Cerysmatic Factory

Thanks, Pranks and Party Pants

2008-05-13T08:41:00.002+01:00

Friday 23 May 2008 sees The Ritz on Whitworth Street, Manchester play host to a very special event Thanks, Pranks and Party Pants. This is a party hosted by Versus Cancer's Andy Rourke and Nova Rehman to show their appreciation for everyone who has contributed to the success of Versus Cancer since its launch in 2006, with all proceeds from night going to Versus Cancer.

By happy coincidence the bank holiday weekend is also Nova Rehman's birthday and the line up ensures that this is one birthday celebration that will be talked about for a long time to come.

The party sees sets from local bands Frazer King and Our Fold, upcoming Manchester band Rambo and Leroy and legendary bass player Jah Wobble (ex PIL and Invaders Of The Heart), performing ahead of his Chinese Dub tour. Badly Drawn Boy will perform with Andy Rourke.

The Sun and the Moon featuring ex-Chameleons Mark Burgess and John Lever will be playing twenty years on from their first gig as The Sun and the Moon in the same venue DJs Dermo (Northside) and Tin Tin will be on hand to provide the tunes between sets. Both The Sun & The Moon and Jah Wobble will be appearing on Dermo's 'Lethal Dancehall'.

TSATM - Wed 14th May from 7pm
Jah Wobble - Tues 20th May from 7pm

Versus Cancer is known for its unique collaborations and this event is no different with some exciting collaborations planned as birthday surprises to include Aziz Ibrahim, from Ian Brown’s band.

Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen is rumoured to complete the line up and in keeping with the theme of the evening he celebrates thirty years of The Bunnymen this year.

Tickets are on sale now via seetickets.com priced at 12.00 GBP.

Bespoken Word - John Cooper Clarke

2008-05-10T10:32:00.000+01:00

Following on from the Ian Curtis Great Lives programme the other day, another great Radio 4 programme with a Manchester music theme.

Bespoken Word features Paul Morley talking about (and, a bit more oddly, talking like) John Cooper Clarke. The show, available via Listen Again for a limited period also features Mark E Smith, Pete Shelley, CP Lee and Don Letts.

Section 25 / Kevin Hewick live @ North Bar, Blackburn, 30 May 2008

2008-05-10T10:27:00.002+01:00

A reminder that Section 25 celebrate the release of their Best Of album Dirty Disco (out now on LTM) by playing the North Bar in Blackburn on 30 May 2008.

Support comes from Kevin Hewick.

--

30 May 2008
North Bar
Town Hall St
Blackburn
Lancashire
BB2 1AG

Tel: 01254 682670

Blurt - The Factory Recordings

2008-05-06T23:28:00.001+01:00

From LTM Central:

LTM is pleased to present an archive CD of recordings made in for the legendary Factory Records label by cult band Blurt, the unclassifiable punk-jazz trio led by Ted Milton.

Formed in Stroud in 1979, Blurt consisted of Ted Milton (sax, vocals), brother Jake Milton (drums) and guitarist Pete Creese. Ted had already attracted the attention of Factory founder Tony Wilson as a puppeteer (!), and were invited to join the label. Blurt performed at several Factory showcase gigs in London between April and August 1980, and recorded one side of the double compilation album A Factory Quartet (FACT 24).

Although their anarchic shows and music drew rave reviews, Blurt were frustrated by delays in releasing their Factory recording, and the last minute loss of a Factory tour of Europe in October. A live album, Live In Berlin, was recorded in December 1980 and scheduled for release as a 10" on Factory Benelux, but cancelled after Blurt annoyed Wilson by comparing the Factory label to lifestyle boutique Habitat. The set was subsequently released as In Berlin on Armageddon, its memorable cover featuring a photograph of a pile of pink rubbish sacks.

Digitally remastered, LTMCD 2526 The Factory Recordings combines all tracks from A Factory Quartet and In Berlin, including Blurt favourites My Mother Was a Friend of an Enemy of the People, Ubu, Puppeteers of the World Unite and Cherry Blossom Polish. The booklet features archive images and detailed sleevenotes.

Great Lives: Ian Curtis

2008-05-06T19:45:00.003+01:00

BBC Radio 4's Great Lives today saw poet Simon Armitage and Peter Hook join Matthew Parris to discuss the all-too-brief life of Ian Curtis.

While mainly from Simon Armitage's viewpoint, Hook's insights, even after all of these years, are among the most interesting and forthright he's given.

It also features part of a previously unreleased (& unheard) Malcolm McLaren-project version of Love Will Tear Us Apart, with just Ian's vocals accompanied by a piano. The track appears 11m 44s in.

And there's a snippet of an archive Radio 1 interview with Steve Morris and Ian.

The programme is available to Listen Again and is also downloadable as a podcast.

With thanks to Neil for spotting.

Q263 Madchester

2008-05-03T20:19:00.002+01:00

A special article by William Shaw on Madchester appears in the new edition of Q Magazine (#263).

Features anecdotes from Tony Wilson, Phil Saxe, Matt Carroll, Ian Brown, Mani, Mike Pickering, Paul Ryder, Steve Morris, Hooky, Pete Walsh, Jeff Barrett, Shaun Ryder, Gaz Whelan, Dave Haslam, Rowetta, John Robb and Nick Kent.

Oh, and some guys called John Cooper and Michael Eastwood squeeze a word in.

Factory Week at Clash Music

2008-05-02T07:30:00.003+01:00

Clash Music, the online and print music magazine, celebrates Factory Records with a whole week of features and interviews. Highlights include new interviews with Peter Saville, Section 25, Jon Savage and Peter Hook.

Joy Division documentary released today in UK cinemas

2008-05-02T07:26:00.001+01:00

Joy Division, the film documentary directed by Grant Gee, is released in selected UK cinemas from today.

Scream City 4: update

2008-04-28T12:59:00.003+01:00

Scream City 4 is still on sale on eBay priced 2.00 GBP + p&p (PayPal only), but the initial 144 run of copies with the free cd by The Durutti Column containing the track 'Cup A Soup Romance' has now sold out.

Scream City 4 - last 18 copies with cd now on sale

2008-04-27T18:54:00.002+01:00

Scream City 4 has sold over 100 copies in just under 3 days. The final 18 copies to come with SC4.1, the free cd by The Durutti Column containing the track 'Cup A Soup Romance' from the forthcoming album 'Sunlight to Blue... Blue to Blackness', are now on sale on eBay for 2.00 GBP + p&p (PayPal only). Thereafter Scream City 4 will still be available but this is your last chance to get the free cd.

Joy Division - the poster competition

2008-04-27T18:51:00.000+01:00

The official website for the Joy Division documentary which is released this Friday in the UK ran a competition a few weeks ago to pick the official promotional poster from two options.

Voting was clearly in favour of the "blue" version but it seems the "gold" or "Lord of the Rings" version was chosen. What can be happening? I think we should be told...

24 Hour Arty People

2008-04-27T18:26:00.002+01:00

It's great when the Creative Review blog features Central Station Design, Yeah!

Packed with popular and rarely-seen images, this article by Gavin @ CR sets the scene nicely for the forthcoming Faç Off exhibition at the Richard Goodall Gallery in Manchester which runs from 16 May - 21 June 2008.

Scream City 4 now on sale

2008-04-24T23:48:00.000+01:00

The first batch of 50 copies of Scream City (including free CD by The Durutti Column) is on eBay priced 2.00 GBP + p&p.

THE PIECE NEED NOT BE BUILT

2008-04-23T23:00:00.003+01:00

In 1968 Lawrence Weiner, one of the key figures of Conceptual art, formulated his famous Declaration of Intent:

1. The artist may construct the piece.
2. The piece may be fabricated.
3. The piece need not be built.

Each being equal and consistent with the intent of the artist the decision as to condition rests with the receiver upon the occasion of receivership.

On 2 February 2008 Lawrence Weiner discussed his work with art historian and critic John Slyce at Tate Modern in London to coincide with his recent retrospective AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and his 2008 exhibition at the Lisson Gallery in London which ran until March. The event is archived as a webcast at tate.org.

Perhaps not too much to interest the casual FAC follower only familiar with his record covers and posters for Factory Records but for those keen to find out more about Weiner or who simply have never seen him talk before this is a great opportunity.

New Order live in Glasgow dvd out 2 June 2008

2008-04-23T08:55:00.002+01:00

The dvd mentioned by Hooky last year is finally coming out. It's a 2-disc set which features New Order live at the Glasgow Carling Academy. The full setlist is:

Crystal
Turn
True Faith
Regret
Ceremony
Who's Joe
These Days
Krafty
Waiting for the Sirens Call
Your Silent Face
Guilt is a Useless Emotion
Bizarre Love Triangle
Temptation
The Perfect Kiss
Blue Monday
Transmission
Shadowplay
Love Will Tear us Apart

The second disc features rare footage from the band's personal collections and additional gig footage from Glastonbury 1981, Rome 1982, Cork 1983, Rotterdam/Toronto 1985, Shoreline Amphitheater Mountain View 1989, and the Hyde Park Wireless Festival 2005.

Scream City 4 out Friday 25 April 2008

2008-04-21T19:45:00.001+01:00

It's finally gone to press and Scream City 4 will be on sale on eBay on Friday 25 April 2008 priced 2.00 GBP + postage and packing.

Scream City 4 contents

FAC-2 Special including:

Anthony H. Wilson by David Nolan
Peter Hook interview by Michael Eastwood
Vini Reilly interview by Phil Cleaver
The Design of FAC-2 by Matthew Robertson
Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire) interview by Michael Eastwood
John Dowie interview by Ian McCartney
Plus much more.

Initial copies come with a free cd by The Durutti Column which contains the track 'Cup A Soup Romance' taken from the forthcoming Kooky Records album 'Sunlight To Blue... Blue To Blackness', which is released on 23 June 2008. The cd is limited to 144 copies.

The Tony WIlson Experience goes live

2008-04-21T19:28:00.002+01:00

The Tony Wilson Experience: The 24 hour live conversation is now live at tonywilsonexperience.com. Check out videos featuring Peter Hook, Steve Coogan and John Robb amongst others and submit your application to be part of the Experience for the 24 hours starting on 21 June 2008 at midday.

Second Summer of Love

2008-04-20T18:21:00.003+01:00

Mike Pickering, Jon Da Silva, Dave Haslam, Graham Massey, John McCready and many more explain the impact of acid house in 1988 in a Luke Bainbridge Observer article entitled "The Second Summer of Love".

Warning: includes graphic descriptions of DJ booth nudity and old dears being swept down the street in flash flooding.

Tutti Frutti Peter

2008-04-17T12:53:00.000+01:00

Peter Saville was among the judges of the "Design Your Own Home" Tutti Frutti Awards as announced by The Daily Telegraphy today.

Massey's Massonix live in NYC

2008-04-17T11:10:00.002+01:00

OMNY, our correspondent in NYC, tells us that Graham Massey's Massonix put on a stonking set at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, blowing the doors off headliners Autechre.

Bez bankrupt (again)

2008-04-17T07:23:00.002+01:00

The BBC and other sources are reporting that Bez has been declared bankrupt again. The 2005 Celebrity Big Brother winner had said winning the 50,000 GBP prize money would help him with his financial problems - having first been declared bankrupt in August 2004.

When it all comes down

2008-04-14T08:05:00.002+01:00

A restored Miaow E.P. is in the pipeline according to Cath Carroll's MySpace. You can preview the tracks on MiaowSpace before they turn up as digital downloads via Lilypad Records "in the near future".

Bass (How Low Can You Go?)

2008-04-13T13:40:00.000+01:00

On the inside back page of Saturday's Guardian guide (only in the print edition it would seem), Peter Hook tells it how it is (and how it was):

On New Order's money - "If Tony Wilson had fucked off to Brazil and spent it on cocaine and hookers I could have understood that but the fact that he frittered it away was a bit challenging really."

On playing the bass - "My advice is: wear it low, play it high. Although, as my chiropractor keeps telling me, judging by my cracked discs and nerve trouble, I shouldn't have."

On his DJing: "I've never claimed to be a DJ, I'm a celebrity."

Take me back to dear old Blighty!

2008-04-13T12:41:00.004+01:00

A new dvd entitled The Queen Is Dead: A Classic Album Under Review released on 10 June 2008 in the UK will re-examine The Smiths' classic album 'The Queen Is Dead'. Alongside band interviews and much more besides, a highlight will be Tony Wilson talking about The Smiths and Factory Records and how the two didn't quite come together.

James 'Hey Ma' Deluxe Edition on iTunes

2008-04-12T10:32:00.004+01:00

From the news desk at wearejames.com:

"Buy Hey Ma from iTunes before 20th April, and you'll receive a unique password for a chance to purchase tickets for the December tour in the pre-sale at ticketmaster.co.uk BEFORE they go on sale to the general public, giving you the best shot at securing tickets to your concert(s) of choice. The iTunes deluxe version of the album also includes a bonus song and track-by-track commentary."

Download 'Hey Ma' on iTunes UK.

Meanwhile, relive the old Factory days with this vintage live review from 1985.