Audio work

Listen to a selection of archive recordings, which may contain music originally broadcast under the relevant stations’ applicable PPL and PRS for Music licences, provided for archival and reference purposes only and not intended for commercial distribution.

Brief history of The Matinée Show
Gaydio was originally an online radio station launched in August 2006 by Ian Wallace and Toby Whitehouse to coincide with the city's Pride celebrations. Nathan Head was later invited to its 2007 Manchester launch at AXM Bar in February, where the station began a further month-long transmission under a Restricted Service Licence. The launch featured three-time Grammy nominee Bonnie Tyler, who performed live with BabyPinkStar. One of the station's regular features was an entertainment show called The Matinée, hosted by James Dean and Manchester drag performer Madame Aries. In 2007, another station, Tameside Radio, was established under Programme Director Andy Hoyle and flagship presenter Wayne Kay at Cavendish Mill in Ashton-under-Lyne, broadcasting on 103.6 FM. James Dean and Madame Aries subsequently moved The Matinée Show to Tameside Radio, retaining the Sunday reviews-and-showtunes format they had established on Gaydio. Gaydio was later granted an FM licence by Ofcom in 2008 and relaunched as an FM station. The Matinée Show's lineup expanded the same year to include Gracie Fields expert Sebastian “Seb in the Corner” Lassandro, Broadway correspondent Suko Sullivan reporting regularly from the U.S., and showbiz correspondents Scott Bruton (The X Factor) and Nicki French (Eurovision) making occasional appearances. Nathan Head first appeared on Tameside Radio on 2nd August 2009 to discuss his horror-film success, eventually becoming a weekly contributor and co-presenting for three years. Guests interviewed on the show over those years included Sue Devaney, Jeff Wayne, Sue Jenkins, Gareth Gates, Su Pollard, Rowetta Satchell and Margarita Pracatan. After Seb's departure in October 2010, Suko Sullivan continued via Skype and local singer John Mercer joined as a contributor to the show. The following year, Madame Aries appeared on the show less frequently due to ill health, with James Dean and Nathan Head hosting most editions, while John Mercer eventually became a regular co-host and Suko continued to deliver occasional Broadway updates. By 2011, the team comprised Dean, Head and Mercer. Nathan Head left The Matinée Show on 17th July 2011, returning briefly for a one-off appearance on 11th December 2011. Shortly afterwards, Tameside Radio was acquired by New Charter Housing Trust and merged with Quest Media Ltd, the publishers of the Tameside Reporter. Gareth Cottrell became Programme Controller and The Matinée Show was absorbed into a daily magazine show called Tameside Tonight. James Dean remained host, joined on Thursdays by Madame Aries; Mercer moved to the breakfast slot with his own show, while Scott Bruton hosted a weekly music show. James Dean became Executive Station Manager, with Wayne Kay serving as Technical Head and Sound Engineer, while The Matinée Show returned to Sundays under John Mercer. Nathan Head returned briefly over the subsequent years for one-off shows, including 14th March 2013, eventually making his final appearance on 4th March 2018 following the death of show founder Madame Aries on 28th February. A tribute programme aired that day, with Nathan returning alongside numerous past contributors for a special dedication. In 2020, the show moved to My Tameside community radio as a podcast, eventually relaunching as a two-hour programme on 7th February 2021.

Contact Nathan Head

Email nathan@nathanhead.tv.