The video for Denise Johnson's England World Cup song 'Come On England' (Dex-sic) has been posted on your favourite copyright avoidance site as England World Cup Song 2010 featuring Denise Happy Mondays.

This rather unfortunate misnomer has already been repeated in the mainstream media.

Oops.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, football, Happy_Mondays

Chris Watson's sound installation Whispering in the Leaves premiered at Kew Gardens yesterday.

The ex-Cabaret Voltaire man made a brief introduction to the assembled crowd about the concept behind the recordings (officially a "sound installation that immerses visitors to Kew Gardens’ Palm House in the dawn and dusk choruses of the Central and South American rainforests"). Basically the 3 hours round dawn and, similarly, round dusk, are condensed into two twenty minute pieces. He explained that the volume was intended to be as if you were there in the rainforest. So the quiet bits were quiet and the thunderclaps really loud.

He encouraged everyone to walk as he did the first performance (of Dusk) live rather than watch him twiddle the knobs. This is highly recommended as it is all multi-channel with various different effects emanating from the 80 different speakers. It was very good and in the general steaminess of the Palm House it was very atmospheric.

Future performances will presumably be played from tape and the companion piece Dawn will play in the morning on the hour.

--

Kew Gardens
London

29 May – 5 September 2010

Labels: Cabaret_Voltaire, Chris_Watson

A reminder that ("the long awaited Mancunian supergroup of rockstar bassists") Freebass play a short stint of dates across the UK this week:

Mon 31st May - York - The Duchess
Tue 1st June - London - 100 Club (Sold Out)
Wed 2nd June - Manchester - The Factory
Thu 3rd June - Glasgow - King Tut's
Fri 4th June - Carlisle - The Brickyard
Sun 6th June - Middlesborough - Town Hall

featuring Gary Briggs (vox), Mani/Hooky/Rourke (basses), Nat Watson (guitars), Phil Murphy (keys) and Bo Walsh (perc).

Listen to tunes at the new Freebass website, purchase them from www.fac51thehacienda.com.

See you there!

Labels: FAC251_The_Factory, Freebass, Peter_Hook

Check out Kevin Hewick's photos taken at The Factory on 18 May during the soundcheck for Peter Hook and The Light and in the boardroom at the Ian Curtis / Joy Division exhibition.

Labels: FAC251_The_Factory, Ian_Curtis, Joy_Division, Kevin_Hewick, Peter_Hook

FAC 51 The Hacienda have formally announced their arena at the Warehouse Project's Platt Fields Festival on Friday 11 June 2010, celebrating Manchester music from the past, present and future.

Joining Ian Brown, Mike Pickering, UNKLE and Mr Scruff on the bill, The Hacienda's second stage brings together a line up of classic Hacienda names including Peter Hook, Graeme Park, Justin Robertson and Jon Dasilva with A Certain Ratio and Detroit Social Club live.

Hacienda Facebook Event Page

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The Warehouse Project
in association with 13 Artists presents:

Ian Brown [live]

plus special guests:

UNKLE [live]
Bad Lieutenant [live]
The Whip
Scratch Perverts
Mike Pickering
A Certain Ratio [live]
Mr Scruff
Justin Robertson
Peter Hook
Unabombers
El Diablos
Krysko
Now Wave DJs

Friday 11 June 2010
Platt Fields Park
Fallowfield
Manchester

Tickets on sale from 25.00 GBP from Thursday 4 March (with presale for Ian Brown fan club members on now) via Ticketline, SeeTickets and TicketMaster.

More info on ianbrown.co.uk, Facebook and The Warehouse Project.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Bad_Lieutenant, FAC51_The_Hacienda, Graeme_Park, Ian_Brown, Jon_Dasilva, Mike_Pickering, Peter_Hook

The actual opener for Hook/The Light's Unknown Pleasures on Wednesday night was, of course, Sum Ratios: Jez Kerr (ACR) Bass/Vocals, Peter Terrell (ex-ACR) Guitar and broken wrists, Simon Topping (ex-ACR, ex-T-Coy) Vocals and Bass, Vin Cassidy (S25) Percussion and Bland Mahdi (Various) Keyboards and Violin.

Setlist [19 May 2010]

Do the Du
Oceans
Teri
Venus In Furs
Is that loud enough?
--
All Night Party

Labels: Jez_Kerr, Simon_Topping, Sum_Ratios

Anyone who thought Hooky's centre stage antics have always been the strutting of an over-inflated ego and that his Unknown Pleasures set would be a glorified cover version band tribute look away now.

From the evidence of the residence, The Light poured and Hooky found his voice - and what a voice!

The set was (almost) chronological: At A Later Date ("He's bound to do that - it's one of his!" - Terry Mason), Ideal For Living, Factory Sample, Unknown Pleasures, Transmission, LWTUA.

Bang bang bang: the band were tight, immense and clearly well rehearsed. The set was punched out with very little space in between. Every tune benefitted from a slight re-work - intros shortened, superfluous bars dropped, drop-downs and build-ups accentuated, grunge applied wherever possible. Rowetta did her bit on Insight, Simon Topping even joined in the air punching on Transmission. But, unlike the free-n-easy set on the reopening night of The Factory, this was serious.

The star of the show, though, was the voice. Belting out from start to finish - no mean feat over two consecutive nights - H's vocal strength and depth was remarkable, recalling Ian Curtis's own vocal development at the hands of Hannett (I checked with Di: no harmoniser).

Rumour has it this show is about to be taken to the road. Given that this set represents the first half of Joy Division's finite output - will there be a Closer?

--

Setlist [18 + 19 May 2010]

At A Later Date
Warsaw
No Love Lost
Leaders Of Men
Failures
Digital
Glass
--
Disorder
Day Of The Lords
Candidate
Insight
New Dawn Fades
She's Lost Control
Wilderness
Interzone
I Remember Nothing
--
Transmission
Love Will Tear Us Apart

Labels: FAC251_The_Factory, Peter_Hook, review, The_Light

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Tony Panas, who, as half of the Johnson/Panas partnership was one of the great Factory Records designers. Tony passed away this week after a period of illness. He is survived by his wife Pam.

Cerysmatic reader John Rooney offers his personal thoughts on Tony:

"I was fortunate to know Tony for several years. During this time he always very modest about the fantastic design work he produced for Factory Records, 808 State, Geese, Electronic, etc as I was a fan of this work before I met him. The design community has lost rare talent, everyone who knew him have lost a friend."

Rest in peace Tony.

Labels: design, Factory_Records, graphic_design, Johnson_Panas, Tony_Panas

Screenfields 2010 kicks off in Spinningfields, Manchester with a special showing of Anton Corbijn's Control.

All are welcome and you can even hire deckchairs. Film starts at 8.30pm.

Labels: Control, film, Ian_Curtis, Joy_Division, Manchester

Thanks to moist for the excellent images of the Ian Curtis exhibition now running at The Factory until Wednesday 19 May which are now in a photo gallery.

Labels: FAC251_The_Factory, Ian_Curtis, Joy_Division

Get down to Darla.com for a special 1000 copies limited edition vinyl reissue of Always Now by Section 25.

Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and featuring a special reconstruction of the original Peter Saville die-cut sleeve design by Drastic Plastic this looks like an essential purchase.

Labels: Section_25

Thanks to Tel on the Message Board for the news that the exhibition about Ian Curtis / Joy Division exhibition at the Macclesfield Museum is back on after being cancelled due to funding issues.

Labels: events, exhibition, Ian_Curtis, Joy_Division

Here's a timely reminder that The Wake play NYC Popfest 2010 on Saturday 22 May.

To whet your appetite download O Pamela and check out the PopNews.com review of the recent Paris gig.

NYC Popfest runs from Thursday 20-23 May.

--

The Wake
Boat
My Teenage Stride
Bears
World Atlas
Very Truly Yours

Saturday 22 May 2010
From 6:30pm

The Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn
NY 11215
USA

Tickets: $15 advance / $18 day of show
Ages: 21+

Labels: The_Wake

New installation at Kew Gardens from Chris Watson (ex-Cabaret Voltaire):

"Chris Watson’s Whispering in the Leaves is an extraordinary sound installation that immerses visitors to Kew Gardens’ Palm House in the dawn and dusk choruses of the Central and South American rainforests. Alongside the installation, part of the Summer Festival at Kew Gardens, a programme of special performances, workshops, guided tours and talks gives you the chance to find out more about sound, the environment and biodiversity."

- from whisperingintheleaves.org

--

Kew Gardens
London

29 May – 5 September 2010

Labels: Cabaret_Voltaire, Chris_Watson

Check out DJ Envert's Flickr Photo Gallery of Saturday's gig by The Wake at Point Ephémère in Paris as part of Bulle Sonore Records' 5th Birthday Party.

Merci Guillaume.

Labels: The_Wake

Factory Records legends Happy Mondays play the Wychwood Music Festival 2010 at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire on Saturday 5 June. This is their only confirmed date of the summer.

More info at wychwoodfestival.com.

Labels: Happy_Mondays

To celebrate the release of Mind Made Up via LTM, ACR play selected European dates this Summer:

11 June - Manchester, Platt Fields Park Festival, 11 June 2010 (with Ian Brown, Peter Hook, Bad Lieutenant)
9 July - Fano, Moonlight Festival, Rimini, Italy (with The Names)
17 July - The Factory, Manchester
25 September - Marseilles, Friche Belle de Mai, France

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio

News just in from LTM of a new instalment in the Auteur Labels series and the second in the Factory Records year. Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1987 includes choice cuts from New Order, ACR, Happy Mondays, The Durutti Column, The Wake, Section 25 and many more. It is released on 12 July 2010 via LTM.

Tracklisting

New Order - True Faith
A Certain Ratio – Bootsy (Racic Remix)
Happy Mondays – 24 Hour Party People
Quando Quango – Bad Blood
Biting Tongues – Compressor
The Durutti Column – Catos Con Guantes
Fadela – N'Sel Fik
Arthur Baker – Come On
The Hood – Salvation! (Nitro Dub)
Pleasure Crew – So Good
Meat Mouth – Meat Mouth Is Murder
Miaow – When It All Comes Down
The Wake – Furious Sea
Section 25 – Bad News Week (The Cough Mix)

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Title: Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1987
Label: LTM
Catalogue number: LTMCD 2555
Format: CD
Release date: 12 July 2010

Also available: Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1984.

Available from LTM Mail Order.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Auteur_Labels, Biting_Tongues, Fadela, Happy_Mondays, LTM, Meat_Mouth, Miaow, Pleasure_Crew, Quando_Quango, Section_25, The_Durutti_Column, The_Hood, The_Wake

This Saturday 8 May, Hewick Haynes & James will play the Allstars night at Firebug on Millstone Lane in Leicester. As is traditional, local acts pay tribute to bands that have influenced them, this time including tributes to Iron Maiden, Biffy Clyro and Porcupine Tree. Kevin Hewick and the boys are doing Joy Division. They will be onstage at the shockingly un-rock'n'roll time of 7.30pm.

Kevin says "I've resisted the idea of trying to do a full set of Joy Division for years. I did 'Transmission' guesting with a band called The Freed Unit once in the 90s but I always felt like I'd get panned for it if I did any JD songs on a serious basis. I'd seen stuff people had said about me doing 'Haystack' with New Order and it was like I'd killed a puppy or something."

Kevin is also now supporting Peter Hook and The Light for their Unknown Pleasures gig at The Factory in Manchester on 18 May.

Labels: FAC251_The_Factory, Joy_Division, Kevin_Hewick, Peter_Hook

On 14 May, Gabrielle's Wish headline an evening of music to celebrate the life of one of Manchester's genuine music pioneers, Rob Gretton. Rob worked furiously to promote music from Manchester and the North, and dicovered the likes ofJoy Division, Sub Sub / Doves, and of course, Gabrielle's Wish.

The evening is being held at the old 'HQ' of Robs Records (and top notch boozer), the Briton's Protection public house in Manchester.

Tickets are priced at £5 and are available from Butterfly Records, or on request from the Gabrielle's Wish MySpace. More info at the Facebook group for this event.

Labels: Gabrielles_Wish, Rob_Gretton

Wednesday 19 May is now confirmed as both the debut gig for Sum Ratios, the new band featuring Jez Kerr, Peter Terrell and Simon Topping and a second date (following on from the 18th) for Peter Hook and The Light who will be performing Unknown Pleasures live at The Factory.

Furthermore, Hooky revealed last night on his spoken word tour that Simon Topping is replacing Crispy Ambulance's Alan Hempsall on vocals and that he will also be joined by Rowetta (who sang with The Light at the opening night of The Factory).

Meanwhile, check out the new Sum Ratios page on Facebook.

In the light of the recent cancellation of the Ian Curtis exhibition in Macclesfield due to a funding shortfall, further details have emerged of the exhibition of Joy Division artefacts which will run in the boardroom of The Factory on and around 18/19 May. There will be at least six display cases of Joy Division artefacts. Scenes of Joy Division in rehearsal and in the recording studio will be recreated using original equipment including original items belonging to the late Martin Hannett.

Update: The exhibition will run from 12 noon on Sunday 16 May until 6pm on Wednesday 19 May.

Labels: Alan_Hempsall, artefacts, FAC251_The_Factory, Joy_Division, Peter_Hook, Sum_Ratios

Now's a good time to catch up on those Mark Reeder remixes of the latest Bad Lieutenant single Twist of Fate.

There are four Mark Reeder remixes in all:

No Fate Remix ["more like the original but with a DJ-friendly 4/4 beat"]
No Fate Remix Radio Version
Led's Twist Again Remix
Synth of Fate Remix ["a synthpop DJ version similar in style to the Sink or Swim Waterwing Remix']

You can listen now to the last of these on Mark Reeder's MySpace and expect a digital release along the lines of the Sink or Swim Remix Bundle at some point.

Labels: Bad_Lieutenant, Mark_Reeder

Graham Massey (Biting Tongues / 808 State / Toolshed) brings his mindblowing organ rock combo Sisters Of Transistors to The Factory in Manchester on Saturday 8 May. Featuring his four Sisters on vintage transistor organs and Graham himself on drums expect plenty of the transcendant juggernaut disco/rock workouts from debut album At The Ferranti Institute and much more.

Support comes from upcoming Manchester band Humanizer and the ticket price includes admission to the Stonelove / Hacienda Presents afterparty until 4am.

--

The Factory Presents
Sisters Of Transistors & Humanizer
Saturday 8 May – 8pm to 10.30pm
Tickets: £7 from www.factorymanchester.com

More info from The Factory on Facebook

Labels: FAC251_The_Factory, Sisters_of_Transistors

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