On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the passing of Tony Wilson, Walthamstow Rock n Roll Book Club present 'Tony Wilson - What was and will be' at Mirth, Marvel and Maud in Walthamstow, London E17 on Thursday 10 August 2017.

"A decade after Tony Wilson's untimely passing we examine the man, the myth and his legacy.

"Paul Morley writes: "Without Wilson there may well have been in some form Joy Division, and Factory, and New Order, and the Hacienda, and Happy Mondays. There may well have been Peter Saville's dream designs, and Martin Hannett's timeless production, and a Manchester that managed to move on from its sad post-industrial decline. But none of it would have been so far-fetched, so dramatic and so fantastic."

"Ahead of the publication of Morley's long-awaited biography he will give a talk about the man and his book.

"Kevin Cummins who more than most helped turn Ian Curtis from man to Icon and made defining images of bands on Factory, Manchester and beyond will discuss Tony through the lens.

"From Boethius to Debord via Marx, Factory was the most consciously philosphical of record labels and Wilson never short of a well chosen aphorism. We have asked Dr Jennifer Otter-Bickerdike, culture critic, writer, broadcaster, author of three books on fan culture and Joy Division to explain.

"Our panel of friends and occasional foes will discuss the Tony they knew and imagine what he would be doing today. Chaired by John Robb, former Buzzcocks manager Richard Boon, Kevin Cummins, James Endeacott and Dr Jennifer will discuss the legacy."

Tickets priced 13.33 GBP and more details are available now via Eventbrite.

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Mirth, Marvel and Maud
186 Hoe Street
London
E17 4QH

Labels: FAC51_The_Hacienda, Kevin_Cummins, New_Order, Paul_Morley, Richard_Boon, talk, Tony_Wilson

Following on from the March 2015 publication via Rizzoli of Kevin Cummins's 'New Order' book, he has an exhibition of New Order photographs at Proud Galleries in Camden which runs from 23 April to 7 June.

Labels: exhibition, Kevin_Cummins, New_Order, photography

New Order by Kevin Cummins is published on 17 March by Rizzoli New York.

"A definitive collection of photographs of the legendary and influential band New Order. New Order remains one of the most popular bands of the last half century."

It features brand new interviews with the original band plus an introduction by Douglas Coupland and is the companion to Cummins's Joy Division.

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More FAC-related books

Labels: book, Kevin_Cummins, New_Order, photography

The Manchester Photographic Gallery is the venue for an exhibition of photographs of New Order by Kevin Cummins later this month.

Following an invitation-only private view on 11 June (with Q&A session featuring Kevin Cummins and Peter Hook) the exhibition, which features some unseen ones, is open to the public from Thursday 12 to Sunday 29 June.

Manchester Photographic
22 Lever Street
Manchester M1 1EA

Labels: exhibition, Kevin_Cummins, New_Order, photography

Steven Lomas has made an excellent new documentary film about Tony Wilson for a 2nd Year Degree Assignment.

The 48-minute film features filmed contributions by Kevin Cummins, Dave Haslam and Martin Moscrop and is available now via YouTube.

Labels: Dave_Haslam, documentary, Kevin_Cummins, Martin_Moscrop, Tony_Wilson, video, YouTube

'Noise Annoys – Early Punk in Manchester' is a punk film night and panel discussion hosted by photographer Kevin Cummins at Kraak in Stevenson Square, Manchester about the post-punk explosion in Manchester arising from the seminal Sex Pistols gigs at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in 1976.

Kevin will welcome fanzine writer Steve Shy plus Denise Shaw and Dawn Bradbury to the event which will also feature a special screening of the Granada TV 'Brass Tacks' documentary film and a live set by Kill Pretty.

The event is presented in association with the Manchester District Music Archive and admission is free but spaces are limited. Please register for guest list places by emailing: info@mdmarchive.co.uk with 'Noise Annoys Event' in the subject field. Each guest should email MDMA individually.

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Kraak
11 Stevenson Square
Manchester M1 1DB

Friday 10 January 2014
Doors: 7pm

Labels: Kevin_Cummins, Manchester_District_Music_Archive, photography, talk

The new December edition of noted German music mag 'Musik Express' (no relation to the NME) features cover star Ian Curtis in classic pose as captured by photographer Kevin Cummins and a headline article (in German) about Joy Division's enduring legacy.

Labels: German, Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins, magazine

A companion T-shirt to the FAC 288 'Call The Cops / Shaun On One' T-shirt has been brought to our attention (thanks Andy W!). Featuring gaudily treated photos from the same Kevin Cummins photo shoot on a hotel roof it has Shaun and Bez (both probably on one) with the text 'HAPPY MONDAYS' and 'TWISTIN MY MELON' above and below. The small print reads: "FACTORY MERCHANDISE 1990 ©FAC 288".

As with Shaun On One, the provenance of these items as official Factory Merchandise is somewhat in doubt. However, I am assured that both were bought from FAC 281 The Area, the late lamented Factory merch boutique shop in Affleck's Palace.

Labels: FAC281_The_Area, Happy_Mondays, Kevin_Cummins, T-Shirt

The Lowry in Salford hosts a celebration of art, pop music and the life of one of Britain's most influential and best loved artists. Peter Blake and Pop Music runs from Saturday 10 November 2012 to Sunday 24 February 2013, showing music-inspired work spanning more than half a century.

Of particular interest to Factory Records and Joy Division fans will be a special collaboration with renowned rock and roll photographer, Kevin Cummins. The legendary NME photographer gave Blake permission to use an iconic, black and white image of Joy Divison's Ian Curtis, taken in the band's rehearsal room in 1979, to create a new piece of work using diamond dust.



Of the collaboration Cummins says: "The gallery that represents me is also Peter's and they approached me to see if I'd allow him to use one of my pictures. I didn't really have to think about it, with an artist like Peter Blake you're not going to say no, so I handed the photo to him to do as he wished.

"The collaboration is quite unusual as I'm used to my pictures being used in a clean way. I don't usually allow people to crop or edit them, so I was really pleased to see the results and find that Peter's use of the image was so respectful. He said that he found the image so strong that he could only put diamond dust around the edge of the photograph, rather than affect the focus of the image."

Also included in the exhibition which marks the 80th birthday of the Godfather of Pop Art, are props used on the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, a portrait of The Beatles themselves, artwork for the 2006 Oasis retrospective Stop the Clocks and Paul Weller's Stanley Road album plus much more.

Peter Blake Pop Music
The Lowry
Pier 8
Salford Quays
Greater Manchester
M50 3AZ

Tel: 0843 208 6000

The Love Will Tear Us Apart artwork is available to buy in a limited edition of 75 copies priced £1,200 direct from Atelier, Rose and Gray in Ramsbottom.

Labels: art, events, exhibition, Ian_Curtis, Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins, Peter_Blake, photography

Electronic Beats presents
New Order: An Exhibition
Featuring works by Peter Saville and Kevin Cummins
June 21-July 4, 2012 at. HBC, Berlin


Front cover

Contents:

Foreword by Max Dax, Editor-in-Chief, Electronic Beats Magazine
"Life is a struggle, but art in its highest form is victory" (Essay by Paul Morley)
"There was a fascination for everything related to the war because it was all around me" (Bernard Sumner) (A round table interview with Max Dax and New Order's founding members Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert)

Peter Saville - Works 1981-2005 (illustrated catalogue of New Order sleeves)
Kevin Cummins - Works 1981-2009 (selected photographs)

Appendix - Notes on Kevin Cummins, Max Dax, Paul Morley and Peter Saville

Acknowledgements:

Electronic Beats would like to give special thanks to New Order, Kevin Cummins, Peter Saville and Paul Morley, Rebecca Boulton and Andrew Robinson at Prime Management, Alice Cowling and Matt Robertson at Peter Saville Studio, Kathleen Karrer, Corinna Koch, Luci Lux, Damien Mazières and Michael Lutz.


Back cover

With thanks to Mark Rutter for procuring a copy from the exhibition.

Labels: art, catalogue, design, events, exhibition, graphic_design, Kevin_Cummins, New_Order, Paul_Morley, Peter_Saville

Electronic Beats presents an exhibition about New Order at .HBC in Berlin from 21 June to 4 July. True Faith features photography by Kevin Cummins and a complete set of Peter Saville's artwork for the band.

A catalogue will be on sale soon, featuring the exhibited artworks, photos, interviews with New Order and a Paul Morley essay

21 June - 4 July 2012
6-11pm (closed Sunday/Monday)

.HBC
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 9
10178 BERLIN

Labels: art, design, events, exhibition, graphic_design, Kevin_Cummins, New_Order, Peter_Saville, photography

Peter Hook and Kevin Cummins will be in conversation with compere Kevin Sampson on Thursday 23 February from 6 to 9pm at the Manchester Photographic Gallery where Cummins's Joy Division: Exemplar exhibition has just been extended. Tickets, limited to just 100 places, are available at the gallery at its new 6 Tariff Street, Manchester location or by emailing bookings@manchesterphotographic.com with your name and a contact telephone number to take telephone payments.

Kevin is also hosting a photography masterclass at the gallery on Saturday 25 February.

This is the same day that Peter Hook and The Light will perform both Unknown Pleasures and Closer at the Four Four Time festival at Buxton Opera House. Tickets are still available priced £18-20.

Labels: events, Kevin_Cummins, news, Peter_Hook, photography, talk, The_Light

Exemplar: Joy Division, the Kevin Cummins photographic exhibition is moving from Proud Camden to the Manchester Photographic Gallery. The show opens on 6 January 2012 - exactly 33 years since the famous Hulme snow photographs were taken.

The following day, Kevin Cummins and drummer Stephen Morris will be in conversation on Saturday 7 January at 2pm at Manchester Photographic on Tariff St. There will be a screening of a short documentary about Kevin's work with Joy Division. Stephen and Kevin will then discuss the history of their 35-year professional relationship which is still as fertile as ever, as seen in the Feb issue of Mojo which features a huge New Order feature with new images by Cummins.

There will be plenty of time for questions from the audience. The pair will also sign copies of Kevin's recent Joy Division monograph (published by Rizzoli, New York) which is available to purchase on the day.

Copies can be reserved if you are unable to come to the event. Please email info@manchesterphotographic.com for details.

Labels: events, exhibition, Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins, New_Order, photography

Kevin Cummins will be at Proud Camden, the venue for his latest ongoing exhibition Exemplar: Joy Division, to answer questions about his unique relationship with the band and to sign copies of his book Joy Division (Rizzoli) the lavishly hardbacked collection of photographs of the band and related ephemera by Kevin Cummins published by Rizzoli.

The event is on Saturday 26 November 2011 from 11.30-12.30pm. Admission is free, by reservation only and spaces are limited. Please email booksigning@proudgalleries.co.uk or call 020 7839 4942 to secure places. Joy Division is available for purchase from Proud Camden for £25.

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Proud Camden
The Horse Hospital
The Stables Market
Chalk Farm Road
London NW1 8AH

Tel: 020 7482 3867

Labels: Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins

Proud Camden presents Exemplar: Joy Division, an exhibition of photographs of Joy Division by Kevin Cummins which runs at their Camden gallery from 6 October until 11 December 2011.

"From their semi-derelict rehearsal spaces to Curtis's magnetic onstage presence, Cummins's shots are a very rare glimpse into the brief but brilliant Joy Division years."

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6 October - 11 December 2011
Proud Gallery
The Horse Hospital
Chalk Farm Road
LONDON NW1 8AH

Tel: 020 7482 3867

Labels: events, exhibition, Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins

The ultra-rare Happy Mondays Shaun On One T-Shirt was assigned the Factory Records catalogue number FAC 288. However, the evidence would seem to point to them not being actually made by Factory. Fiona Allen, who ran Factory merchandising at the time, has no recollection of them and Kevin Cummins (whose photo it is) says no-one ever asked him for permission.

So it would seem these were made unofficially. As to how they came to be assigned the FAC number we can only assume that Tony Wilson saw one, liked it and decided to give a FAC number.

Of course if anyone has any information which contradicts this version of events then we would very much like to hear from them.

Labels: Fiona_Allen, Happy_Mondays, Kevin_Cummins, Shaun_Ryder, T-Shirt

A selection of Kevin Cummins's photographs of Joy Division are on display at the Great Arch in the South Wing of Somerset House in London until 13 January 2011.

To celebrate this and the publication of his Joy Division book, Kevin will be signing copies in the Somerset House Great Arch exhibition space Monday 13 December at 12.30.

Labels: Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins

The winner of the recent Polite Cards Kevin Cummins Joy Division postcards competition as pulled out of the Cerysmatic hat is Rob Brady who correctly answered, along with nearly everyone else, that Steve Morris was the last of the four members of Joy Division to join the band.

Joy Division by Kevin Cummins is available to buy now online from the Polite Cards Shop.

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Postcard Box Set Special Boxed Edition
20 Postcards
148 x 105 mm / A6
Hand Made Box
Printed in England
RRP £25

Labels: competition, Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins, photography

Joy Division is the long-awaited and lavishly hardbacked collection of photographs by Kevin Cummins published by Rizzoli. Whereas 2007's Juvenes (To Hell With Publishing) was clearly, by virtue of its two hundred pound plus price tag, an art book, Joy Division, priced at forty-five US Dollars is pitched at a wider audience.

Despite the lower price, no expense has seemingly been spared on the book construction or the design and layout by Farrow Design. The orange-on-white text is mighty stylish if just a tad difficult to read. At a hefty 208 pages with over 100 photos there is a good balance between the stunning portfolio of black and white photographs and the supporting material comprising a foreword by Jay McInerney, preface by Kevin Cummins and an extended conversation between Joy Division's Bernard Sumner and Cummins.

In the Foreword, Jay McInerney, the author of Bright Lights, Big City, recalls how he had Joy Division's Closer on heavy rotation and at high volume during the writing process. He notes that it provided him with "a far richer emotional palate" than the Sex Pistols (the band who famously were the catalyst for the formation of Joy Division). Furthermore, he asks us to consider the track titles: "Failure, Disorder, Isolation, The Eternal, Something Must Break, In a Lonely Place. Joy Division indeed. In those pre-Internet days, I imagined that the name was purely ironic." McInerney's shrewdest observation though is that Kevin Cummins' photos are there for those of us not lucky to have been "there".

At the beginning of the conversation with Bernard Sumner, Kevin Cummins confesses that he kinda knows the history of Joy Division but that he would like to hear it from Bernard. So even the most basic band interview question "How did the band come about?" is lent a new angle. Who would have thought that Bernard was a Santana fan but it turns out that an early performance of theirs was "one the most amazing performances I've ever seen"!? We also learn that Bernard gives the Campaign for the Ian Curtis Bridge the thumbs-up. But perhaps the most appropriate exchange goes: Cummins - "I didn't want to do rock 'n' roll pictures"; Bernard - "I don't think we did, interestingly."

Kevin Cummins most certainly was "there". He notes in his Preface that he didn't always take his camera along with him because he didn't always want to be working when he saw the band and he wanted to "enjoy his youth". Another important detail was that taking his camera and shooting photos necessitated remaining sober but being one of the audience didn't. Fair enough! We can also perhaps deduce from the memorabilia photos which act as a preface to the book proper (and which also include other images of access passes, artwork, badges, lyrics, NME, notebooks, a postcard, setlists and tickets) that the gigs Cummins attended but didn't photograph included February 1980 at the New Osbourne, Manchester, November 1978 at the Check Inn, Altrincham, December 1979 at Les Bains-Douche, Paris, and September 1978 at The Band on the Wall, Manchester.
As a novice photographer in his first year out of art school, Kevin Cummins had no money and had to pay for his own film and processing. This set of circumstances could have proved to be a hindrance for most photographers but Cummins believes that the constraints forced upon him were a blessing in disguise: "Without the restrictions posed by film, I doubt that the photos would achieved such iconic status."

The iconic photos of Joy Division by Kevin Cummins can roughly be broken down into three main categories: the NME-commissioned shoot in Hulme/Manchester on 6 January 1979, the ones in T.J. Davidson's rehearsal rooms and, lastly, the gigs.
There are 17 photos from the famous snowbound session on that freezing cold Saturday in January 1979 which only took place because Manchester City's match was postponed. Everyone remembers these photos for the group shot on the footbridge in Hulme and the one of Ian Curtis smoking a cigarette and looking directly into the lens. Those are included here but so are fifteen others shot before and after. The band wanted to pose in front of a curved building near Victoria Station (it looks eerily prescient of rounded corner of the building which would later house the Hacienda) whereas Kevin suggested the bridge shots as it was on the "road out of Manchester". The other shots of the group, such as the band waiting for a bus or hanging around outside Manchester Cathedral have not quite attained such iconic status but they are fascinating historical documents. When viewed with the assistance of Cummins's note that the band kept on playing around trying to make Ian laugh (woe betide the editor who would ever include a photo of Ian smiling though!) it makes you wonder how, with such limited resources, Cummins got the moody shots he and the band were after.

Cummins visited Joy Division at their T.J. Davidson's rehearsal rooms on numerous occasions but his shots of them there all come from one day in August 1979. The darkness and shadows (the black compared to the snowbound Hulme's white, notes Cummins) are the perfect setting in which to have captured the band in a key moment of their development. Ian is pictured alone in the foreground of the room which is empty apart from isolated pieces of equipment and debris strewn everywhere. Ian is in suitably contemplative mood. There are further shots, both informal and posed, of Ian plus others of Steve, Hooky and Bernard and the famous group shot which adorns the sleeve of the UK version of the Joy Division film. There are 21 shots in all and not a smile to be seen!

The gigs section comprises 13 July 1979 @ The Factory but also De Montford Hall, Liverpool University, 2 October 1979, Futurama, Queen's Hall, Leeds, 8 September 1979 and the fabulously-named Stuff The Superstars Special, The Mayflower Club, 28 July 1979, the Last Night at the Electric Circus, 2 October 1977 and the Leigh Open Air Pop Festival (aka the Leigh Rock Festival), 27 August 1979. My favourite of these shows Ian Curtis flanked by Bernard and Hooky wielding their guitars and it's just a great shot of a rock group.

There's just one colour shot. According to Kevin Cummins he only ever took six such shots and those were sneaked in on the end of a roll of film featuring Buzzcocks. It was just "pointless" (and also a waste of money) to do Joy Division in colour. As Hooky would later point out to Cummins: "I only visualise them in bleak monochrome".

Labels: artefacts, badges, books, Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins, review

Joy Division, Polite Cards' latest set of postcards featuring the work of Kevin Cummins (following on from the Manchester and Liverpool boxed collections) is also their most impressive. Housed in a dark grey 'hessian'-style box reminiscent of a cut-down-in-size entry in the Factory Records cassette box series, the 20 black and white A6-sized postcards on quality card stock are presented in suitably reverential fashion. A simple black ribbon poking out to facilitate the easy removal of the cards is a lovely touch.

Understandably, half of the cards feature Ian Curtis and the most iconic shots we know and love are all present and correct (Ian dancing on stage at the Leigh Rock Festival, Ian seated and smoking a cigarette, Ian close-up smoking a cigarette and looking into the lens) but we also get several less familiar shots, both in performance and rehearsal.

The other half of the collection includes various group shots of Joy Division in rehearsal at TJ Davidson's and several of the classic shots from the famous snowbound Hulme 'Joy Division footbridge' shoot.

However, perhaps the most interesting is of a relaxed looking Joy Division sitting together and looking relaxed (and decidedly normal) at Art & Furniture in Manchester in January 1979. This was on the same day as the Hulme shoot but after the snow, as Kevin Cummins explained to Cerysmatic Factory:

"It was after the snow. I wanted to be safe and get some indoor shots in case they [the NME] wouldn't use the snow pics. It was a shop in town. Art & Furniture was owned by Jonathan Silver who owned a couple of, er, boutiques in Manchester. I'd bought a suit off him and Ian bought his wedding suit. It was all very-anti rock 'n' roll - that shot looks like it's shot in a gentleman's club or something...."

If you didn't have the cash to splash out on one (or all) of Kevin's large prints from his Arca exhibition or the Juvenes coffee table art book, then this box set is a highly recommended medium budget option.

We have one copy of Joy Division by Kevin Cummins courtesy of those lovely people at Polite Cards. All you have to do is answer this simple question, which in time-honoured tradition is set by none other than Kevin Cummins:

Which of the four members of Joy Division was the last to join the band?

Answers please by email to reach us no later than 22:00 GMT on Sunday 14 November 2010. Usual Cerysmatic Factory competition rules apply - only one entry per person and the winner will be pulled out the Cerysmatic hat shortly after the closing deadline. Good luck!

Joy Division by Kevin Cummins is available to buy now online from the Polite Cards Shop for delivery from 1 November 2010.

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Postcard Box Set Special Boxed Edition
20 Postcards
148 x 105 mm / A6
Hand Made Box
Printed in England
RRP £25

Labels: competition, Ian_Curtis, Joy_Division, Kevin_Cummins, photography

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