Whilst Cerysmatic was on hiatus (sorry about that, Ed.), Philippe Carly produced a coffee table photography book devoted to La Raffinerie, the celebrated Brussels concert venue on Rue de Manchester (where else!?). Two years down the line and Carly is working to crowdfund an Addendum version which will fill in the gaps not covered by the original book.

Between 1979 and 1986, La Raffinerie was a magnet for new wave bands such as Echo and the Bunnymen, A Certain Ratio, Eyeless in Gaza, The Birthday Party, and, of course, Joy Division.

The Addendum will be a separate book of the same size (30cm square) produced with the same materials and look and feel of the first on. It will just have fewer pages and be cheaper.

The Addendum edition will also only be available to those people who back this crowdfunding exercise. It will be strictly limited to the number of copies ordered via ulule.com.

Various backing options are available with one of the more extravagant ones being to attend a private release party at the grand old venue itself on 17 January 2020, the 40th anniversary of Joy Division's second gig there.

For more details and to see all the crowdfunding options, please refer to ulule.com.

Labels: Au_Plan_K, book, history, Philippe_Carly, photography

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures', Jodrell Bank released the pulsar sound wave [->] which was famously used by Peter Saville on the cover.

As his own homage to the album, Alan Burke, aka The Brooklyn Foundation, used the sound wave as a starting point before layering this with his own dark electronic tones and ghostly vocal clips of the late Ian Curtis

The CP1919 sound wave was perfect as a percussion element. Detuned and processed, then turned into a rhythm part alongside a recreation of the famous Roland TR808 kick drum and a digital recreation of the Linn LM1 drum machine (see also: Prince, The Human League).

Alan Burke explained that he wanted huge spaces in the piece so big reverbs were obviously required and used in abundance. Alongside hardware synthesisers by Roland and Arturia, he used Logic Pro X for a bass part and building elements of the tune. The whole thing was recorded in 1 day!

Alan has been a musician for over 36 years with varying degrees of success. Having enjoyed some notoriety in the 90s, he's worked with many musicians and vocalists supplying "his own brand of musical and technical nonsense".

More recently, Alan was asked to record 3 tracks as a tribute to the artists on the Mute record label. He chose 3 tracks by the seminal English electro due, Yazoo. He says he enjoyed the challenge and the tunes were "very well received, very well thankfully".

All of The Brooklyn Foundation's music is written and recorded in Alan's home studio in Salford, Greater Manchester, which I'm sure has no bearing on his love of Joy Division or New Order!

- Iain Key for Cerysmatic Factory. Many thanks Iain.

Labels: Iain_Key, Joy_Division, The_Brooklyn_Foundation, Unknown_Pleasures

'Satellite', the second single from the upcoming album 'Um Dada' by Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire, Wrangler), his first solo album in over 35 years, is out 11 October 2019 via Dais Records.

The video (see above) was created and directed by Joe Shearsby, who shares: "I used our old family 50's Grundig for the tape parts (inspired by the inner sleeve of the album). By keeping the visuals very tightly in sync with the music I wanted to convey a sort of conversation between the character and the machines and the textures, orbiting around each other playfully, initiating different imagery as the song develops."

Pre-order signed copies of the 'Um Dada' album via Stephen Mallinder @ tm.stores [->]

Labels: album, Cabaret_Voltaire, Dais_Records, single, Stephen_Mallinder

Scream City is the Factory Records fanzine from the people who brought you Cerysmatic Factory plus special guest contributors. Scream City is still an old school fanzine and is made from paper, ink and staples. There were five issues to date from 2006-2010 and the project is currently on indefinite hiatus (meaning I am not planning on making any more issues and I don't know when if at all that might ever happen).

Fast forward to September 2019 when I remembered that the Malcolm Whitehead interview about films made on Factory's money was originally intended for the sixth edition which never happened. This was going to be themed around Factory Records video, Ikon, films and pretty much anything related to the moving image.

One enquiry about the availability of Scream City digitally later (thanks Iain Key) and the seed was sown for the Scream City digital archive.

As much as it would make the whole digital publication process a lot easier, I am not just going to make the original pdfs for Scream City 1 to 5 available for download (so please don't ask for these). However, I am going to chunk each edition, replicate the imagery, make the odd correction here and there and also provide notes from a 2019 perspective given that a lot more information has come to light during that period (c.f. the AHW Archive at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester).

In addition, the Scream City digital archive will eventually collect together all the source material for the graphic design plus unused, alternate versions of front/back covers and other imagery. There will even be a SCX or Scream City Christmas section.

Enjoy!

Scream City digital archive

Labels: SC_digital, Scream_City

Fidelity by The Durutti Column gets a long overdue re-release on 10 January 2020 via Les Disques du Crépuscule and, for the first time ever, it's coming out on vinyl. In fact it's a special double LP clear and blue vinyl limited edition of 1000 copies (with digital download - email Crépuscule for more details).

Originally released by Crépuscule on CD only in April 1996, Fidelity featured 10 tracks written and performed by Vini Reilly, with occasional guest vocals by Eley Rudge. In addition to Vini's trademark guitar stylings, the album showcased sleek electronic textures and programmed beats.

This 2019 vinyl re-master features two bonus tracks: My Only Love was originally released in 1995 on a covermount CD with a specialist guitar magazine, while experimental piece The New Fidelity was issued on a Portuguese compilation album from 1992 called Hare, Hunter, Field.

This edition features brand new cover artwork by Crépuscule design director Benoit Hennebert, based on a portrait by Vini Reilly of filmmaker Carol Morley.

Tracklisting

A1. Fidelity
A2. For Suzanne
A3. G+T

B1. Future Perfect
B2. Abstract of Expression
B3. Remember Me

C1. Sanko
C2. Grace
C3. Storm for Steve

D1. Guitar for Mother
D2. My Only Love
D3. The New Fidelity

More info: Les Disques du Crépuscule Mailorder

Labels: album, Benoit_Hennebert, Les_Disques_du_Crepuscule, The_Durutti_Column, vinyl

'we are bored in the city' published by Chelsea Space to coincide with 'Use Hearing Protection: FAC 1 - 50 / 40' is available to buy online via estore.arts.ac.uk.

This old school, fanzine-style booklet includes an essay by Jon Savage and archival images & documents from the early Factory years, many of them from the AHW Archives at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.

It's also available to buy in person at the exhibition itself and you may even get lucky and receive a free copy of the Fac 28 'Komakino' flexi-disc (while stocks last!). This famous Fac flexi was supposedly going to be made available free wherever it was made available. Forty years down the line isn't too bad to be fulfilling on that promise.

--

we are bored in the city
A5 black and white
36 pages
ISBN: 978-1-911618-05-8

--

See also: Those Factory Records flexis in full | Joy Division | Back in the Cellar

Labels: Chelsea_Space, exhibition, Factory_Records, Jon_Savage, magazine, Use_Hearing_Protection

Minny Pops have resurfaced and are set to release a brand new 3-track remix EP on the Blowpipe [->] label on Monday 23 September 2019.

The 'Outernationale Remix' EP [BP 134] features exclusive new versions of 'Waiting For This to Happen', 'Vital', 'A Feeling' by Derek Miller (Section 25).

The EP will be available digitally via all the usual major outlets and is the first in a series of releases of secret recording sessions and mixes by Minny Pops coming up over the next year.

Tracklisting

Waiting For This To Happen
Vital
A Feeling

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More info: minnypops.com

See also: Paul Haig 'Atmosphere' mixed by Outernationale [->]

Labels: Minny_Pops, Outernationale, remix

Issue 497 of Record Collector magazine includes Section 25's Vin Cassidy on the new 5LP 'Always Now' box set out now via Factory Benelux.

Vin recalls the recording of the Always Now album: "Section 25 has always been pretty diligent about its archive. When Factory collapsed in 1992, Larry drove to Manchester and managed to retrieve our master tapes from there. And the actual experience of recording Always Now was pretty special. It was the first time that we’d recorded at a top-line studio like Britannia Row and we were fairly apprehensive about it. But Martin Hannett put us at our ease and we enjoyed doing it. While we were there, Paul, our guitarist, bumped into Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour in the games room a few times, as both of them were trying to get on the Space Invaders machine! We’d see Floyd popping in and out as they were prepping equipment for a tour that they were doing."

Looking forward, Vin considers the prospects for future vinyl reissues: "Next up, it'd be nice to see From The Hip on vinyl again. It’s our signature electro album, so maybe there'll be a 40th anniversary box set in 2024? I’m old school and I still see vinyl as the proper release format. It has that permanence and all-around audio and visual quality about it."

We will be patient!

Record Collector is in the shops now. It's the one with the Status Quo front cover.

Labels: interview, magazine, Record_Collector, Section_25, Vin_Cassidy

The highly influential graphic designer/typographer Wim Crouwel died on 19 September at the age of 90. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

Whilst Wim did not directly work with or for Factory Records, his 'New Alphabet' typeface was famously used by Peter Saville on the cover of Joy Division's Facd 250 Substance 1977-1980. Crouwel commented on this in 2011 in the catalogue of the 'Wim Crouwel: A Graphic Odyssey' exhibition at the Design Museum in London, as part of an interview with exhibition curator Tony Brook:

"I discovered this at the end of the 1990s, and I was flattered that people had used it. I have seen it in pop magazines - mostly as headlines, and sometimes made a little more readable. They always made it by hand and didn't always follow my strict rules and guidelines. Suddenly, at the end of the 1990s, there was interest in this thing that had been developed 25 years before. That was also the time The Foundry came to me and asked if they could digitize my typefaces for their series of experimental typefaces by people like Jan Tschichold. I was greatly flattered. I immediately gave them permission, and I worked on the project with David Quay from The Foundry."

Crouwel also worked with the 8vo design collective and commented on this too in the same interview:

"I was invited by 8vo to do an article on lower-case typography for their magazine, Octavo. By doing this I got to know the three of them - Hamish Muir, Mark Holt and Simon Johnston - and I was impressed by their work. Hamish and Simon had trained in Basel and there was a strong influence from Swiss design, but different from what the Swiss did. I was impressed by their work, and also by the work, and also by the magazine, the layout of the Octavo magazine."



From a personal point of view, Crouwel's typography has always seemed indelibly Factoryesque, and, when it was time for a website redesign some time in the distant past, I chose to put the new masthead in his Vormgevers typeface which was also used on the cover of Fact 290 'Electronic'.



Rest in peace Wim.

Labels: 8vo, graphic_design, obituary, Wim_Crouwel

We continue to remember Malcolm Whitehead's legacy and look back at the 'Films made on Factory Records money' 2-part interview published in 2017. This was originally conceived for the 'undone' issue 6 of Scream City fanzine which was planned for 2011/12 but which never happened (long story, Ed.).

The concept was "the Video Issue' and it was going to come with a dvd and accompanying articles in the paper-based fanzine. The interview, by Brian Nicholson, covered Fac 9 the Factory Flick, Fac 20 Too Young To Know Too Wild To Care, Fact 38 Below The Canal, Fact 46 The Video Circus and the history of Ikon in general.

Many thanks to Brian (and sorry again for the delay).

p.s. the Fac 46 "a video-circus" poster shown above seems to have been left out of the Use Hearing Protection exhibition.

Labels: Brian_Nicholson, Ikon, interview, Malcolm_Whitehead

ACR Soundsystem will be helping YES celebrate their first birthday, in the basement on Saturday 21 September from 11pm - 4am together with Chips with Everything.

The full YES birthday weekend starts Thursday 19 September and features live bands, DJs, exhibitions, film screenings, free food/drinks with line-up highlights of Tim Burgess DJ, Heavenly Jukebox, Hot Singles Club, Andy Votel B-Music Roof Terrace Party & Anti Social Jazz Club.

Facebook Event

Labels: ACR_Soundsystem, DJ, Manchester, party, Yes_MCR

On Friday 18 October 2019, Night at The Factory presents 'TRANSMISSION: The Sound of Joy Division' plus very special guests The Distractions at the Victoria Vaults Venue in York.

Tickets are £9 in advance and £10 on the door.

--

Victoria Vaults Venue
47-49 Nunnery Lane
York YO23 1AB

Labels: gig, gigs, Joy_Division, The_Distractions

Graeme Park eases into autumn with a series of DJ dates from now until Christmas. Highlights include the Warehouse Project in Manchester and the Kiss 102 25th Anniversary which is a charity fundraiser for Blaise Nelson.

September

21 - Expo @ Barça/Tynemouth
27 - House of House @ Grand Elektra/Hastings
28 - Passion @ Kookys/Skipton

October

4 - Sonic Tonic @ the Golden Lion/Todmorden
12 - Fac 51 the Haçienda @ Depot Mayfield/Manchester
19 - Kiss 102 25th Anniversary @ Pen & Pencil/Manchester
26 - Generations @ Arcadia/Bexleyheath

November

2 - Liverpool Disco Festival
7 - Disco Inferno @ the Baltic Triangle/Liverpool
9 - Heritage @ the Hare & Hounds/Kings Heath, Birmingham

December

14 - Long Live House @ the Trades Club/Hebden Bridge
21 - We Present @ 2funky Music Café/Leicester
27 - Circle/Carlisle

More details and how to book: graemepark.com [->]

Labels: DJ, Graeme_Park

It is with great sadness that we announce that Malcolm Whitehead, the lead figure at Factory's video wing, Ikon, has passed away today after a long illness. He was 70.

We will be looking back at Malcolm's life and career in more detail in the coming days and weeks (and thinking about his lasting legacy for much longer than that).

Malcolm is mainly known for his career behind the camera. However, we remember him tonight by showing two notable cameo appearances. Rest in peace.

'Clash of the Titans - Sooty vs Malcolm' - Happy Christmas Eve at the Haçienda - Malcolm appears as "Uncle Malcolm":



'Eat Y'Self Fitter' The Fall - promo video shot in and around Fac 51 The Haçienda - Malcolm appears as the "Ma-Na-Ger"

Labels: Ikon, Malcolm_Whitehead

To coincide with the start of Use Hearing Protection FAC 1-50/40, the exhibition's co-curator Mat Bancroft popped onto the Mary Anne Hobbs show on BBC 6Music to present a 3 Minute Epiphany for Factory Records.

It's available to listen again as part of the show (at 1h 40min) or you can download the podcast.

Labels: BBC_6Music, Factory_Records, Factory40, Mat_Bancroft, podcast, radio, Use_Hearing_Protection

Jez Kerr and Martin Moscrop (aka ACR Soundsystem) recently took over Chris Massey's Sprechen Music for two hours for your listening pleasure. It's available to replay via Mixcloud and the playlist includes The Velvet Underground, ESG, Can, Jon Dasilva, Factory Floor and, of course, A Certain Ratio (with, what else, the Massey Mix of Dirty Boy which was recently released on the split coloured vinyl 12" single via Mute.

See also: Melodic Distraction

Labels: ACR_Soundsystem, DJ, Melodic_Distraction, Mixcloud, Sprechen_Music

At this exclusive evening, Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order) will be in discussion with Dave Haslam (ex-Haçienda) about their lives in music, their inspirations, memories, and future plans at St Michael & All Angels Church in Macclesfield on Saturday 19 October 2019 from 19:00-21:00.

This will be very much a double-header because Stephen's recent autobiography 'Record Play Pause: Confessions of a Post-Punk Percussionist (Volume 1)', and Dave's new book 'We the Youth: Keith Haring's New York Nightlife' - will be available to buy on the night and there will be a signing session with both of them.

Tickets are £11 online (via Eventbrite) and £13 on the door.

--

St Michael & All Angels Church
Market Place
Macclesfield SK10 1DY

Labels: book, Dave_Haslam, events, interview, Joy_Division, New_Order, Stephen_Morris, talk

Factory fans should check out episode 24 of the Nightclubbing (Excursions) podcast in which Dave Booth (ex-Haçienda DJ) and Sean Connors talk to Mark Eastwood of the late, lamented Record Peddler shop which graced Manchester's Swan Street and was THE place for Factory rarities until its closure in 1992. Mark also picks a few choice cuts for the playlist. Stream now via Mixcloud or via the embedded player above.

See also: Record Peddler on Twitter

Labels: Factory_Records, Manchester, Mark_Eastwood, Record_Peddler, vinyl

'New Wave of Hype' is a compilation of 5 Indonesian bands covering classic songs by The Wake's classics in their own unique style. This album is out now digitally via Dismantledjkt on bandcamp and, physically, as a limited edition of 50 copies 5-inch CDR, via heavenpunks [->].

Tracklisting

1. Turks & Caicos - Provincial Disco
2. Ultraviolence - Solo Project
3. Les Mains Immaculees - Carbrain
4. The Sensitive - On Our Honeymoon
5. Sharesprings - Talk About The Past

Labels: album, Bandcamp, compilation, cover_version, DismantledJkt, HeavenPunks, Indonesia, The_Wake

'That Factory Tune' is a poem by Vinny Davies which was commissioned by Councillor Chris Paul from Manchester City Council in liaison on the Factory side by Esther Ford.

March from Middleton, descend from Hulme
Walk from Withington to the factory tune
Mooch from Moston, do the Ancoats sway
We're all gone move in a Curtis way
Leave time to get from Levenshulme
Or rush from home
Dawdle from Didsbury, to the sound that we own
Hurry up from Urmston, or thumb it from Hyde
Not far from Ardwick, just one bus ride
Bounce down from Beswick, see what people say
Push boundaries, and soundaries in a Wilson way
It's black and it's yellow, it's played on the moon
That Manchestic, Majestic Factory Tune

- 'That Factory Tune' by Vincent Davies

Many thanks to Vinny and Iain for the info and imagery.

Labels: Factory_Records, Manchester, poetry, Vincent_Davies

Hot on the heels of Use Hearing Protection FAC 1-50 / 40, The Modernist Society in Manchester presents a brand new exhibition, with 40 examples of Factory's design output celebrating the cultural legacy of Factory Records.

Trevor Johnson, who was responsible for many great Factory record sleeves, both with Johnson/Panas and independently, has curated and designed the exhibition with his brother Craig, also a key member of the Johnson Panas team at the time. Johnson Panas also designed much of the Fac 51 The Haçienda and Fac 201 Dry visual identities.

A unique brand has been created for the exhibition: PRAXIS XL. This is a reference to the philosophy expounded by Anthony Wilson (and The Modernist Society) that praxis was "Doing something because you have the urge to do it, inventing the reasons later."

The exhibition will run until 23 December 2019. More details when we have them.

The Modernist
58 Port Street
Manchester M1 2EQ

See also; modernist-society.org [->]

Meanwhile, those who wish to remind themselves of AHW's praxis theories should reacquaint themselves with Channel 4's 'New Order Play at Home' documentary from 1984 (see below).

Labels: exhibition, FAC201_Dry, Factory_Records, graphic_design, Manchester, praxis, Trevor_Johnson

"A Play About Joy Division and Manchester"... I'd imagine that most if not all the audience in attendance tonight are well versed in the short history of the band and and are familiar with the music released between 1978 and 1980. It would be easy to suggest that the writer and producers are pushing against an open door... but in effect I think the opposite is actually true.

There is so much love for the legacy of the band and the characters portrayed in this performance celebrating 40 Years of Unknown Pleasures that the stakes are actually higher along with people's expectations.

This was the 2nd performance of the 3 night run in Manchester before moving to Sheffield and London, and for the 2nd night the performance finished with a standing ovation... and boy was it deserved.

Every actor involved nailed their part.

Alan Donohoe effortlessly portrays Tony Wilson, coming across as the "TV Tony Wilson" I grew up with on Granada TV rather than the slightly larger than life caricatures in the two films produced about Factory and Joy Division.

Joseph Walsh delivers a complex and tortured Ian Curtis which also highlights the artistic and fragility of the man. His chaos and confusion portrayed in the Derby Hall scene especially is heart-breaking.

Leah Gray is wonderful as Deborah Curtis, moving from doting girlfriend to angry jilted wife and mother. Although not on stage quite as much as the male characters, Leah delivers a couple of the of the most powerful scenes in the whole play, the first being just 2 words, one line, a question... "Who's Annik?" which cuts through the silence in the auditorium, people almost holding their breath. The second, comes just before the tragic conclusion as Debbie and Ian trade lines from 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' giving the audience a sense of the genuine pain and frustration being felt in Macclesfield in 1980 by the young couple

Harry McLafferty, Bill Bradshaw and Matthew Melbourne play Bernard, Hooky and Stephen to great effect, all having the character traits you'd expect if you've seen the numerous interviews and portrayals of the would be New Order. The trio are often found bouncing off each other and have some of the best lines and put downs but also get their own 'deep moments' especially when coming to terms with the issues which had been faced by their singer.

Directors Sean Mason and Giles D. Bastow also appear, the latter as Rob Gretton who channels the late manager of the band as well as Paddy Constantine in 'Control' and as recognisable as the man himself from the footage and interviews that can be found in the likes of 'New Order Story'. The former actually takes on 11 roles throughout the play, many as comic relief and the butt of jokes. However, he's a superb as producer Martin Hannett (clearly taking joy in the immortal line "play faster... but slower.")

Writer Brian Gorman appears in cameo roles via filmed inserts as Roman General Julius Agricola and also Dr John Dee helping Alan's Tony Wilson to provide the history of our wonderful Northern City.

But it's not just the acting… as you may expect, the sound and lighting play a massive part and are also spot on. With the stage set being quite sparse, other than the band's equipment and a few crates and chairs and the occasional microphone, The deft audio and visuals really put focus on the actors and allows them to really excel in their roles and take the audience on a journey through the highs and lows to the inevitable end.

Whilst not taking anything away from '24 Hour Party People' or 'Control', 'New Dawn Fades' feels like 'THE' authentic telling of the Joy Division story. This maybe because it's delivered "live and direct" rather than on a screen. There are scenes that uncomfortably come to life, such as those when Ian first has a fit, or as mentioned previously Debbie and Ian trade lyrics as their marriage crumbles really hit home.

I would highly recommend people catch this if they get a chance in this short run.

I attended with my 12-year-old who loves Joy Division's music and has seen the films (OK so there is a fair bit of swearing and death in the play but he already knows the story and hears worse at football) and a friend of my age.

My son wants to see it again at some point in the future and enjoyed it because it "felt real" and "like it was there".

My friend's review (which you'll be glad is significantly shorter than mine) was... "Proper good".

Go and see it if you can.

- review by Iain Key for Cerysmatic Factory

New Dawn Fades is on at the Leadmill in Sheffield 16/17 September and then returns to Jacksons Lane, Highgate, London for a 3-night stint 19-21 September.

More info

Labels: Joy_Division, New_Dawn_Fades, play, review, Tony_Wilson

New Order return to live action in Japan in 2020 with dates already announced for Tokyo and Osaka.

March

3-4 Shinkiba Studio Coast, Tokyo
6 Zepp Osaka Bayside, Osaka

Tickets available now

Japan residents

Rest of the World

Labels: gig, gigs, Japan, New_Order

A Certain Ratio return to Subterania in London on 11 December 2019 to play a special show to help the venue celebrate their 30th anniversary.

On Twitter, ACR explained that they first played the venue when it was the Acklam Hall over 40 years ago in 1979 with Joy Division, John Dowie and OMD.

Head over to the ACR Gigography for more details on that one and many more.

Tickets are available to buy now via seetickets.com [->].

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Subterania
12 Acklam Road, Portobello
London W10 5QZ

More info: subterania.net | Facebook [->]

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, gig, gigs, London, Subterania

ZOO MEETS FACTORY HALF-WAY
LEIGH POP FESTIVAL  OPEN AIR
BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY
AUGUST 27th  ALL DAY FIRST BAND 1.00 pm
£2

FACTORY ZOO RECORDS and ZOO FACTORY RECORDS BRING YOU
THE FLESH THAT BROUGHT YOU THE VINYL

LORI AND THE CHAMELEONS  JOY DIVISION  ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN  THE DISTRACTIONS
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK
THE TEARDROP EXPLODES  ELTI-FITS  X-O-DUS
CRAWLING CHAOS  A CERTAIN RATIO

USE YOUR WITS OR USE THE BUS  NO 26 from Manchester Victoria : NO 39 from Liverpool

Festival site - Plank Lane, Leigh, Lancs

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Handwritten rough (presumably by AHW) for the eventual Fac 15 poster for the Zoo Meets Factory Half-Way event (aka The Leigh Pop Festival). Tony Wilson designed this poster "after Peter Saville".

This translated into the eventual white-on-black poster / black-on-white draft flyer (which in this version contains a repeat of the "bring you the flesh..." line:



The reverse of the handwritten layout features the outline running order for the event:

1.00 Elti Fits
2.00 Crawling Chaos
3.00 Exodus
4.00 A Certain Ratio
5.00 Echo + Bunnymen
6.00 Distractions
7.00 OMITD
8.00 Teardrop
9.00 Joy Division

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Crawling_Chaos, events, graphic_design, Joy_Division, Leigh, OMD, poster, The_Distractions, X-O-Dus, Zoo

fac 2.09
walks on water
hopper and the space monkeys on the fitzcarraldo
vini reilly and khalique on the princess catherine

sunday 3rd november
the boat will leave the landing stage on water street at 6.50pm
if you're not on the boat
you're not on the boat

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Unused tickets for Fac 2.09 Walks on Water a live event on 3 November 1995 with The Space Monkeys, Hopper, Vini Reilly and Khalique.

Labels: back_in_the_cellar, events, Factory_Too, Hopper, Khalique, Space_Monkeys

PKRP (aka Paul Pledger, occasional Cerysmatic contributor / guest editor) presents:

"Eclectic floor-fillers and head-nodders from across the last 5 decades inc THREE hours' worth of the groovier, grittier side of Manchester's iconic Factory imprint (and sister-label Factory Benelux)."

The PKRP // Factory Records 40th Anniversary Set is at the Bread and Roses in Plymouth on Saturday 21 September 2019 from 20:00.

Facebook Event

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The Bread and Roses
62 Ebrington Street
Plymouth PL4 9AF

Labels: DJ, events, Factory40, PKRP

New Dawn Fades, the play about Joy Division written by Brian Gorman and directed by Sean Mason and Giles Bastow, is back in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Unknown Pleasures for shows in Manchester, Sheffield and London.

The full itinerary is below and please see newdawnfadesplay.wordpress.com for more details and how to buy tickets.

September

12-14 - Dancehouse Theatre, Manchester
16-17 - The Leadmill, Sheffield
19-21 - Jacksons Lane, Highgate, London

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Facebook

Labels: Joy_Division, London, Manchester, New_Dawn_Fades, play, Sheffield

The Peter Hook and The Light Technique / Republic tour continues at locations across the UK, Ireland, Mexico, USA & Canada during September, October and November 2019.

There will be an additional set of Joy Division material to open each show.

September

12 - Dolan's, Limerick, Ireland
13 - The Academy, Dublin, Ireland
14 - The Limelight, Belfast
19 - The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
20 - Town Hall, Middlesbrough
21 - The Empire, Coventry

October

17 - Shankly Hotel, Liverpool, UK
21 - Fronton, Mexico City, Mexico
24 - Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, USA
25 - Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY, USA
26 - Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USA
28 - Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada
29 - Théâtre Fairmount, Montreal, QC, Canada
31 - St Andrew's Hall, Detroit, MI, USA

November

1 - Metro, Chicago, IL, USA
2 - First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA
4 - Venue, Vancouver, BC, Canada
5 - Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA, USA
7 - Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA
8 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA
9 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA, USA
11 - Emo's, Austin, TX, USA
12 - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA, USA

Buy tickets

Labels: events, gig, gigs, Joy_Division, Mexico, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Republic, Technique, The_Light

The recent announcement that a movie is to be made based on Shaun Ryder's Twisting My Melon autobiography has prompted the following compilation of all things literary and indeed Happy Mondays...

An early entry in the biographical stakes was 'Shaun Ryder: Happy Mondays, Black Grape and Other Traumas' by Mick Middles published in April 1997.



Three years later, Bez put his unique twist on the autobiography genre with 'Freaky Dancin' Me and the Mondays' which was published in September 2000 by Pan. There's a been one or two reprints since then but the original with the Central Station Design cover is the one to look out for.



John Warburton brought us 'Hallelujah!: The extraordinary story of Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays' in May 2003 via Virgin Books.



Currently pushing for the title of best all-round Mondays biography is Simon Spence's 'Happy Mondays: Excess All Areas: The definitive biography' published in June 2015 by Aurum Press. This currently radiates in the luxury of a 4.9/5 rating on Amazon.



It's back to Shaun Ryder for the last two entries in our short Happy Mondays reading round-up.

'What Planet Am I On?' by Shaun Ryder from 2014 is essentially a tie-in to Shaun's stint presenting 'Shaun Ryder on UFOs'.



Finally, bringing things right up to date, 'Wrote for Luck - Selected Lyrics' by Shaun Ryder (Faber and Faber, 2019) collects together the very best of this generation's Keats's lyrics in one handy brightly coloured hardback.



(Enough Happy Mondays books already, Ed.)

Labels: book, Happy_Mondays, Shaun_Ryder

The Factory Too era saw a new selection of graphic designers ushered in to work with the small but perfectly formed roster of artists assembled by Tony Wilson. Ed Templeton, the artist, photographer and professional skateboarder was a key element of this phase, working not only with Hopper but also on wider label-spanning projects like the Fac 2.24 1996 Christmas card.

However, it didn't stop there. One one of my many visits to the AHW Archives at the Science and Industry Museum I uncovered a selection of captioned photographs by Ed including the following pair - "WHEN WE WERE KIDS ..." and "TIME WAS GIGANTIC" (in that order). Roll on October 1998 and The Durutti Column's new album Facd 2.31 'Time Was Gigantic... When We Were Kids' is released on compact disc and the rest is history. A dexterous swapping of the sequence and the moving of an ellipsis and there you have your brand new album title.

Labels: Ed_Templeton, graphic_design, photography, The_Durutti_Column

"Trickery is the second instalment of essential black vinyl stuff from Manchester's only jazz band under 46 years of age, Kalima. Four songs - 12" diameter. Aural proof that jazz is still vital and relevant in 1985. Kalima had previously been known to those with ears to hear as The Swamp Children, who recorded the remarkable So Hot album way back in the mists of time. 1982 actually, and there weren't that many young bands playing Latin American influenced jazz roaming the streets that August."

This is an extract from a 1985 press release to promote the Fac 127 'Four Songs' 12" single by Kalima. This particular copy is from the Tony Wilson Collection at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.

Read the full Kalima press release from 1985.

Factory catalogue number spotters should note the incorrect assignment of Fact 80 to 'So Hot' by Swamp Children. 'Alma Mater' by The Stockholm Monsters, the true Fact 80, had already been released in autumn 1984 so this must just be a typo.

Labels: Andy_Connell, Ann_Quigley, Jez_Kerr, Kalima, Liz_Naylor, Martin_Moscrop, Nathan_McGough, promotion, Swamp_Children, Tony_Quigley

FAC 51 The Hacienda legend Jon Dasilva is part of the resident DJ crew for I LOVE ACID's return to Manchester on 12 October 2019 at Gorilla. The full line-up includes a trio of Acid heroes in the form of Luke Vibert, Ceephax Acid Crew [live] and DMX Krew, plus resident Posthuman alongside Mr Dasilva.

This event is selling out fast but tickets are still available.

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External links: Facebook Event | Buy Tickets

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Gorilla
54-56 Whitworth Street
Manchester

Labels: DJ, Gorilla, Jon_Dasilva, Manchester

Space Monkeys have announced a special one-off gig at Jimmy's in Liverpool on Friday 1 November 2019. This will be their first appearance in the city for 20 years.

Buy Tickets

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Jimmy's
130 Bold St
Liverpool  L1 4JA

18+ show
19:30 - 22:30

Labels: gig, gigs, Liverpool, Space_Monkeys

Jack O'Connell (Skins) is in advanced stages of negotiations to play Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder in new biopic Twisting My Melon based on Ryder's autobiography of the same title.

The independent AGC Studios will fully finance and co-produce Twisting My Melon their CEO Stuart Ford announced on Friday 6 September 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Jack O’Connell to star as @Happy_Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder (@officialswr) in musical biopic for AGC Studios (exclusive) #TIFF19 https://t.co/2AJT8pJFAD pic.twitter.com/8r7Ns9imWl

— Screen International (@Screendaily) September 6, 2019

Jason Isaacs (The OA, Hotel Mumbai) is being lined up to play Derek "Horseman" Ryder with Holliday Grainger (Patrick Melrose) as Ryder's girlfriend and Maxine Peake as his mother.

Matt Greenhalgh (the writer of Control) co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Knott and William Ash and will direct and produce the film.

The film is scheduled to go into production in January 2020.

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Synopsis

"Brother. Son. Poet. Film Star. Rock 'n' Roll Legend. Since childhood, all Shaun Ryder ever wanted to do was play in a rock band like his father, a local working-class guitar hero dubbed the "Horseman". Soon his drive and one-of-a-kind songwriting skills catapulted him to front man of Happy Mondays, the iconic 90s British rock band that would come to define a new cultural era. But success challenged Shaun and his relationship with his father in a riotous cautionary rock fable, set against a musical and cultural revolution whose impact can still be felt today."

Labels: film, Happy_Mondays, Shaun_Ryder, Toronto_Film_Festival

James Nice (Factory Benelux, Les Disques du Crépuscule, LTM) chats about the 40th anniversary of Factory Records to Janice Long on BBC Wales in a programme first broadcast on Wednesday 4 September 2019. The audio may not be available in all countries due to BBC iPlayer restrictions.

The Factory-related audio starts at about 1:05:00 in to the show.

A small suite of Factory Records material features during the show with the playlist as follows:

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Electricity
Joy Division - Digital
A Certain Ratio - All Night Party
Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar (Remixed By John Robie In New York)
James - Hymn From a Village
The Durutti Column - Home
Happy Mondays - Kinky Afro

* The Skunk Anansie element of this headline is not related to Factory. Any credible connection tips welcomed!

Labels: Factory_Records, James_Nice, Janice_Long, radio

TheArtsDesk.com [->] neatly and positively summarises the career and output of Blackpool's Tunnelvision alongside a great review of the recent Factory Benelux anthology 'Watching The Hydroplanes' which is available to buy now via FBN Mailorder [->].

Labels: Factory_Benelux, review, Tunnelvision

Many thanks to Ian White of The Wendys for this great Factory artefact which he originally circulated via Facebook. Ian explains: "We had just delivered the master tapes of our album Gobbledygook to Factory. Tony Wilson sent us this lovely and inspiring letter. It was fantastic to know Tony and Factory had faith in us."

Transcript

"F.G. album, as in 'fucking great'. It's a pleasure to know you were right in signing an act. It's a pleasure to contemplate the exciting years ahead with a fine group. But most of all it's a pleasure to listen to such fabulous bloody songs. Thanks for an ace Xmas present, boys.

Yours

Anthony H. Wilson"

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It's Fac artefact double whammy because the letterhead used is a perfect example of Fac 311 stationery.

See also: Factory Records stationery

Labels: The_Wendys, Tony_Wilson

Saturday 21 September 2019
Section 25 Industrial Unit
plus Hot Minute

20:00-03:00

Minimum Age: 18

Electric Church
79 Northgate
Blackburn
BB2 1AA

Labels: Blackburn, gig, gigs, S25_Industrial_Unit, Section_25

Paranoid London, the production duo comprising Gerardo Delgado and Quinn Whalley, have released their second album 'PL' via their own Paranoid London Records on 30 August 2019.

The Factory connections come from Simon Topping (ex-A Certain Ratio) who provides vocals on track 8 'Cult Hero (Do You Wanna Touch Me)' and there's also a guest slot for Arthur Baker (famously noted for his production skills working with New Order and also worked with Anna Domino) on track 5 'Angel Hell' which also features Alan Vega.

Tracklisting

1. Starting Fights [feat. Josh Caffe]
2. The Boombox Affair [feat. Bubbles Bubblesynski]
3. Nobody Watching [feat. Mutado Pintado]
4. The Music
5. Angel Of Hell [feat. Arthur Baker & Alan Vega]
6. Drum Machine
7. Blue-Ish
8. Cult Hero (Do You Wanna Touch Me) [feat. Simon Topping]
9. Sly Is Watching
10. (Vi-Vi) Vicious Games [feat. Josh Caffe]
11. Just My Size [feat. Mutado Pintado]

More info via external sites: Buy it Now | Facebook (Official) | paranoidlondon.com

Labels: Arthur_Baker, Paranoid_London, Simon_Topping, single

A Certain Ratio release a 500 copies limited edition dual coloured (cyan/purple) vinyl 12" single 'Dirty Boy' / 'Shack Up (Remixed)' this Friday 6 September 2019 via Mute.

Tracklisting

A1: Dirty Boy (Massey Mix)
A2: Dirty Boy (Nine In The Afternoon Mix)

AA1: Shack Up (Work Mix)
AA2: Shack Up (Wipe Out Mix)

‪The 12" EP is available to pre-order via your favourite outlets - smarturl.it/DirtyBoyACR‬

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Chris_Massey, Mute

Kevin Hewick is a guest on Alan McGee's show on Boogaloo Radio [->] tonight Monday 2 September 2019.

It's on live at 18:00-20:00 (BST) or later via the Boogaloo Radio archive.

Labels: Alan_McGee, Boogaloo_Radio, Kevin_Hewick

The new Space Monkeys album 'Modern Actions' will be released on 1 January 2020 on the band's own independent label Supercool distributed through Townsend Music.

This follows a lengthy saga during which the band crowdfunded the album's production via Pledge Music only to see that company fold and eventually go bankrupt sadly leaver many backers' money in limbo. Space Monkeys' message is anybody who ordered through Pledge Music will receive a signed CD copy and a Digital Download in advance of the release date as a thank you and at no extra cost. They will try to fulfil all other orders as soon as possible. If you can get a refund from your credit card company or bank now that Pledge Music has gone bankrupt please try to do so and re-order through TM Stores. Otherwise the band has to cover the full cost as Pledge Music did not pay us the money that you paid them.

As a thank you to anybody who pre-orders 'Modern Actions' through TM Stores you will instantly receive a free download of an exclusive new track 'Give Me Some Space' which will not be available anywhere else.

Merchandise is also available through the Space Monkeys TM Store which will be delivered straight away.

"Big love and thank you to everyone who has supported us so far on this journey. We Are Together."

Tracklisting

1. Modern Actions
2. We Are Together
3. Black Mirror
4. Soft Machine
5. Born To Ride
6. Yesterday's Rain
7. Wishing On A Daydream
8. Summer Thyme
9. Sunshine Blues
10. Red Flag
11. Remedy
12. Submarine
13. The Outsiders
14. Shadows Of The Sun

The album title 'Modern Actions' was inspired by a quote from Tony Wilson when asked about music and culture in Manchester.

"The industrial shapes, the angular lines, the steel, is and can be beautiful. It's beautiful outside and it's beautiful inside and I think Manchester has a sense of feeling, the great large vocabulary of modern dress and modern actions and the music is the music of the moment. And it exists here." - Anthony H Wilson

Album cover designed by Richard McNevin-Duff

Labels: album, Pledge_Music, Space_Monkeys

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