The PKRP Favourite Cerysmatic Factory Playlist is available now via Spotify and Apple Music for your musical factorial edification and here are the Playlist Sleevenotes:

Wim Mertens - No Plans No Projects

A prolific minimalism composer from small-town Belgium doesn't sound like a typical place to start a Factory Records playlist. But then No Plans No Projects isn't a typical Wim Mertens piece either. Built around a simple keyboard refrain, this superb track from the Educes Me album bursts into life around halfway through with LOUD synths and portentous piano. Mertens's other contribution to Factory was the soundtrack to Peter Greenaway's arthouse movie The Belly Of An Architect (Fact 195), while Educes Me holds the accolade of having one of the most sought after (and expensive) formats - the boxed cassette in the yellow case has been known to fetch up to a £200!

OMD - Almost (Hannett Mix)

The Wirral duo's sprightly iconic debut single Electricity has always been a favourite of mine, but this lo-fi Hannett mix of its attendant b-side has stayed with me since its release. Electricity has just been reissued in a new sleeve with a Vince Clarke remix of Almost on the b-side - it should have been the main attraction, not relegated to a flip. I've always liked the strange hissing sound and off-beat drum machine, the plaintive sorrowful lyric and vocal, Saville's braille sleeve and of course the fact Tony Wilson released the single for his then wife Lindsay. It really should have been a double a-side. Either track could have been a hit with a spread of radio play.

Joy Division - These Days

All those amazing and iconic album-tracks and I go and pick an often-overlooked b-side - is this bloke for real? Thing is, Love Will Tear Us Apart will always be one of the most important singles ever and needs no introduction. You'd need a heart of estuary mud to hate it. But tucked away on side two of both formats is what I consider to be one of three very important Joy Division tracks and the link to where the band were heading at the time. Isolation, Decades and These Days demonstrate the band's increased interest in electronics at the time, before Ian's sad demise. Almost 40 years on and still nothing on Movement comes close to any track on the second JD album Closer, with the possible exception of the synth-layered Doubts Even Here, but head to New Order's sophomore set Power Corruption and Lies and preceding single Everything's Gone Green and the link becomes a little more obvious. I love how this song bustles along - great drumming and driving bass from Morris and Hook.

Fadela - N'Sel Fik

Back in the '80s, when global sounds permeated the curious music-lover's conscience via John Peel's interest, Peter Gabriel's Real World and related WOMAD festivals, the public remained a bit nonplussed with the emotional synth-pomp of North African Rai. Wonderfully off-kilter and at odds with typical 4/4 beats being peddled across the pond, N'Sel Fik became a frequently dropped track at the more eclectic parties in Manchester and London. It's tenuous link to rave-culture is derived from the opening line of Fadela's lovely song being lifted and dropped onto "We Are E", a huge breakbeat tune issued in 1991. I suspect the originator was less than pleased with being associated with 'being on one' but it's a decent enough and sought after hardcore banger. Fac 197 itself remains a regular go-to when I'm playing out.

The Durutti Column - What Is It To Me (Woman)

In truth, I could have picked dozens of DC tracks to pop on this playlist but What Is It To Me (Woman) has always captivated me. It demonstrates everything great about the interplay between guitarist Vini Reilly, drummer Bruce Mitchell and attendant guests, including harmonica maestro Rob Gray. Taken from the Stephen Street-produced The Guitar and Other Machines (Fact 204) released in 1987, this track has aged very well and benefits from not being quite so drum-heavy as other tracks on the otherwise pin-sharp GOTM. It's more future jazz than art-rock (or whatever The Durutti Column were being tagged in those days) and is as contemporary as anything in Reilly's enviable and essential canon.

Marcel King - Reach For Love (NY Remix)

For a short spell in Factory's existence, the label acted as a springboard for soulful club tracks with a house twist. Soon-to-be M People luminary Mike Pickering made a decent fist of it with his Quando Quango project (Genius is just that, Love Tempo and Atom Rock were also rightfully regarded), while Section 25, New Order and A Certain Ratio embraced new technology to create the likes of Looking From a Hilltop, The Perfect Kiss and Life's A Scream. Straight out of the blocks came this bruising rework of former Sweet Sensation, er, sensation Marcel King's glorious Reach For Love. Velveteen vocals and a big-stringed 'n' synthed-up arrangement were given an overhaul by revered producer Mark Kamins, who coincidentally had mixed two of the aforementioned Quando singles. Its flip-side Keep On Dancin' was a favourite of mine for a while but this song translates better when pumped through a decent sound-system. Great record.

X-O-Dus - See Them A Come

When it came to sound-system mixes, reggae dub-lord Dennis Bovell certainly fitted the bill. The great man's deft touch can be found on one of the most collectable 12" on Factory, X-O-Dus's epic English Black Boys (Fac 11). It's such a shame that an album never materialised after such a fine landmark debut record, although LTM Records did curate a rather fetching round-up of studio material some years back. My personal preference, as with many Factory singles, is its speaker-scaring b-side See Them a Come. This is some serious heavyweight material and when piped through a capable mixing desk, is eight straight minutes of pure rib-cage rattling reggae euphoria.

Kalima - Take It Easy

I've got a soft spot for the unsung Kalima, a soul-jazz collective born out of the remains of the rather more avant-garde Swamp Children. Along the way, Kalima issued a handful of unjustly ignored singles like The Smiling Hour, Whispered Words and Weird Feelings, as well as a string of albums that had one foot in the golden age of crooners and one in the latter day Acid Jazz age. The band's final Factory album Feeling Fine (Fact 249) is perhaps their most consistent, least 'trad' set and includes some remarkable musicianship and decent songs, including this cracker. Languid, woozy and slinky, Take It Easy surpasses the album's curious single choice Shine and, in fact, most of the band's mostly likeable catalogue.

Section 25 - Inspiration

One of the first Factory albums recommended to me by one Nick Clarke who ran Rhythm Records in Plymouth during the early to mid '80s was Section 25's crystalline From The Hip. Fact 90 remains one of my all-time favourite LPs and still sounds timeless to this day. When most synth acts from the decade pummelled the hell out of our earholes with leaden drums, the Blackpool outfit wove featherlight beats with hopeful and er, inspirational songs that took the band to another level. many cite the single Looking From a Hilltop as the key track on this album but I'm positive that this epic closer made far better use of the available New Order-donated technology.

Stockholm Monsters - Partyline

The original scallies and Perry guys and gals weren't afraid to get all controversial and political on our asses with songs like How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?, Your Uniform and this stunning electro post-romantic belter. Issued as a 12" only, one can't help thinking that a radio 7" might, MIGHT, just have landed the Stockies with a minor cult hit back in the day. Somewhat unlike their usual edgy alternative jangle-pop, Partyline is the sort of tune that Pet Shop Boys or New Order might have made if they'd upped the speedball dosage at a Top of the Pops rehearsal. I love this record. Its flipside, Militia, is also essential, making this one of those archetypal Factory singles that works on both sides.

The Railway Children - Brighter

And here's another landmark single. Wigan's oft-forgotten songsmiths The Railway Children knocked out several sprightly singles and a pair of decent albums for both Factory and latterly Virgin Records. Brighter sported great b-sides in History Burns and Careful and sounded like a Top 10 hit all summer long. Great sleeve from Johnson Panas too. How, HOW, did this not strike a chord with the then radio DJs? It still sounds like a burst of summer some thirty years later.

The Wake - Torn Calendar

Melancholy is something that Factory Records was very good at. In Scotland's The Wake, they had it in litres. The band's debut album was Harmony, a solemn post-punk postscript that inadvertently invented twee-pop without actually being 'pop', while celebrated single Talk About The Past earned plaudits aplenty from media to fanbase. But it was the peerless much-delayed Here Comes Everybody LP that really put The Wake amongst the indie pigeons. The entire album is nothing short of a sad-face masterpiece, with the slightly trippy pretty Torn Calendar leading the field of many many centrepieces and would-be singles.

The Names - I Wish I Could Speak Your Language

My first non-JD/NO Factory single purchase was Fac 29, the exemplary Nightshift by Brussels-based rock 'n darkwavers The Names. Along with its powerful boundary-crossing flip I Wish I Could Speak Your Language, here was a 7" single that delivered some of Martin Hannett's most brutal production, without compromising the band's delicate and austere lyricism. Everything about this song demonstrates everything about those involved - the huge smash-snare drums typified by Hannett's dextrous hands, urbane almost paranoid lyrics and subtle uses of synth and guitar hooks. The Names' track record might not have spawned 'hits', but their concise canon contains few misses.

New Order - Everything's Gone Green

This is the record that kickstarted indie dance-music, no arguments. The likes of Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem, Friendly Fires and The Rapture probably wouldn't have had their 15 seconds / minutes / hours / years of exposure without this truly majestic record. It doesn't say or do much but it does everything. Never mind Blue Monday or Temptation, Everything's Gone Green remains New Order's first active foray into disco hi-hats and club mixes. Extended for a Factory Benelux 12" with new b-sides, EGG is not only one of New Order's most important records, it remains a masterclass by Martin Hannett who was ultimately swiftly spurned by band and label soon after they'd figured out how he operated his studio toys. Its attendant double 'A' Procession is also prime New Order material from the Movement sessions.

John Dowie - Idiot

Often dismissed as too surreal but revered by the likes of Stewart Lee (and myself), Birmingham's rather edgy humourist looked a bit like Jasper Carrott but couldn't have been more different. His attachment to Factory was all too brief with just three odd grin-worthy vignettes on the label's very first release, the double-7" A Factory Sample, and a lone headline single, the somewhat pub-singalong It's Hard To Be An Egg coupled with its 'visual' flip Mime Sketch. All five Factory tracks formed part of his then live poetry shows and were finally gathered together with his half-dozen Virgin label EP tracks and a slew of hilarious live tracks on the album An Arc of Hives. "I'm the kind of idiot who always ends a sentence with question. Don't I?" - we've all met someone like it and there are even more of Dowie's Idiots around nowadays.

Happy Mondays - Weekends

My first encounters with the Mondays were the Factory 'Supertent' gathering in Finsbury Park in 1987 when the band performed a somewhat chaotic set wearing huge parka jackets and puffing on suspect smoking material and the passable single Delightful, aka the Forty-Five E.P. I've always been of the opinion that Ryder's charges were more talented than people gave them credit (or abuse) for. But Delightful didn't help their cause. The two b-sides however certainly did, especially the song Oasis which eventually ended up in re-recorded form on their debut album Squirrel and G-Man 24 Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out). Recorded with a certain John Cale, 24 Hr (etc, etc) is an unexpected funky treasure in Factory's late canon. Perhaps a little more grown-up than the more familiar Madchester material, the gritty street funk of Kuff Dam (Mad Fuck backwards) and Tart Tart became a regular go-to for me at parties, as did Weekends (or Weekend S as it appears on some copies). Its odd galloping rhythm and barbed lyrics is short, sweet and might have made a hit-single in a parallel universe.

Minny Pops - Dolphin's Spurt

Dutch semi-industrialists with a near 7ft tall singer might not sound very Factory, but Minny Pops's brief honeymoon in Manchester spawned two pin-sharp electro-dance singles and an album for sister-label Factory Benelux. With the man Hannett at the helm for this single, both sides of the Dolphin's Spurt 7" are on point to this day, danceable and timeless, littered with its producer's trademark effects and atmospherics and lyrically insistent, nagging and a little confrontational. It's almost impossible to make out the words spat out by singer Wally van Middendorp but who cares? He's bigger than all of us.

Royal Family and the Poor - Visions

Liverpool's Mike Keane was the north-west's resident anarchic occultist, renouncing conventional mass-media and musical practice in favour of creating early demos and live shows of ritualistic chants, highly charged howling and the odd song here and there. After a few personal struggles, Keane's Factory output remains something of a treasure chest. Debut single Art on 45 was a sort of funky My Favourite Things and has since been given the nod by Maximo Park's Paul Smith and first album Temple of the 13th Tribe had a helping hand from Peter Hook and Stockholm Monsters' Lita Hira. For me though, sophomore set We Love The Moon - the Project Phase 2 continues to be Keane's masterpiece. Recorded with Pink Industry's Ambrose Reynolds, WLTM includes the superb Pagan Way (which still isn't on Spotify after all this time) and the 'hit' Visions, a glorious example of Keane's occasional foray into sensitive pop songs.

The Distractions - Time Goes By So Slow

Rightly acclaimed as one of Factory's most charming and rewarding singles, Time Goes By Slow was issued just after the band had already signed to Island. Musically and lyrically embedded in both '60s pop charm a la Adam Faith or The Hollies and post-punk favourites Buzzcocks, The Distractions followed up TGBSS with a handful of singles and a long-forgotten album Nobody's Perfect before taking a lengthy hiatus into the 21st century. More recently, the band have been busy writing and recording for Exeter-based indie Occultation, including the rather splendid sophomore album The End Of The Pier. For me, Fac 12 remains one of Factory Records' most important and timeless early singles.

A Certain Ratio - Waterline

A staple of the band's live set to this day, the funky near-instrumental Waterline was and still is a bit of a game-changer. Unmistakably ACR, the exclusively recorded Fac 52 single ushered in their post-Hannett future with an ankle-deep bassline, vocodered vocals, tight handclap drums and some speaker-bothering effects and atmospherics. Alongside the attendant album Sextet, Waterline with its bonged up and dubbed out flip Funaezekea turned the conventional Brit-funk sounds and ideals into the unconventional. And you can't get a much more unconventional ending to a track than the final 45 seconds on this 12".

- sleevenotes by Paul Pledger/Flipside Reviews for Cerysmatic Factory

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Happy_Mondays, John_Dowie, Joy_Division, Kalima, Minny_Pops, New_Order, OMD, Section_25, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Distractions, The_Names, The_Railway_Children, The_Wake, Wim_Mertens, X-O-Dus

To commemorate their 150th anniversary, Colston Hall in Bristol partnered with Jacknife Print Studio to create a series of gig posters of iconic performances, including one for Joy Division on 4 November 1979.

This is essentially sold out via jacknifeprints.com but it would seem they have one left which is "unnumbered but signed display print with slight denting and very small mark".

See also: joydiv.org

Labels: Bristol, Colston_Hall, graphic_design, Jacknife_Print_Studio, Joy_Division, poster

Where do you start?

It's big? 15" x 15" x 5" is a little oversized for the average shelf.

It's quite expensive? Yes, but with some justification.

It has limited appeal? Maybe, but those who are invested will love it.

It's breathtaking.

When this box was first announced in August, I had no hesitation in ordering it. Whilst costing more than I would normally spend (I thought the deluxe version of 'Movement' a little on the high side) the contents, the book, the music, the posters, the CD and DVD promised a treasure trove of riches most could only dream of owning, despite being copies.



It's worth noting on this point that where things are facsimiles, they are to the highest degree, for example, FAC-2 is in a proper heat sealed sleeve rather than a card or paper one. FAC 6 is in a replica black-on-black thermographic braille sleeve. Clearly no expense has been spared in the production of this box celebrating greatest of all record labels.

Opening the high quality box very carefully the first thing you see is the 12x12" 60-page paperback book. With new text by the curator, James Nice, and some rare full-size photographs mixed with quotes from various sources, this focuses on the content of the box and reprints an original 1979 article by the future filmmaker and screenwriter Mary Harron. My initial intention was to have a quick skim through the book before moving on to the contents of the box, but found myself being drawn in and studying it in detail for a long time.



Nestled between the book and the first couple of pieces of vinyl are the 3 posters and other paper-based artefacts (FAC 1, FAC 3, FAC 4, FAC 7 and FAC 8).

The posters I've not opened out yet and, to be honest, I'm a little scared of doing so as I don't want to damage them at all as I am contemplating having them framed. The stationery is interesting, especially the copy of the 'History of Factory' double-sided piece of A4 originally typed up by Tony Wilson. When it comes to Linder Sterling's Factory Egg Timer print it's something of a curio. Indeed it's probably something that will get passed over during the first examination by most people, but it's essential as not only is it one of the first 10 items with a Factory catalogue number, it's so off the wall you can't imagine any other record company encouraging the idea of such a thing… which in itself is what makes Factory so special.

Moving on to the vinyl, as mentioned these are facsimiles of the originals. A Factory Sample, All Night Party, Electricity, Unknown Pleasures and the previously unreleased 3-track 12" by Tiller Boys. Other than the Joy Division album (the 2015 master), all of the other tracks have freshly been remastered at Abbey Road this year from the original tapes.

I must confess, that when listening to 'A Factory Sample' I realised what a bad 'fan' I am. Other than the Joy Division and Cabaret Voltaire tracks I'd never actually heard the other tracks on the debut EP, never having owned it before. Whilst I was listening to the first disc I looked at what was in the charts on 24 December 1978 when it was released… Boney M were No 1 with 'Mary's Boy Child' in the singles and the 'Grease Soundtrack Album' was holding off all pretenders in the album chart. Those Martin Hannett-produced tracks sound light years away from what was in the mainstream at the time, as would the Cabs. Curiously the 3 tracks by John Dowie don't sound that dissimilar from something the likes of the Barron Knights may have performed, who had a single in the Top 5 at the time.



I'm not sure how the bonus Tiller Boys 12-inch would have been received if it had been released as originally planned. It's interesting to hear, but to my ears is basically a set of instrumental jams, and not something that would have necessarily been comparable to the opening salvo of ACR, OMD and Joy Division, although again, the fact that this was considered is typical of the label.

Hidden under the seven-inchers are the final treasures in the box, the first of which is the rarely seen and recently remastered 'No City Fun'. Accompanied by 3 Joy Division tracks, the film is almost exclusively filmed on the 42 bus route through Withington to Manchester City Centre. For me this was fascinating as it took me back to my youth, as it was about a journey I vaguely remember making as a 9-year-old complete with orange double-decker buses and Piccadilly Radio 261.

The final item contains 2 CDs worth of an interview / conversation with the aforementioned Mary Harron. This comprises ninety minutes of conversation between Mary, Tony, Rob Gretton and the members of Joy Division whilst eating out in Manchester. I had an idea this would be interesting, but I didn't realise HOW interesting. The conversation covers everything from the birth of punk and the Sex Pistols in Manchester to the formation of Joy Division and Factory. There’s all this and Tony Wilson really pushing a new Mexican restaurant (which probably would have been one of the first) in Manchester City Centre and explaining what a taco is to those listening.

Unlike myself and the Factory Sample, I imagine anyone reading this, or thinking of buying the box will have heard or own the contents of the box. They may also have seen much of the printed material in books or behind glass at exhibitions.

The box is a gorgeous artefact, lovingly curated and a truly a sum of its parts. For me personally, it's an audio/visual time capsule of a period which I missed out on by around 10 years and it offered me an opportunity to immerse myself in the late 1970s Manchester. Incidentally I am currently reading Gareth Ashton's brilliant 'Manchester: It Never Rains’ book which covers this period via eye witness accounts and adds additional context from outside of the Factory bubble.

Yes, this is expensive, but I'd say worth it as it's a quality item, which has been made to the highest possible specifications and overseen by those that have been keeping the Factory legacy alive.

Saying it's the perfect tribute for the 40th Anniversary of Factory, and to the memory of Messrs Curtis, Hannett, Gretton and Wilson, or a celebration of Saville and those who remain doesn't seem enough, but that's exactly what it is.

- Iain Key for Cerysmatic Factory

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Cabaret_Voltaire, Factory_Records, graphic_design, history, Iain_Key, James_Nice, John_Dowie, Joy_Division, Linder, OMD, Peter Saville, review, The_Durutti_Column, Use_Hearing_Protection

Scream City 4 was almost totally themed around FAC-2 A Factory Sample and featured all four artists - Joy Division, The Durutti Column, Cabaret Voltaire, John Dowie - in the form of interviews with Peter Hook, Vini Reilly, Colin Sharp, Stephen Mallinder and, er, John by Scream City regulars Ian McCartney and Michael Eastwood with a special guest appearance by Phil Kooky Cleaver. Matthew Robertson discussed the design philosophy behind the record whilst Andrew James took on the wider concept of the record label sampler throughout the history of popular music.

A free limited edition CD featured the track 'Cup a Soup Romance' from the then forthcoming album by The Durutti Column, 'Sunlight to Blue... Blue to Blackness'.

The design theme was decidedly and deliberately old school, taking the fanzine concept back to its origins. Fixed-width fonts and black and white vibe. Cover star Vini Reilly was half-toned by Steven Hankinson from a portrait photo by Rachel McFarlane.

The back cover star was the silver mascot of Tony Wilson's old Jag - true story. The figurine was broken and the owner sold it to Scream City's Ian McCartney and donated the proceeds to The Christie, where AHW had been treated during his illness.

Labels: Andrew_James, Cabaret_Voltaire, David_Nolan, Ian_McCartney, John_Dowie, Joy_Division, Michael_Eastwood, Rachel_McFarlane, Scream_City, The_Durutti_Column, Tony_Wilson

View this post on Instagram

Shadowplay Reimagined. Dir. Vincent Moon. Link in story to watch.

A post shared by Joy Division Official (@officialjoydivision) on Sep 26, 2019 at 8:11am PDT

Shadowplay (Re-imagined) is the latest in an ongoing video series launched in June 2019 which will see ten directors create new music videos for every track on Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures to celebrate the album's 40th anniversary. Director Vincent Moon adds 'Shadowplay' to Interzone, I Remember Nothing, Candidate and Day of the Lords with more tracks to follow.

Labels: Joy_Division, video, Vincent_Moon

The Use Hearing Protection FAC 1-50/40 exhibition at Chelsea Space in London runs until 26 October 2019. As well as displaying, to all intents and purposes, the complete rundown of all the Fac numbers from 1 to 50, this exhibition presents the first opportunity to buy official Factory records merchandise (to any real degree) since the heyday of Factory Records itself. The Use Hearing Protection - Factory Records 1978-1979 box set itself is released on 11 October 2019 but the price tag on that rolls in at a hefty 180 GBP. Here we present a quick run-through of the slightly more affordable merchandising options, most of which are only available at the exhibition itself (as of the publication date of this article).

First up we have individual Factory Records postcards priced at £2.00 each. These come in Fac 47 anvil logo (black-on-white and white-on-black variants), Fact 45 'Always Now', Fact 10 'Unknown Pleasures' (white-on-black and black-on-white variants) and Fac 33 'Ceremony' (green sleeve).

Next (all at £5.00) we have the Factory badge set (5 button badges in various designs including worded 'Factory' and anvil), Factory pencil, Factory key ring and the Use Hearing Protection poster (which seems especially good value).

At £10.00 we have the Unknown Pleasures and Always Now tea towels. My mind starts slightly thinking of Joy Division Oven Gloves at this point but these do seem to be a constant in the photos of hauls made by people who I know who have visited the exhibition so someone in the marketing department deserves a big pat on the back for having the guts to see this one through to manufacturing and selling! Also at £10.00 there's Factory A6 paper pad and the Factory tape (eschewing the original silver-on-green of Fac 136 for on-message yellow-on-black). If A6 isn't big enough for you then there's an A5 paper pad at £15.00. Both pads seem a tad pricey but the grey design is attractive.

Finally there's a series of t-shirts in various designs starting at £15.00 for the kids' yellow Use Hearing Protection one (which looks great but, even though I've lost a lot of weight, won't fit me) and £25.00 for the adult t-shirts - Use Hearing Protection white, the amusing 'Printed on poor quality vinyl' stamp white t-shirt and the rather snazzy 'Unknown Pleasures' with text in the correct size in white-on-black.

Bonus items also on sale include Matt Robertson's Fac 461 'Factory Records - The Complete Graphic Album' book and the 40th anniversary vinyl edition of Fact 10 'Unknown Pleasures'.

Happy shopping!

Let's hope that after the exhibition finishes the range of items available to buy online is extended.





The full price list is as follows:

FACTORY RECORDS PRICES
Hearing Protection White T-shirt*	£25.00
Hearing Protection Yellow kids T-shirt*	£15.00
Unknown Pleasures Text Black T-shirt*	£25.00
Stamp White T-shirt*	£25.00
Factory Postcard	£2.00
Factory A5 Pad	£15.00
Factory A6 Pad	£10.00
UP Tea Towel	£10.00
Section 25 Tea Towel	£10.00
Badge Set	£5.00
Factory Tape	£10.00
Factory Pencil	£5.00
Factory Pin Badge	£5.00
Factory Key Ring	£5.00
Factory Records Book	£25.00
Unknown Pleasures Vinyl	£20.00
UHP Poster	£5.00

Labels: exhibition, graphic_design, Joy_Division, merchandise, Peter Saville, Section_25, Use_Hearing_Protection

The latest Bigmouth podcast (#171) is an OMD special which includes Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys recalling their memories of being on Factory Records, supporting Joy Division and the Fac 15 Zoo Meets Factory Half Way gig in Leigh.

Thanks to JG for spotting.

Labels: Joy_Division, OMD, podcast

To coincide with the Use Hearing Protection: FAC 1 – 50 / 40 exhibition on at Chelsea Space until 26 October 2019, co-founder and art director of Factory Records, Peter Saville, will be in conversation with exhibition co-curator Jon Savage at the Clore Gallery in Tate Britain on 22 October 2019 from 19:00 until 21:00.

Following the talk, there will be a very special screening of rare footage of Joy Division playing live at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester filmed by Richard Boon during the Buzzcocks' 1979 tour. Some of the footage can be seen on the Fact 27 'Here Are The Young Men' video which, of course, is on display in the exhibition.

The event is free but tickets must be booked - see the Tate website [->] for more info.

Labels: Factory_Records, Jon_Savage, Joy_Division, Peter Saville, Richard_Boon, screening, talk, Tate_Britain

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

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.

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

Labels: gig, gigs, Joy_Division, The_Distractions

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.

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

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

"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

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

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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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

I was late to discover Joy Division. I'd heard 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' on the radio and vaguely remember hearing 'Transmission' but it wasn't until a slightly older friend, learning that I had liked New Order's then recent output leant me a copy of the 'Ideal For Living' book, sometime in late 1984, did I join the dots between the 2 bands.

The book was extremely detailed regarding gigs and releases and built up a mystique around the band and 'the myth' which has been somewhat dismantled over more recent years with the number of biographies and autobiographies produced that cover the lifespan of the band

One of the most interesting discoveries being that a video existed with footage of the band... although I had no way of knowing how or where to get it. This was 1984, however, and to a 14-year-old living in the West Midlands surrounded by Duran Duran and Frankie Goes To Hollywood fans just knowing the name Joy Division and a little of their legacy felt like being a member of a secret club.

The following year I moved back to Manchester, albeit the suburbs, and enjoyed trips into the city centre with friends. Although initially venturing into the likes of HMV or Virgin at the bottom of Market Street, or Our Price at the top. After buying what official releases I could find I was quickly turned on to the bootleg stalls in the Underground Market and the Corn Exchange.

I was amazed at the hundreds of tapes available of gigs (this was slightly before CDs were a thing) from around the world, but was dumbstruck when I saw the massive lists held by the traders of Joy Division and New Order recordings. It was when looking through these that I remembered this VHS release.

I asked around and eventually got an address to order it from, from memory it was less than £20 including postage, which was a lot, but worth it for what would be my first 'view' of Joy Division (other than a rare sighting of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'.

When the video arrived the first thing that struck me was the lack of detail (other than band name and song titles) but the same stylish design of other Factory Releases, this time a simple gold lettering on black. It wasn't for many years I learnt that the Fractured Music logo was the band's publishing company and not a Factory Records logo. Pouring over the song titles I recognised some but not all and eagerly put it into the bulky top-loader for the first viewing...

Hopefully I'm not speaking out of turn but my first impression was that I'd been sold a dud, at worse a bootleg. The quality of sound and vision was not what I had naively expected. These were the days before the Internet so other than being able to speak to someone who had heard or seen something there was no way of googling through online customer reviews or just searching YouTube.

Inside the box (the plastic one and not the original flip top) there was a piece of paper with the name of 'IKON Video' on... and a phone number... 061 928 7387.

I'll never know who answered the phone the day I called, possibly it was Malcolm Whitehead* who was responsible for much of Factory's video output... whoever it was, when I questioned the quality of the tape I'd received initially laughed. I guess they must have sensed some disappointment in my voice, and for the next few minutes explained the background to the material and how it'd had been shot "amateurishly" and in all honesty I should be grateful for what footage existed (in hindsight that may have been more of a "fuck off and leave us alone" than the way I took it).

Watching it occasionally now (albeit from a copy I have transferred onto DVD) I am indeed extremely grateful that an hour of Joy Division performing live does exist alongside the few TV appearances.

I wish they were clearer, I wish the sound was better, I wish there were more...

No matter what has been written by band members or associates over last 20 years or so, for me 'Here Are The Young Men' returns some of the initial mystique that surrounded Joy Division through the shadowy, blurred footage, and for the majority of us who weren't old or fortunate enough it's one of our only opportunities to see Ian Curtis in action.

We should all be extremely grateful.

- Iain Key for Cerysmatic Factory

* - Brian Nicholson (ex-Ikon) comments: "I've heard similar tales of woe before. There was a return VHS marked up "poor quality" with a covering letter from Harrods that was displayed proudly on the office wall (sadly I can't find it). It wasn't Malcolm on the phone and it wasn't me either. In 1984 Ikon still occupied the large middle room at Palatine Road, the room with all the boxes of vinyl! (That's another story) It may have been Tim Chambers but more likely Mike Scott who did all the office work. There's a great NME review, referring to it as FAC 23 Here Come the Young Men, "...they're (Factory) still marketing the sort of stuff that most people would throw in the bin."

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Catalogue entry details via factoryrecords.org [->]

VHS: UK 1982 (Factory FACT 37) [PAL/NTSC]
BETA: UK 1982 (Factory FACT 37)

3:10 Decades
6:12 Dead Souls
3:37 Love Will Tear Us Apart
3:33 Shadowplay
4:28 Day of the Lords
2:25 Digital
2:24 Colony
2:23 New Dawn Fades
3:00 Auto-Suggestion
3:07 Transmission
4:46 Sound of Music
3:42 She's Lost Control
2:28 Walked in Line
8:30 I Remember Nothing
3:26 Love Will Tear Us Apart *

* Official promo video



Many thanks to Iain and Brian.

Labels: Brian_Nicholson, First_50_Cerysmatic, Ikon, Joy_Division, New_Order, Tim_Chambers

Cabaret Voltaire will make their soundtrack, 'Chance Versus Causality', available officially for the first time since the film's release in 1979. The album is out via Mute [->] on limited edition transparent green vinyl, CD and digitally on 30 August 2019 via Mute.

'Chance Versus Causality' was recorded in 1979 as the soundtrack for director Babeth Mondini's film of the same name. The band originally met Mondini at a Brussels Plan K show which featured Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire and William S Burroughs, following which she asked them to create the soundtrack for her film. Chance Versus Causality was improvised and recorded live by the original Cabs line-up of Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson.

On the same day '1974-76', a selection of early years material recorded in Chris Watson's attic, will get its first vinyl release. The album, originally released on cassette via Industrial Records in 1980, was reissued on CD by Mute's The Grey Area in 1992 and will be re-released on limited edition transparent orange 2LP and on digital download.

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External links: YouTube preview | Pre-order | Cabaret Voltaire Official Facebook

Labels: album, Cabaret_Voltaire, Chris_Watson, Joy_Division, Mute, Richard_H_Kirk, Stephen_Mallinder, William_S_Burroughs

Lee McFadden (Alternative TV) interviewed Paul Slattery to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his photoshoot with Joy Division in Stockport, the Stuff The Superstars gig, and later on that year at the Electric Ballroom. The complete interview is on Soundcloud (embedded above) courtesy of Steve Worralll's Retrosonic Podcast and Retro-Man blog [->].

Paul Slattery's book 'Joy Division at Strawberry Studios' is published by Legends Publishing [->] priced GBP 20.00.

Labels: book, interview, Joy_Division, Lee_McFadden, Paul_Slattery, photography, RetroMan_blog, Retrosonic_Podcast

4th June 1976. Four young men took to the stage of the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. The noise they made changed everything...

Forty-three years ago the Sex Pistols performed on television for the very first time - on TV's So It Goes show. To mark the anniversary, author and TV producer David Nolan will be here to talk about his documentary and book 'I Swear I Was There'. It tells the tale of the Pistols' two legendary performances at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade in 1976, plus their notorious Granada appearance. GQ Magazine called David's subsequent book version of I Swear "one of the greatest rock stories ever told".

The 2001 Granada TV documentary will be shown in full at the Walthamstow Rock 'n' Roll Book Club in London on Thursday 19 September 2019. This will be its first airing in nearly 20 years. David will also be talking about the documentary and book (and he might also slip in a mention his recent Manc noir novel 'Black Moss').

Venue information: Bank Job, 151-155 Hoe St, Walthamstow, London E17 3AN

More info: Facebook Event

Labels: David_Nolan, documentary, Joy_Division, London, So_It_Goes, talk, Tony_Wilson

Use Hearing Protection: Factory Records 1978-1979 contains facsimile editions of the first 10 numbered Factory items: 4 vinyl records, 3 posters, a short film, Factory stationery and an egg-timer design. The early history of the label is traced in a 60-page book with text by James Nice, photos by Kevin Cummins and archival interviews with Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton, Joy Division and more. Oli and Isobel Wilson (Tony's children) are executive producers.

Contents:

Fac 1 poster
Fac 2 A Factory Sample - 2 x 7" single
Fac 3 poster
Fac 4 poster
Fac 5 All Night Party - A Certain Ratio
Fac 6 Electricity - OMD
Fac 7 1st Generation Stationery
Fac 8 Factory Egg-Timer conceptual design by Linder
Fac 9 The Factory Flick including No City Fun
Fact 10 Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division

Bonus items:

A white label 12" single by The Tiller Boys (originally intended as Fac 3 but ultimately not released)
A lengthy audio interview with Joy Division, Tony Wilson and Rob Gretton, conducted in August 1979 by journalist Mary Harron, never before heard and now restored across two CDs
A newly restored, and seldom seen since 1979, evocative 8mm short No City Fun (Fac 9), featuring music by Joy Division.

The Use Hearing Protection box is strictly limited to 4000 units worldwide, is priced at 180.00 GBP and will be released on 11 October 2019.

See rhino.co.uk [->] for information on how to order.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Cabaret_Voltaire, Factory40, John_Dowie, Joy_Division, Linder, Malcolm_Whitehead, OMD, Peter Saville, The_Durutti_Column

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