Sean Bidder, in The Guardian Blog, discusses whether FAC 51 The Haçienda was by far the greatest club the world has ever seen. Expect more articles in this vein as we approach the 25th Anniversary of the Haç's opening.

FeedMeCoolShit.com reports on a new competition to design the Don't Panic poster as part of the PlayStation Season and the Manchester International Festival.

This is a chance to be part of the Festival and get your innovative and original work exhibited at a gallery space during the festival. You need to express the theme of Innovation in any way you wish in any format which can be printed, including: illustration, typography, graphics, photography, drawing.

The winning poster will be selected from the top 30 by Manchester City Council's Creative Director, Peter Saville.

More details including how to enter and vote on entries at www.dontpaniconline.com

Labels: poster

Section 25 have contributed live footage shot in Paris of 'New Horizon' from the 'Communicants' dvd to TEN3 North West music video festival.

The Ten3 Music Video Festival (now in its third year) offers the opportunity to see a selection of signed and unsigned bands in a cinema. This year TEN3 has events in five areas in the North West: Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Morecambe and of course Blackpool, from where it all started in May 2005. Fifty videos will be screened along with videos from established musicians and filmmakers. TEN3 will be one of the most important events for independent film and music in the Northwest this year.

May

14/15 - Odeon Cinema, Blackpool, 20:00, Aftershow party Jenx, 22:30
17 - Odeon Printworks, Manchester, 8pm, Aftershow party Night and Day 22.30
19 - The Hothouse, Morecambe, 19:30
22 - FACT Cinema, Liverpool, 20:30, After show party The Cavern, 22:30
24 - UCLAN Cinema, Preston, 20:00, After showparty Cafe Manyana, 22:00

Details of other contributers can be found at www.myspace.com/ten3northwest

Labels: Section_25

Variety reports that Control, the new film about Ian Curtis by Anton Corbijn, will receive its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

The Creative Review Blog's illuminating review of The Secret Public, the ICA exhibition about British music and design during the seventies and eighties whets the appetite for a visit in person.

The Secret Public
The Last Days of the British Underground 1978 - 1988
23 Mar - 6 May 2007
http://ica.org.uk/The+Secret+Public+13096.twl

From ommcr on the Cerysmatic Factory Message Board:

"It gives me the greatest of pleasure to announce that 'Ghosts of the Haçienda', the brilliant IKON& compilation of early Haçienda found gig footage, will finally be shown in Manchester at One Central Street on Monday 21 May 2007. Further details will be posted here as soon as they are available."

Peter Saville, in collaboration with Paul Barnes, has designed a new graphic identity for Kate Moss, reports the Creative Review blog.

Modern typographer Barnes resurrected an old typeface by Alexey Brodovitch, the legendary art director of Harper's Bazaar from 1934-58. Barnes tells CR, "I tried it for this almost as a kind of joke, but the actual combinations of letters worked well, the words 'Kate Moss' looked really good. It embodies the spirit of Kate Moss, it's sophisticated yet modern."

Rather amusingly, during the development of the Moss identity, it seems Peter Saville and Kate Moss were photographed together smoking out of a window. Subsequently the picture appeared in The News of the World with a "who is Kate' new mystery man"-type caption.

Section 25's US tour of major US cities which was due to start next month has been postponed approximately two months due to delays in getting band members' visas sorted. It is still the band's intention to play the same cities and venues. More info at www.section25.com.

Labels: Section_25

The Six Cities Design Festival will feature more than 300 events in Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling with the aim of raising the profile of design in Scotland.

The Festival programme was announced this week and includes a series of designer 'double bills', which see local designers paired up with their international peers.

Pairings include Peter Saville with Glasgow-based Robert Johnston.

The Festival runs from 17 May to 3 June.
More details at www.six-cities.com.

Section 25's Miami date on their forthcoming US tour will now be at Studio A and not at Poplife as previously announced. Some other details are still awaited before the tour is confirmed in full, namely the Toronto date and cities for 31 May and 1 June. The latest schedule is:

May

Thu 24 - Toronto, The Social (tbc)
Fri 25 - Brooklyn, NYC - Studio B, 259 Banker St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (appearing with DJ Shred)
Sat 26 - Miami, Studio A, 60 NE 11th St, Miami FL 33132
Sun 27 - Detroit, Magic Stick, 4140 Woodward Av, Detroit MI 48201
Mon 28 - Chicago, The Abbey, 3420 West Grace, Chicago, IL 60618
Thu 31 - tbc

June

Fri 1 - tbc
Sat 2 - San Francisco, Mezzanine, 444 Jessie St, San Francisco, CA 94103 (appearing with Sal P from Liquid Liquid)
Sun 3 - Los Angeles, Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

More details at www.section25.com.

Labels: Section_25

The Word's end-of-mag section deals with all things about Manchester in the new May edition, including at number 15:

Shaun Ryder is the only person referred to by name in Channel 4's Compliance Manual. The sentence reads, "Please note that the Channel 4 Board has undertaken to the ITC that Shaun Ryder will not appear live on Channel 4." This follows two expletive-strewn appearances on TFI Friday in 1997.
--
www.myspace.com/cerysmatic

The Best of Manchester Awards 2007 have been established to reward artists, musicians and designers whose work epitomises the city, writes Ben Rooth in the MEN.

The competition is being run by Urbis in conjunction with the Manchester Evening News and other city-based businesses.

The awards fall into three categories - visual arts, fashion and music. They are open to anyone who feels they are pushing boundaries and helping their creative discipline evolve.

Peter Saville heads the panel of judges which will announce the first winners this summer.

More info including how to submit entries at www.urbis.org.uk

Jim Glennie talks to BBC Manchester about how James got the band back together and how things went along a little faster than he had anticipated.

Labels: James

In November 1987, Factory Records released FAC 197 N'Sel Fik by Fadela. Gayr at The Quarter Tone Zone explains the full story behind the release (including how Fadela's name is misspelt on the front cover in Arabic). N'Sel Fik is also apparently still available on the 1988 compilation Rai Rebels.

Labels: Factory_Records, Fadela

There will be a limited edition (100 only) signed copies of the new Section 25 album 'Part-primitiv' (LTMCD 2500) available only from LTM mail order.

Also, please note that the CD is on LTM only. There will be a US pressing (exactly the same as the European one) through Darla distribution, but it's still on LTM.

The album is released on 30 April 2007.

--

www.ltmrecordings.com

Labels: New_Order, Section_25

More info on the origins of the recent new Joy Division trainers. The New Balance blog reports that they are the work of Dylan Adair who also did the Nike Blazer Mid last year. It seems New Balance liked the Nikes and asked him to do another prototypes (and that's how it's likely to stay).

Labels: Joy_Division

Nearly complete details of Section 25's forthcoming US tour:

May

Thu 24 - Toronto, The Social (tbc)
Fri 25 - Brooklyn, NYC - Studio B, 259 Banker St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (appearing with DJ Shred)
Sat 26 - Miami, Poplife
Sun 27 - Detroit, Magic Stick
Mon 28 - Chicago, The Abbey, 3420 West Grace, Chicago, IL 60618
Thu 31 - tbc

June

Fri 1 - tbc
Sat 2 - San Francisco, Mezzanine, 444 Jessie St, San Francisco, CA 94103 (appearing with Sal P from Liquid Liquid)
Sun 3 - Los Angeles, Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

The new album, 'Part-Primitiv', and dvd, 'Communicants', will be pressed in the USA (via Darla) as well as coming out on LTM in the UK.

More details at www.section25.com.

Labels: Section_25

James are playing a warm-up gig at the Hoxton Bar, Hoxton Square, London on Tuesday 10 April. Thanks to Judd on the Cerysmatic Factory Message Board.

Labels: James

The Spring 2007 edition of the Salford Star is out now and features an interview with Peter Hook by Nigel Pivaro which touches on New Order, the anniversary of the Haçienda and Control.

And then there's Lawrence "Larry" Cassidy (of Section 25), The Suzuki Method, the regen beauty contest in Langworthy, the miffed Mayor of Salford and loads more.

A free 68 page bumper spring special!

www.salfordstar.com

Labels: Larry_Cassidy, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Section_25

First details of the long-awaited book on the 'Estate' of Peter Saville have emerged (with thanks to Chris):

PETER SAVILLE / ESTATE

Authors: Steven Gontarski, Thomas Grünfeld, Sarah Morris, Peter Saville, Sean Snyder, Wolfgang Tillmans. Edited by Heike Munder.

Based on his solo exhibition at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich, this book reveals his archive for the first time. Using a reduced, modernist style, has been an innovator in the field of visual communications, with a profound effect on the interplay between art, design and advertising. This publication has been conceived and designed in close collaboration with Saville and is published with the Migros Museum.

Published by JRP/Ringier
Price: GBP 25.00
ISBN 3-905701-66-9 / 978-3-905701-66-1
Softback in slipcase 376 pages
220 colour illustrations
270 x 210 mm
English Text
May 2007

Peter Saville video interview about the 'Estate' exhibition.

Labels: books

Following on from the unreleased prototype Joy Division trainers by Dylan Adair (based on the Nike Blazer Mid shoe) another white, Joy Division-themed trainer has been designed, this time by New Balance and reported by HypeBeast. Time will tell if they ever see the light of day.

Labels: Joy_Division

James play a special in-store gig at HMV in Manchester's Market Street on Monday 30 April 2007 to coincide with the release of their new album entitled 'Fresh as a Daisy'.

Labels: James

Author and investigative journalist David Nolan's forthcoming biography of New Order's Bernard Sumner received a healthy plug in the new edition of Mojo. The news appeared beneath a baffling photo of young Bernard sporting a false moustache.

--

Bernard Sumner - Confusion: Joy Division, Electronic and New Order Versus The World
Due for publication in July 2007

Labels: Electronic, Joy_Division, New_Order

Tortoise's A Lazarus Taxon', the 3CD + DVD box-set that was released last year features a cover version of 'As You Said' by Joy Division that originally appeared on the 'A Means to An End: the Music of Joy Division' tribute album (1995).

The liner notes describe the track as "Our contribution to a Joy Division tribute compilation, which was initially rejected by the label. We attempted to create a simulacra of this obscure track, and then combined it with various JD melodies and bass lines".

Thanks to Matt.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Joy_Division

There's a review of Manchester Versus Cancer on the MEN, replete with photo gallery. Those who wish to do so can find out about the various post-gig parties too.

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