The Sticks are a five-piece band from Manchester, England, comprising Tom Rush (lead vocals/guitar), his sister, Poppy Rush (lead vocals), James Moores (drums), The band originally had Andy Lavery on lead guitar; however, Andy has taken a leave of absence due to family commitments.

The sticks were formed in October 2007 and performed what was believed to be the highest gig in Europe — 171 metres up — only a couple of months later at Beetham Tower, Manchester

Beetham Tower, Manchester

Beetham Tower is a landmark 47-storey residential skyscraper in Manchester city centre, England. Completed in 2006, it is named after the developers, Beetham Organization, was designed by Ian Simpson, and built by Carillion....

. This is contested by the Gig in the Sky

Gig in the Sky

Gig in the Sky was a record-breaking concert performed by the British band Jamiroquai on a private Boeing 757 during February 2007. The concert was organised and promoted by Sony Ericsson for the band's compilation album High Times: Singles 1992-2006....

 record held by Britisth Band Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai

Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...

, performed in an airplane at 35,000 feet.

Just a few weeks after that feat, they opened the Manchester Versus Cancer

Versus Cancer

Versus Cancer is an annual concert, reportedly now the largest annual charity concert in the United Kingdom. It raises money predominantly for Cancer Hospital Christie Hospital in Manchester to assist research for effective alternative treatments but acts more as a blanket charity aiming to help...

 gig at the MEN Arena after winning an XFM

Xfm

Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...

 radio competition, XFM Uploaded - hosted by Clint Boon

Clint Boon

Clint Boon is an English musician and DJ. Boon originally rose to notability as the keyboards player with Inspiral Carpets.-Career:...

. By beating hundreds of other bands to win the competition, the Sticks earned the right to support bands such as The Fratellis

The Fratellis

The Fratellis were an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli , bass guitarist Barry Fratelli , and drummer and backing vocalist Mince Fratelli .The band released 2 albums during their career, Costello Music in 2006 and Here We Stand in...

, Happy Mondays

Happy Mondays

Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...

, Inspiral Carpets

Inspiral Carpets

Inspiral Carpets are an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert and Stephen Holt in 1983. The band is named after a clothing shop on their Oldham estate...

, Fun Lovin Criminals and The Enemy

The Enemy (UK band)

The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...

.

The Sticks have since played various gigs throughout the top music venues in Manchester, receiving great reviews in places such as The Ruby Lounge, Moho and Academy 3, supporting such acts as The Courteeners

The Courteeners

The Courteeners are a rock band formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England in 2006 by Liam Fray , Michael Campbell , Daniel Conan Moores , Mark Cuppello -Formation:...

 and Hadouken!

Hadouken!

Hadouken! are an English grime, electronica, dance band who formed in Leeds in October 2006 by singer, writer and producer James Smith, alongside his girlfriend, synth player Alice Spooner, guitarist Daniel "Pilau" Rice, and drummer Nick Rice. The band name is taken from the name of a special...

. Along with local appearances in Manchester, they have also played the world-famousd Cavern Club in Liverpool and in various radio interviews . Their "Road to the MEN Arena" has also been documented on video, accompanied by one of their tracks, "A-Listers".

The band have many gigs scheduled for 2009, including Jabezz Clegg, Night & Day Cafe and Moho (live).

Tom and Poppy's mother, Debbie Rush

Debbie Rush

Debbie Rush is an English actress. She is currently playing the role of Anna Windass in Coronation Street.After training at the Manchester School Of Acting when she was in her thirties, she has also starred in Shameless and Hollyoaks in the City. Rush also filmed the role of "Pam" in the horror...

, plays Anna Windass

Anna Windass

Anna Windass is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Debbie Rush, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 14 November 2008.-Creation and casting:...

 in Coronation Street

Coronation Street

Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...

. Their brother William Rush, is also an actor and plays the part of Josh Stevenson in Waterloo Road

Waterloo Road (TV series)

Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...

.

Among their influences, the Sticks include Pete Doherty

Pete Doherty

Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...

; Tom (and latterly James) invaded the stage at one of his Manchester gigs in order to sing along with him.

Recently the group have returned from a spell of writing new material and studio work. Original lead guitarist Andy Lavery has rejoined the band and they have recruited Warren Lang to play bass.