New friends and old, barbers from down the road and those from halfway around the world, all converging for a shared love of barbering and the community that comes with it.
That’s Shindig. And Manchester was no different. But before Manchester, there was Paris...
PARIS
Our UK team, joined by crew from the Australian and US offices, headed to France for the first-ever Shindig Paris and the 2026 Distributor Conference, hosted by our French distribution partner, O’Barbershop.
First up was Shindig Paris, with Ben Boyer, Fernando ‘Fercho’ Isidro and Uppercut Deluxe Founder Steve Purcell taking to the chair for live demonstrations and an interactive event with barbers from all over Europe.
Three cuts, multiple discussions and a sneak peek at a few new products. Once the cutting was done, we settled in for some food and a few drinks before inevitably finding our way to The Australian Hotel for a couple of VB’s. When in Paris!
The Distributor Conference brought together Uppercut Deluxe partners from Norway to Greece and everywhere in between. We talked through the year so far, shared some of the wins across the brand and gave our distributors a look at what’s on the horizon for the brand. We also named You Barber as our 2025 Distributor of the Year. Congratulazioni, ragazzi to our Italian partners for an incredible job.
MANCHESTER
With Paris wrapped, we crossed the English channel into the UK for some meetings, barbershop visits, and travel north before we rolled into Manchester to transform the iconic Victoria Baths into the setting for the first-ever Uppercut Deluxe Shindig Manchester.
On the barbering roster were Charlie Venn, George Coady, Steve Purcell, and special guest Kurt Land, with the day MC’d by Uppercut Deluxe’s own Chris Brownless and Vikki Smith.
Between them, the stage covered a broad cross-section of barbering, from traditional and techniques through to modern cuts and styling. Different approaches and different experience levels, all bound by a love of the trade and the blue-collar spirit of barbering.
Kudos to Kurt. At just 17, the Brisbane-based barber flew halfway around the world to cut at Shindig, showing a few old dogs some new tricks along the way. Self-taught in many of the techniques he brought to the chair, Kurt cut a modern mullet that looked flawless. No fuss, just his way of doing things.
Away from the stage, there was plenty to get into: Flash tattoos, custom Uppercut Deluxe merch printed on site, food, drinks, barber supplies, fresh apparel, and curated vintage, and a couple of custom choppers on show.
A big thanks to everyone who came down and our vendors/partners who made it happen:
- Video and Photos Tom Laurance
- Motorcycles - Dirty Ed Custom Paint, Built By Lloyd
- Apparel - Heretic Goods
- Barber Supplies - Barber Temple UK
- Vintage - Alabama's Vintage
- Tattoos - Heart of Gold Manchester
- Food - Ground Up
- Screen Printing - Jailhouse Print Co.
Shindig is about bringing people together, putting barbers behind chairs and giving everyone a reason to hang around for the day. Manchester and Paris did exactly that.
Massive shout out to UK Marketing and Education Manager Chris Brownless who wrangled these events for close to two years and did an incredible job of it.
Same time next time?
