Tonic Music was founded in 2012 upon the belief that participation in music is good for mental health. Originally based in Portsmouth, it has developed into a registered charity operating across the UK, through the provision of in-person and online services.
With Terry Hall (The Specials), Barry Ashworth (Dub Pistols) and Kevin Cummins (Music Photographer) as Patrons, Tonic provides mental health support specifically tailored for people in the music industry – from musicians and DJs to backstage crews – as well as wider communities. They offer everything from recovery programmes to safe spaces, workshops to one-to-one support — all with music at the heart of it.
Why the GFF support Tonic Music
The Global Funk Fam has been a lifeline for positive mental health since its inception in lockdown and we’re very proud that we’ve created a support network and helped facilitate new friendships through a shared love of music. It’s clear to see that we share a lot of values with Tonic Music.
One prolific and very beloved and member of our community – Carol – had some health issues and was housebound so live streams were an important window to the world for her. At the beginning of March, Carol very sadly passed away.
To honour Carol’s life and everything that she brought to our community, we organised a 30-hour “Wave Train” on Twitch – a raid train full of love, beats, and memories with DJs around the world.
But we wanted to do more. Because Carol lived in Portsmouth and she would have been proud to support Tonic Music, we fundraised during the event and reached £751 by the end of Carol’s Wave Train.
Thank you to everyone for being part of something that really mattered. 💜
The event may be over, but the love and vibes behind it continue. That’s why Tonic Music is now the Global Funk Fam’s official non-profit partner.
We’ll continue to help them raise crucial funds and raise awareness of their lifechanging services wherever we go. We hope you’ll do the same.
GFF:
Hi TONIC! So we know as an organisation you’re all wonderful people doing amazing things for mental health in music communities but … What’s your name, what do you do and what’s your favourite genre of music?
TONIC:
I’m Jeordie Shenton, and I’m Programmes Lead at Tonic Music. I’ve been here for 4 years now and I love the fact I get to support both the imusic ndustry and music fans through managing the mental health programmes we provide, and the partnerships we establish, on a day-to-day and strategy basis.
Our aim is to establish good mental health within music communities and we are proud to be one of the few charities that provides mental health support to both the music industry and music fans.
Because Steph Langan, Founder of Tonic Music is the CEO, we’ve all grown as a family and come together to develop Tonic Music from a local to a national charity, all whilst continuing to support people at the grassroots level and remain very much a community charity at the core.
For example, Steph’s mum and dad (aka Ma and Pa Tonic) are currently on tour with Peter Doherty conducting outreach work and talking to people at gigs – while having a great time at 80 years old!
GFF:
We “met” you because Tonic are based in Portsmouth, where one of our community Carol came from. Carol sadly passed away recently but she brought so much happiness and fun to the community through her chats on Twitch, as well as before us on NSB Radio as well and we felt she’d appreciate us supporting Tonic and the work you do, as we remember her and how she liked to support the musicians and artists she loved too.
You have programs for the Music Industry, for Music Fans, as well as for Music Youth. Can you tell us more about the different programs, and how the advice and material for each differs?
TONIC:
All support staff at Tonic Music are qualified mental health professionals, with significant experience working in music and we run two programmes. Tonic Rider provides mental health support to people working in music, including artists, crew and event staff, offering support to the professional side of music. Whereas Never Mind the Stigma, provides help and support to music fans and hobbyist musicians, essentially those involved more recreationally with music.
We offer four levels of mental health support within these programmes that extend across therapy sessions (including psychotherapy, counseling and CBT), peer groups, skills workshops and training courses (including Mental Health First Aid and Suicide First Aid Lite). All of the programme content is tailored to the music industry and music fans..
For example on the Never Mind the Stigma programme we provide Album Clubs, a genre focussed discussion, where those who attend can share and reflect on stories of particular albums that helped with their mental health journey.
GFF:
GFF is growing our online events and communities all the time but in 2025, will be at more IRL events and festivals than ever before which is great. What plans have you got for your activity at festivals and what sort of things will you be doing?
TONIC:
We offer a step before welfare, where people can talk to our mental health professionals, that acts as a preventative measure before people have the need for welfare. This extends both front-of-house for attendees at the festival, as well as backstage where offering information and grounding techniques and support if needed for artists, crew and festival staff.
We have Tonic Music Lounges, which are setup to be welcoming and have mental health professionals on standby to chat, provide information, and offer a place to sit and just share thoughts in a calm and inviting space with others.
Carol — or calxtras_cafe, or THAT PERSON WHO USES CAPS AND ASKS DJS TO WAVE — was a true light in the GFF. Her energy touched everyone who crossed her path. Even while facing health challenges, she stayed deeply connected to the Fam — through chats, calls, and even meeting some of us in the park (with a little help from Laura_luna_tic and a borrowed wheelchair!).
Massive love also to DJ Bones, who supported Carol offline, visiting regularly and helping however he could. His kindness made a huge impact.
In honour of Carol, we organised a 30-hour “Wave Train” on Twitch — a global raid train filled with love, music, and community. During the event, we raised £751 for Tonic Music, an amazing charity doing vital work, as you will have read above.
The stream may be over, but the cause still matters. If you’d like to support Tonic Music in Carol’s memory, you can still donate via the JustGiving link below — they’d truly appreciate it.
