difficult. Arctic Monkeys have been huge to me since a young age. Adam Ant got me into music when I was very young. I would frequently watch a VHS tape of his music videos. Leonard Cohen is an icon to me, as is Joe Strummer. But I think it would be David Bowie. All through my life, he’s been there. Space Oddity opens with ‘Ground Control to Major Tom’, I was 5 when I heard it, enough said really.
What does Manchester mean to you? Manchester was always the city I was always going to come to for University. I first visited in 2018 and was taken by it. I love the old and new. I love its musical heritage. I love its pride. It’s my adopted home.
Indian or Chinese take out? Indian. Every day of the week.
Oasis or Blur? Pulp.
The Beatles or The Stones? The Beatles.
JLS or One Direction? JLS.
What’s your personal Northern Parasol highlight (so far)? Uh… that’s tricky! The first ever show at Aatma obviously has a huge place in my heart. It put us on the scene. Our first show at Gullivers was great, our first show at Band On The Wall, amazing. But maybe giving Thee Spicy Leviathan their first headline at Retro. It was also Blindspot’s first ever show and Quinn from Banquet played their first show with us, good times all round.
What is your personal aim for Northern Parasol? To expand, do bigger shows. But also I want us to try and make a difference in the scene along the way, where we can.
What’s your favourite song by a band that has played a Northern Parasol show? I love ‘Green Eyes’ by Blindspot, but they’ve yet to release it. So, maybe ‘Feasting Time’ by The Sprats. Shout out to ‘Missin’ Your Dog’ by Giovanni’s Room and ‘El Fumar’ by Marshal & The Hats.
Tea or Coffee? Oooh, very tricky. Tea probably.
What venue outside of Manchester would you like to put a gig on at? Thekla in Bristol. I love that place, I’ve been twice and it’s amazing. It’s a converted boat in the harbour, why wouldn’t you want to put a show on there?
What did you have for tea last night? I had spaghetti with a homemade tomato sauce and veggie IKEA-style meatballs.
