ISSUE 15
July 2025
Printed at STAT HQ in Leigh.
One of 250 limited, numbered copies.
Rainy Miller is back to Lancs, Bolton’s home to a Romani dance troupe and we’re telling the Hacienda to FAC OFF all in our brand spanking new No. 15.
GO GET EM
statmagazine.org/shop
IMPRESSIONS OF SPEKE
by Luke Charnley
A sift through Grandma’s old diaries gives us a glimpse into the mid-century Scouse suburbs.
“It’s [Speke] that Joan lived much of her early life, and where the nostalgia of her writing truly starts to flow.“
statmagazine.org/impressions…
IN A WEEK’S TIME THIS POST WILL BE ILLEGAL. NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR A FREE PALESTINE. NO ONE IS FREE INTIL EVERYONE IS FREE.
ALT WE AT STAT STAND IN FULL SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE ACTION
WE CONDEMN THE PROSCRIPTION OF PALESTINE ACTION, THE ONLY GROUP MEANINGFULLY ADDRESSING UK COMPLICITY IN GENOCIDE
WE CONDEMN GOVERMENT CRIMINALISATION OF OPPOSITION
WE ARE ALL PALESTINE ACTION
ROY JAY: How An Obscure Northern Comedian Became An Internet Demon
An online conspiracy about a relatively unknown Wigan comic reveals how AI has us all paranoid. STAT investigates.
statmagazine.org/roy-jay-int…
THE WOMEN OF HMP FOREST BANK
The state’s hand is heavy, but no match for the camaraderie of HMP Forest Bank’s visitors. Rosy Wilson visits the Salford prison.
‘“My son has been inside countless times,” she told me. “It’ll get easier.”’
statmagazine.org/the-women-o…
STOCKPORT RULES: Where is Greater Manchester’s Best Pool Table?
Next on the yuppie chopping block, Stockport’s pool tables are under threat. But which is best? Rhys Delany’s done his research.
statmagazine.org/stockport-r…
MR. MAN-CHEST-HAIR: A CHAT WITH TWH’S AUSTIN COLLINGS
“Catch the bus instead of getting an Uber... It’s never not theatrical.”
A chinwag with the writer and artistic director behind the North’s best nightclub [@m3_7lw].
statmagazine.org/mr-man-ches…
OPINION: Preston, Are We Ever Going to Talk About the Cyberdog?
by Hannah Browne
Preston City Council clings to the success of Wallace & Gromit’s Prestonian creator, but does it support the Nick Parks of today?
statmagazine.org/preston-are…
ISSUE 14
One of 200 and each complete with a unique rubbing of Preston’s Wallace & Gromit statue, STAT is BACK.
Besides Preston, we’re bringing you pool tables, prison visits, and peeking into Martin Scorsese’s dressing room. Grab one while you can.
buff.ly/Jjpq9i0
STAT PRESENTS: Patchwork
7TH MARCH 2025. 6PM — 11PM.
STAT HQ, Leigh, WN7 2LB.
An exhibition of visual art and performances by artists from across the North West in celebration of STAT’s 14th issue release.
TICKETS: buff.ly/4jYYfAe
NORTHERN FACT: The Lancashire town of Accrington is home to the densest and strongest bricks in the world, some of which can be found in the foundations of the Empire State Building.
MINORITIES’ LIVES ARE NOT ENTERTAINMENT
Opinion by Manvir Sohal
“While minorities' stories were once a rarity in mainstream media, they are now just commodities that the majority can manipulate to further their own careers and cultural capital.”
buff.ly/4h5STRU
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Opinion by Mary O’Neill
Parents bemoan the death of cool culture — it still exists, they just don’t know about it. Mary O’Neill looks back on her teenage years in St Helens, in those corners no one cared to look.
buff.ly/3W7RZfn