Redeveloped, recrafted and entirely redesigned by original architect Ben Kelly, Factory Records' "One Charles Street" central Manchester offices reopen as FAC 251 The Factory, on 5 February 2010. FAC 251 will mix live bands, indie and dance influences across three different floors for Manchester's and the UK's gig and club goers.

The new venue is a joint venture between Peter Hook and established club operators Tokyo Industries (14 venues across the UK including the award-winning Digital in Newcastle and Brighton and the Tokyo Mansion Party venues). Tokyo Industries Managing Director Aaron Mellor is a long time Factory Records afficionado, having began his club career on the Hacienda dance floor and later DJing at Stonelove at the Hacienda in the mid-Nineties.

Original Factory architect has completely recast the building to suit its new purpose as a venue which draws on the legacy of the past but updates the original Factory ethos for contemporary bands, promoters, DJs and of course the people.

The Opening Weekend – Friday 5th / Saturday 6th February

Friday 5 February 2010 – Peter Hook’s The Light

"A one-off performance by Peter Hook’s The Light, a Manchester supergroup put together specially for the occasion featuring Mani (Stone Roses), Rowetta (Happy Mondays), Howard Marks and other special guests, performing rare Joy Division and New Order tracks, and a hits retrospective featuring songs by Hooky's previous bands Monaco, Revenge, New Order, Joy Division plus and the debut of his new material with Freebass."

Saturday 6 February 2010 – Stonelove / Hacienda Presents

"A club event allowing Manchester’s clubbing cognoscenti an opportunity to check out the three separate arenas. Original Haçienda indie club Stonelove returns to Manchester to begin its weekly residency downstairs, whilst Room 2 hosts a soundtrack of 70s New York City Funk & 80s Electro Pop. The Boardroom is handed back to the original Rockstars as FAC 51 The Hacienda begins its Saturday night residency Hacienda Presents at The Factory with a selection of Mancunian rock legends supervised by Hooky and pals alongside a roster of new DJ talents."

A full roster for future events at The Factory will be announced over the coming weeks.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Ben_Kelly, FAC251_The_Factory, FAC51_The_Hacienda, Factory_Records, Happy_Mondays, Joy_Division, Monaco, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Red_Turns_To

Red Turns To continue their comeback with a support slot for Martin Bramah's (ex-The Fall) new group Factory Star at their gig at The Studio in Manchester on Thursday 9 July 2009. Tickets priced GBP 6.00 (excluding booking fee) are available now from Piccadilly Records, Manchester, or for 8.00 on the door.

Doors: 19:30 BST

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The Studio (formerly The Late Room)
23 Peter Street
Manchester M2 5QR

myspace.com/redturnsto

Labels: Factory_Records, Red_Turns_To

On 1 June, LTM releases a new volume in the ongoing compilation series Auteur Labels, featuring releases on Factory Records in 1984.

"Founded in late 1978, early Factory releases were guided by the five original directors: Tony Wilson, Alan Erasmus, Peter Saville, Martin Hannett and Rob Gretton. By 1984 Hannett had departed, and many Factory singles were produced by all four members of New Order under the generic name Be Music. These reflected the influence of New York dance and electro music, though the label's Haçienda nightclub was not yet a conspicuous success. Meanwhile the artier side of Factory remained evident in records by The Durutti Column and Kalima, and pop/rock in The Wake, Stockholm Monsters - and New Order themselves."

The 77 minute remastered CD features several rare edits and tracks, detailed liner notes by James Nice, and archive images.

Tracklisting

1. New Order Lonesome Tonight (7" Edit)
2. Stockholm Monsters Terror
3. The Wake Talk About The Past (7" Edit)
4. Section 25 Reflection
5. Marcel King Reach For Love (New York Remix)
6. 52nd Street Can't Afford (Unorganised Mix)
7. Quando Quango Atom Rock
8. Shark Vegas Pretenders Of Love
9. Abecedarians Smiling Monarchs
10. Red Turns To Deep Sleep
11. The Durutti Column Duet (Without Mercy)
12. Kalima The Smiling Hour
13. Simon Topping Chicas Del Mundo
14. Streetlife On Instinct
15. Lavolta Lakota Prayer

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Title: Auteur Labels: Factory Records 1984
Label: LTM
Cat No: LTMCD 2534
Released: 1 June 2009

Labels: 52nd_Street, Abecedarians, Auteur_Labels, Factory_Records, Kalima, Marcel_King, New_Order, Quando_Quango, Red_Turns_To, Section_25, Shark_Vegas, Stockholm_Monsters, Streetlife, The_Durutti_Column, The_Wake, Tony_Wilson

Chris Mugan in The Indepedent muses on "The no-hit wonders that music refused to forget" and mentions ESG ("They developed their own pared-down sound that somehow chimed with more arty concerns..."), The Raincoats ("mixing sonic eccentricity with put-downs of consumerism and patriarchal society.") and namechecks Ludus. A rather unfortunate typo turns Martin Hannett in Martin Hamnett though.

Labels: ESG, Red_Turns_To

Underground magazine was a short-lived but highly influential (at least in graphic design terms) magazine which ran for 13 issues in the late Eighties. The Creative Review blog has an interview with its art director Rod Clark who, it turns out, once shared a flat with 8vo's Simon Johnston and they both shared Wolfgang Weinart as an influence. It would also have to be said that Underground was "a bit 8vo".

The copiously-illustrated piece includes a shot of the cover of issue 12 from March 1988 which features Ian Curtis from Joy Division.

Labels: 8vo, Joy_Division, Red_Turns_To

May 2004

The Ritz, Manchester. A Certain Ratio have just finished a showstopping set at an emotional tribute night for the late and legendary Joy Division / New Order manager, Rob Gretton. Martin Moscrop (ACR mainstay, producer of Manchester's first acid house record, amongst many other things), turns to two friends, Rob Bright and Paul Dering:

"I've had something in mind for years... I want to start a label. And I want you two twats to be my A&R men."

One of the highlights of the night had been ACR's cover of Joy Division's 'Heart & Soul', guest-starring Peter Hook.

"That's sorted then. Find me some brilliant music."

August 2005

At Futuresonic, Manchester on Saturday 23 August, Heart and Soul two true originals - 0898 DAVE and KINGS HAVE LONG ARMS. Both have pedigree - 0898 Dave created the seminal 'Rubbish Monkey' single for Manchester's Repap label, his 'Somebody Else's Wife' LP is genius, and the new stuff we've heard is on another level. He is in a field of his own. Adrian Flanegan, better known as Kings Have Long Arms, is known to the righteous few through a series of brilliant singles, such as 'Pigeons Carry My News' and 'Rock & Roll Is Dead', which featured The Human League's Phil Oakey. The KHLA live show is a whole other beast - an electro-pop carnival, which could well feature a Mexican wrestler in a gimp mask, Sherlock Holmes on the stylophone, a lion playing keyboards, and a massive all-in conga dance to the outrageous new single 'All Hail Satan'. Seeing is still not quite believing.

Both these artists combine electronic music, edgy humour and bags of good old-fashioned songwriting craft to fashion music that is quite unlike much else out there. 'Outsider Pop' is the best way we can describe it, vibrant music that owes nothing to style mags, focus groups or PR machinery. They write GREAT TUNES. With heart. And Soul.

Saturday 23 August
Futuresonic
The Roadhouse
Newton Street
Manchester
Doors: 10pm - 3am
FREE [Free Wrist Band available via www.futuresonic.com or in person from The Bridgewater Hall, Cord, Piccadilly Records, Fat City Records, Kro Bar and Kro2. Limited availability.]

'All Hail Satan' by Kings Have Long Arms and 'Somebody Else's Wife' by 0898 Dave will be available soon on Heart & Soul.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Joy_Division, Martin_Moscrop, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Red_Turns_To

In the long great tradition of artists moonlighting under alter egos the spotlight falls on Streetlife who were the 'Dutch electro pop pioneers' Minny Pops' side project during 1984/85. For your further edification read James Nice's excellent biography of Minny Pops / Streetlife. They thus joined other the ranks of other bands such as Ad Infinitum (Stockholm Monsters having a break), Red Turns To (New Order's Peter Hook) and Indambinigi (Karl Denver and Graeme Park) who rose mysteriously to take their place in the Factory catalogue.

Labels: Ad_Infinitum, Karl_Denver, Minny_Pops, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Red_Turns_To, Stockholm_Monsters, Streetlife

Inspired by Tony (or Anthony H) Wilson's All Time Factory Top Ten, Cerysmatic Factory presents one of its own.

1. Fact 45 Always Now by Section 25: Quite possibly the all time classic piece produced by Factory. Designed by Peter Saville.

2. Fact 75 'Power Corruption and Lies' by New Order: Along with the die cut Fac 73 'Blue Monday' sleeve, the first New Order covers of pure genius by Peter Saville.

3. James at Riverside Studios 12 May 1985: James had just finished a UK tour supporting The Smiths (who covered one of James's songs) this was great gig.

4. Haçienda 4th birthday poster by 8vo 1986: A stunning design assembled as a collage of many pieces of coloured paper.

5. New Order at Fac 51 the Haçienda Wednesday June 10th 1987.

6. Fact/d 144 'Domo Arigato' by The Durutti Column: A favourite 8vo sleeve for the video and compact disc of Durutti's Japanese concert.

7. Fac 318 'Classics In Motion' at Fac 51 The Haçienda, 16 October 1990: To celebrate the launch on October 29 of their five new releases on the Factory Classical strand 1990 there were five showcases, in Glasgow, Manchester and London. The Manchester involved The Durutti Column and Steve Martland. Classical music on the Haçienda dancefloor.

8. The artwork and advertising for Fact 275 'Technique' by New Order 1989: Factory turns into an advertising behemoth! Inserts in the NME, giant billboard posters, headed notepaper all featuring Peter Saville's dazzling artwork
.
9. Fac 211 Wired documentary: Short television documentary centred around the re-release of Joy Division's Atmosphere and the Subtance 1989 compilation. Particularly splendid for featuring Alan Erasmus being interviewed whilst wearing a construction worker's hard hat!

10. Fac 281 'The Area': An afternoon's shopping in Manchester was not complete without a visit to the Area which was tucked away in a corner of Manchester's Afflecks Palace. Fiona Allen, who doubled as box office person at the Haçienda was always game for a chat over the latest Factory developments and a choice range of goodies was on offer. Prenez Votre Desirs indeed.

Labels: 8vo, Alan_Erasmus, Factory_Classical, Joy_Division, labels, New_Order, poster, Red_Turns_To, Steve_Martland, The_Durutti_Column, Tony_Wilson

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