Cerysmatic.Factory

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 16:57:00 +0000

Please note that the site is now on hiatus (again) and will not be updated for the foreseeable future.

The News archive 2003-2019 and c. 1500 pages are available for your reference.

The PKRP Cerysmatic Factory Favourites Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Flipside Reviews) — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 07:00:00 +0000

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

Official Factory Records t-shirts via Warners/Rhino

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 21:56:00 +0000

The Official Factory store via Warners has just launched a selection of t-shirts and sweatshirts featuring the classic Factory smokestack logo amongst other designs, some of which were previewed at the Use Hearing Protection exhibition shop.

T-shirts are available in white, black, grey and, for kids, yellow.

Prices range from £12.99 to £36.99 and it's all available via the Rhino UK Store.

The Wake live @ Subterania, London 11 Sep 2020

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 08:16:00 +0000

2020 is set to be a big year for The Wake with a Factory Benelux slbum and live shows in the offing. The first of these has already been confirmed and is set for 11 September 2020 at the excellent Subterania in West London underneath the Westway.

Tickets are available now priced £22.00 (plus booking fee) via seetickets.com.

UK Song Map Open Edition by Dorothy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 08:02:00 +0000

If you're stuck for Christmas present ideas for the music fan in your house then the UK Song Map is a great choice. This is a map of the United Kingdom made up entirely from the titles of over 1,400 songs. Factory is represented by the 'Madchester Rave On' EP (ok, not a song title) by Happy Mondays and 'Winter Hill' by A Certain Ratio.

More info and buying instructions at: wearedorothy.com [-->]

See also: Factory Records Christmas Cards

Section 25 IndustrialUnit + Vee VV live in Liverpool

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 07:35:00 +0000

Section 25 IndustrialUnit, the SXXV spin-off band featuring Vin Cassidy and Steve Stringer, will play 81 Renshaw in Liverpool on Saturday 28 March 2020. Support comes from Vee VV, a Blackpool band formed after the demise of Tunnelvision and other guests to be confirmed.

Tickets are on sale now priced £8.00 plus booking fee via wegottickets.com.

--

Facebook Event

81 Renshaw
81 Renshaw Street
Liverpool
L1 2SJ

More info: www.81renshaw.co.uk

See also: The Section 25 IndustrialUnit Cerysmatic Factory Playlist

Praxis XL - Factory and Haçienda Postcards

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Stuck for ideas for Christmas presents for the Factory obsessive in your family? Why not treat them to a pack of ten postcards featuring reproductions of flyers and posters designed by Trevor Johnson for Factory and the Haçienda. The set is available for the princely sum of five pounds direct from the-modernist.org on the occasion of the Praxis XL exhibition which runs in Manchester until 23 December 2019.

And then there's the Praxis XL badge set.

See also: The Praxis XL Exhibition Review

Matthew Robertson in conversation at The Modernist Society

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 18:24:00 +0000

Matthew Robertson, the author of the Fac 461 Factory Records - The Complete Graphic Album will be in conversation with Pete Mitchell at The Modernist Society in Manchester on Wednesday 18 December 2019 from 18:30 to 20:00. This event follows on from the sell-out Trevor and Craig Johnson event set up to coincide with the Praxis XL exhibition which runs until 23 December 2019.

Factory fans will know that Matthew’s book painstakingly researched and beautifully illustrated book covers much of Factory's design output and serves as an essential guide. Many of the images in the Praxis exhibition were courtesy of Matthew and he is sure to have many insights into Factory's catalogue. Copies of the book will available in the shop and Matthew will be available to sign them for you.

Book now via the-modernist.org [-->]

The Modernist Society
58 Port Street
Manchester

See also: The Praxis XL Exhibition Review

Slow Car Fast Car

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 18:13:00 +0000

Minny Pops follow up the Outernationale remix EP with a new release 'Slow Car Fast Car' which is out now on most major digital platforms including Soundcloud, Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer.

A suitably enigmatic message from "Your Leader " has appeared on the Minny Pops website (how'd that happen? Ed.):

"The other day I was thinking what is the point of driving a Porsche if you are always stuck in traffic? Which also made me think, what is the point of taking a Porsche out for a test ride if you can’t afford one?"

The Biting Tongues 'Live It' Review by Iain Key

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 10:25:00 +0000

Former Factory artist Biting Tongues have just had their 1981 limited cassette-only lost release 'Live It' reissued by Andy Votel's Finders Keepers Records.

Originally released on New Hormones, Biting Tongues' 2nd album was one of a series of three limited edition releases of just 500 cassettes (others by Ludus and CP Lee) that came with a booklet, badge, stickers and a sweatshirt offer. The 6-track release has now been expanded to 10 with the additional 4 tracks coming from rare cassette magazines released at the time.

The idea of releasing it on tape only appears to have been a financial one by the label despite them being in vogue (the Walkman being relatively new and cassette sales actually being equal to, if not greater than vinyl at the time). In his notes, Graham Massey explains, "New Hormones didn't have enough money to press it up on vinyl and so it became a cassette-only release, which felt like a bit of a disappointment. I always felt it buried some of our best work, compounded by the fact that we actually left off some of the best tracks from the session. These tracks lived on a cassette I've carried around for forty years, the tape slowly getting dull and wearing thin. In recent years I've been digitising Colin Seddon's cassette collection of Biting Tongues material and rediscovered a first-generation recording of the sessions on TDK SA tape."

Prior to listening to this reissue of 'Live It' I'd only previously only heard a handful tracks released on various Factory compilations and only had a very rough idea of the history of the band from their formation to provide a soundtrack to the saxophonist Howard Walmsley's film 'Biting Tongues' through to the initially unreleased 'Recharge' album so it was fascinating listening to this as a something new in 2019 and also trying to imagine how it would have fit in during those heady days of post-punk and New Romantics.

My thoughts on the first couple of listens were that it was very angular and abstract, not very easy listening, and improvised. Through Graham's notes which accompany this release it would appear my final thought especially was wide of the mark, with several mentions of demos being recorded and sent down to London for vocalist Ken Hollings to refine his lyrics before travelling up to Manchester to record them.

So improvised may be the wrong word; with repeated listens there is clearly a depth and structure to the tracks despite it occasionally sounding like band members are going off and playing at tangents with vocals being improvised. As Ken explained in an interview in 2008 there is a difference to how the band would record which gives it a unique sound and one was that odds with how many things would have been produced at the time, "We'd record a whole side of an album in one session with no breaks between the tracks and do a mix afterwards – nothing was ever re-recorded – we'd even leave in any slips of the tongue or mispronounced words I might have struggled with in the session, any stray pieces of sound that the microphone picked up, or we'd simply record straight onto two-channel tape, recording through the studio desk with the producer mixing and adding effects while we were performing in the studio – we wouldn't know what it sounded like until the playback – and because it was two-channel you couldn't correct it: you'd have to do the whole thing again, which we pretty much refused to do'.

I can hear some influences on this release from Talking Heads' 1980 release 'Remain In Light' but, for those listening in 1981, tracks such as 'Libreville' would have easily complemented releases such as 'To Each...' by A Certain Ratio where tracks such as 'Back To The Start' mix a variety of instruments, not always conventional over driving rhythms to create a danceable beat, but very different to the polished chart music at the time which was dominated by the likes of Adam and The Ants, Madness and Soft Cell.

In 2019 each listen brings something new, there is so much going on across the 10 tracks there's a sense of opening Pandora's Box that it begs for repeated listening, and although it maybe a little challenging at, first patience is paid off.

It's not often that something that's nearly 40 years old can sound as contemporary, interesting and challenging as this release does.

Section 25 IndustrialUnit live in Manchester and Freiburg

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Section 25 IndustrialUnit follow up their recent show in Walthamstow, London with a couple of 2020 dates in Manchester and Freiburg.

On Saturday 29 February 2020 it's Aatma on Faraday Street in Manchester with special guest The Junta. They travel to Freiburg in Germany for a date at The Slow Club on Friday 3 April 2020.

--

29 February 2020
Aatma, 1st Floor
14-16 Faraday St
Manchester
M1 1BE

Buy Tickets Now

Friday 3 April 2020
Slow Club Freiburg
Haslacher Straße 25
79115 Freiburg im Breisgau
Germany

Facebook Event

The Praxis XL Factory Records Anniversary badge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Trevor and Trevor and Craig Johnson, who curated and designed the Praxis XL exhibition currently running at The Modernist Society in Manchester, have designed a special limited edition commemorative badge which is available in Plum, Pink and Red colourways.

Each badge comes on its own backing card and has a rubber butterfly fastening.

The badges are available to buy now priced £7.00 via the-modernist.org [->]

See also: Praxis XL - A Factory Anniversary Exhibition Review

Trevor and Craig Johnson in conversation with Pete Mitchell

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 06:30:00 +0000

Pete Mitchell will host an in conversation event with Trevor and Craig Johnson at the Modernist Society in Manchester on Wednesday 5 December 2019 from 18:30 until 20:00 to tie in with the current Praxis XL exhibition.

Tickets priced from £4.00 are available via the-modernist.org [->].

The Modernist Society
58 Port Street
Manchester

See also: The Praxis XL Review

Scream City 6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Scream City 6 is the long-awaited film and video edition originally planned for 2012 but which never happened but is now slated for 2020.

The regular line-up of writers will return - Michael Eastwood, John Cooper, Andrew James, Ian McCartney, David Nolan plus debutants Iain Key, Brian Nicholson and Paul Pledger.

The publication schedule is somewhat tentative at this stage but, with a surprising amount of work already having been completed several years ago, it is not having to be started from scratch. More information when I have it but it should be published in the first half of 2020.

In a break from tradition, but rather aptly considering the subject material, this edition will be online-only.

See also: Scream City

Scream City 5 - additional material

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Scream City 5 was published in 2010 about 2 years after issue 4 and after just shorter than that in preparation time. The graphic design of the cover spanned just about the entire development period. It was pretty clear from the outset that this would be "The International Edition" and that some form of map would feature.

In the end it featured Buckminter Fuller's Dymaxion projection in a wraparound full-bleed design but not before a brief dalliance with vintage Ordnance Survey.

Let the full, epic story commence!

Scream City 5 - additional material

The Durutti Column Fidelity (2LP coloured vinyl) review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Recorded in the mid-'90s and released after a string of celebrated albums, including 'The Guitar and Other Machines', 'Fidelity' [Les Disques du Crepuscule, TWI 976] is something of an underdog when compared to some of The Durutti Column's canon.

Released on CD only in 1996, this forgotten album continues the electronic theme of the outfit's final Factory album 'Obey The Time'. However, whereas the former reflected the acid house era, 'Fidelity' occasionally recalls the likes of Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin's F.U.S.E. project or Ultramarine, particularly on the giddy minimal techno of 'Sanko', the dreamy 'Grace' or sample-driven house sounds of 'Abstract of Expression'.

In truth, there isn't a great deal of Vini Reilly's guitar work on here - again as with 'Obey The Time', there are the merest hints of him riffing on the more upbeat pieces, but thankfully plenty to digest on the chilled out and glorious 'Guitar For Mother', the melancholy 'Storm For Steve' and short and sweet vignette 'G&T'. Taking centre stage across most of the album is Vini and Laurie Lexicon's other machines with beats coming from computers rather than drumming stalwart Bruce Mitchell who was notably absent from these sessions. No matter - it's a consistent album nonetheless.

With the exception of the misplaced 'Remember Me', Fidelity makes for pleasing listening on this re-ordered coloured double vinyl update, completed with the addition of two bonus tracks and a much improved new sleeve courtesy of Crépuscule's in-house artist and designer Benoît Hennebert. Somewhat surprisingly there's little in the way of sleevenotes but then there's little in the way of a back story to an album that dipped under the radar 20-plus years ago. Well worth your time.

- review by Paul Pledger (originally published at Flipside Reviews) with thanks

In conversation with Anthony H. Wilson by Iain Key

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

I think it's safe to say that everyone who ever came into contact with Tony has at least one "Tony Wilson Story".

My Dad and I had season tickets in the South Stand at Old Trafford for many years about 6 rows behind where Tony and Oliver, or other friends would sit. Every game we'd watch the players come out, the toss of the coin, the teams line up for kick-off. Then, normally, within a couple of minutes of the match starting, Tony would arrive causing those on his row to stand, and those around hm to strain to see past if anything of interest was happening.

Whilst making his entrance Tony would apologise, shake hands and wave, occasionally I'd get a nod in my direction.

I think my Dad actually enjoyed having Tony sitting in our block as when he spoke about his religion - Manchester United, he'd always mention the late arrival and wished that "the bugger off Granada" would buy a watch and then with some irony comment "he's always on the TV, never late for that...".

I'd then often then hear other people pick up the thread with the line, "that Tony Wilson...".

Ironically, my first meeting with Tony involved him being late as well. My friend, Ian, and I were doing a project on Factory Records for college in early 1995 and we had invited to interview him. We arrived at the time agreed, were shown into his office and then waiting for 2 hours. He'd been at awards do in London the night before and had been delayed.

As with his late arrivals at Old Trafford though he was apologetic and very personable.

I transcribed the interview we did that day with the idea I could submit it to The Big Issue. I ran it past Tony and he (politely) dismissed it as boring, pedestrian and nothing new, which in fairness it was. It was the same story that anyone who knows the history of the label could relate.

Rather than tell me this over the phone or by letter though I was invited back into the Factory office and Tony explained his feelings and suggested I try again. To assist me he lent me a couple of books, one of interviews with politicians and one with musicians and artists and told me to read them and go back to him on the afternoon of Monday 22nd May.

I remember being nervous when I arrived, I'd been given a second chance and I really didn't want to blow it.

This interview was going to by an attempt to look beyond the caricature and break down some of the perceptions people held, hence the limited questions about Factory or Factory Too (as it was then).

I still vividly remember sitting on the metal staircase just outside the office in Little Peter Street on a warm spring afternoon with a dictaphone between us, being in the company of one of the most charismatic individuals you could ever hope to meet.

I rushed home, on a high to listen to the recording, and was mortified to realise the batteries were dying meaning that we sounded like chipmunks on helium. Not to be put off I soldiered on and transcribed the piece, sending it back to Tony for approval.

It was nearly a month before I heard anything back due to Tony being away. What impressed me was he'd not just read and approved what I'd sent, he'd been through it and made notes and changes "to make sense of his rambling".

So that's my Tony Wilson story, rather than dismiss the first piece of work I'd offered, which would have been the end of it, he gave me feedback, encouragement and and opportunity to produce the best piece of work I could which was printed in the Big Issue in August 1995.

Nearly 25 years later I still feel blessed and proud to have had that opportunity.

- Iain Key, Stretford, November 2019

With a career in television, journalism and music spanning over 20 years Anthony H. Wilson, Granada stalwart and co-founder of Factory Records, love him or hate him, is one of the most well known faces in the North West.

He's a Manchester United and Eric Cantona fan and probably as close to a professional Mancunian you'll find.

Monday 22nd May, the country is seeing its 2nd glimpse of summer and Manchester is not the dour, gloomy city some would have you believe. Anthony Wilson is in a brilliant mood, despite the team he's supported since a boy failing to hold onto either their League Championship or the F.A. Cup.

How disappointed were you?

I actually wasn't that disappointed the previous weekend because a) I think it's boring if we win everything all the time and b) for me it was important for Eric’s myth. He won the League Championship in 1991 in France, 1992 with those tosspots from Leeds and in '93 and '94 with United. So you see it adds to the myth, the one year he wasn't playing he didn't win the League.

Poetic?

Yes, poetic, I didn't feel too bad but I did perceive they'd win at Wembley. I wasn't depressed by the game, but I was depressed that Paul Ince who is fantastic had a shit game from beginning to end and as far as I'm concerned we didn't actually get beat in either game .

We certainly didn't get beat by West Ham and it wasn't as if we actually got beat by Everton. The result was down to Mr Southall and his do or die heroics, so yeah, I'm a bit pissed off.

So was the season a disaster?

No, having won the League twice, a wonderful achievement, and to have pushed Blackburn so far without deserving to was great. My season was complete when Crystal Palace got relegated.

Why?

Everyone in the country seems to hate United but the level of hate and sheer nastiness from the Crystal Palace supporters was sickening.

As you are such a well-known face in the North West and have such a strong personality, do you think it's fair to say people either love you or hate you?

I think it's something people don't talk about in the media, we're not national celebrities. The easiest way to explain is if you ask people who Mike Neville is, 90% won't have heard of him. Do you know who Mike Neville is?

No.

In one fairly significant area of Great Britain, the North East, he is bigger than the Pope. He's been the local TV presenter for years and years, and he's bigger than the Pope, George Michael and Elvis rolled into one.

That’s what happens with regional TV presenters to a greater or lesser degree. I've been at Granada for 20 years and it’s a strange phenomenon that people are aware of me because of my personality. In 1973 I did a feature for Granada with Emmylou Harris and I asked her to do a song she'd recently recorded by Gram Parsons. Anyway she couldn't but that night at the Manchester Free Trade Hall she said "I'm going to do a song now for a nice young man I met this afternoon called Tony Wilson", almost immediately 2000 people stood up and shouted 'WANKER!'. Par for the course really but I think it ruined her concentration. So yeah, it goes with the territory really.

Have you ever been misunderstood?

Liverpudlians have a problem with me. These people at the end of the M62 think I have a problem with Liverpool, I love Liverpool. To be honest I don't think they've ever forgotten or forgiven me for the Brugge rosette.

What was that?

Liverpool were playing Brugge in the Semi Final of the European Cup, this is years ago, and I was told that under no circumstances was I to mention that night’s game. So I didn't, I just wore this fucking great white Brugge rosette.

Do you ever get worried about over exposure?

No, I do 4, 13-week series a year for Granada and it's up to them when they show them. Do you think I'm on TV too much?

Sometimes.

I don't think I'm on enough. I'm a red light junkie. I work my bollocks off and I think I should be on more often.

With working at Granada and also running Factory Too, do you find it difficult to split your time between the two?

No, I don't really, at Granada I'm a hired hand, a journalist and I work for them. It can be difficult because I do a lot of travelling, but at Factory though I'm only~~ ;!lking head\A and I've got a great team of people working with me.

Do you get a greater satisfaction from one over the other?

No (pause). It's a strange thing but I still see journalism as a craft, like being a plumber or a carpenter. I served my apprenticeship to do this job.

Moving on to Factory and music, in a recent article in VOX you drew parallels between 'No One Here Gets Out Alive' and Deborah Curtis's book about Ian and Joy Division. Do you think there will be a Doors type 'Joy Division revival' ?

I think, yes, to a degree, what is happening in the media - there is a generation that has come of age who understand the importance of and significance of Joy Division. I really thought that Paul (Morley) would write the book. Yes, there will be a degree of a revival.

Do you think it's a good thing that the book has been written?

Oh yes, the more books the merrier, but I think the book is a little short really.

It seems to be more 'pre-fame' than when things were happening.

Well yes, Debbie is telling her story and understandably it’s from that period. When a band, any band, gets going it always happens that the wife is an outsider, a rock ‘n' roll casualty. I was thinking about this the other day, the scene of the band travelling up and down the M1 in a transit, which is something that most Manchester bands go through. The wives or girlfriends do feel shut out because that's a lads thing.

Have you read the book yet?

Bits - from what I have read it's like 'Tony Wilson treated me like shit. I don't intentionally treat anyone like shit but I can imagine what Debbie or anyone would feel. Until you get to playing Wembley Stadium with the baby changing and hospitality suite next door - that's what's going to happen.

Do you ever get pissed off talking about Joy Division?

No, never, not at all. I'm still very surprised that I was fortunate enough to work with Joy Division. It's exactly the same as walking down the corridor at Granada and this guy goes 'Hello Tony', what gets me is do I call him Ken or Bill because you don't expect these mythical creatures, like Ken Barlow, to talk to you. I feel the same way about Joy Division, a bit other-worldly but I feel very strongly that people should know about it, and listen to the wonderful music.

Pete Waterman recently paid tribute to you over the 'In The City' festival, and you are revered by the music press. Are you the most important person in the music industry outside London?

No, people see me for things like Factory; the Hacienda; and 'In The City' but yous ~ the Hacienda is really Rob Gretton, 'In The City' is run by my girlfriend and partner Yvette Livesey, and Factory over the years in general has been run by all the people who are a lot cleverer than me. as with all these things I'm the 'talking head', the middle class wanker who went to Oxbridge and so I end up being the face of all these things and people get confused, they think / I'm the face and therefore I must be the thing itself, which I’m not.

With Factory it was Rob (Gretton) who thought of the idea. I thought we were just going to get our bands signed to other labels. I get the credit for these things which is hard on everybody else. It's all down to my face and lazy journalists.

You are presently arranging a Computer Festival for 1998 to celebrate the creation of the 1st modern computer being developed in Manchester. Why?

It's absolutely essential. I have friends regularly coming across from America and they get the Wilson tour of Manchester. First I take them to the Hacienda, then at 2 o'clock in the morning they get driven past Foo Foo's to see 500 drunken post-menopausal women falling out of the club which they think is amazing.

The next stop is the Daily Express building and then I take them to this unlit park in the middle of the University, where no-one ever goes, and to this little alley and this little building with a plaque on the wall that says "the world’s 1st computer ran here in 1948"; and then I laughingly point out that Rutherford split the atom 2 doors down.

If this had been anywhere else in the world they'd have built a fucking theme park and have brass bands playing. I'm a Salford lad and I didn't know 'til I was 31 that Manchester won the race ahead of Teddington and Philadelphia.

So I think it's very nice, and important, for the people of Manchester to know that a) our city was the scene for both the 1st and 2nd industrial revolutions and b} for the rest of the world to know. So we should celebrate this.

Do you think Manchester underrates itself?

Yes, it's almost like this wonderful thing of not selling ourselves to anyone because we can't be bothered. It's typically Mancunian just not to tell anyone. In fact United’s success over the years has been so overt with the likes of Edwards, Law, Best, Charlton, Robson and Giggs that when we do get overt everyone gets upset.

Yes, we underrate ourselves, but the opportunity to celebrate the computer is too good to miss.

Is there anything you'd still like to achieve?

Yes, loads (laughs). It seems you have music, TV, computers, so If you really wanted to achieve anything or be involved in anything you can. People find it strange but I feel excited about every record I'm putting out as I did with 'Transmission' or whatever. I've lots of ambitions, loads. One thing is a movie that was being done with 2 very talented Geordies that would have been, and still will be, one of the best British movies ever made. Before I die I want to see it made.

Is there anything you're glad you've never been asked?

Very good question (long pause). Yes, there are probably one or two things in my life that I'm embarrassed about, but I'm not going to tell you.

I think you make mistakes and that's part of the process. One thing I hate being asked is "What would you have on your gravestone?".

What would you have on your gravestone?

"The perfect client" as Ben Kelly, the architect calls me. Generally speaking I'll answer anything - it's my day job. That's probably why people say I'm a bullshitter, this bizarre reputation I have which I find insane, I wish I was.

--

Next time Tony Wilson is on your TV, don't switch channels, he may not be the man you think he is.

--

IN CONVERSATION WITH ANTHONY H. WILSON

QUESTIONS, INTERVIEW AND TRANSCRIPTION - IAIN KEY

MAY/JUNE NINETEEN NINETY-FIVE

--

Transcription and editing from original draft by John Cooper, 2019

Factory 40th Anniversary T-Shirt out now via Vinyl Revival

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 21:20:00 +0000

The Factory Records 40th Anniversary t-shirt by original Factory Records designers Trevor and Craig Johnson is available to buy now via vinylrevivalmcr.com [->] and in-store at the Vinyl Revival shop on Hilton Street in the Northern Quarter of Manchester.

Space Monkeys live at Deaf Institute, Manchester 14 Feb 2020

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 06:30:00 +0000

Space Monkeys return to live action at the Deaf Institute in Manchester on 14 February 2020.

Don't forget that the new Space Monkeys album, Modern Actions, is released on 1 January 2020 via the Supercool label.

Tickets go on sale at 10:00 on Monday 18 November 2019.

More info: Facebook event

Praxis XL - A Factory Anniversary Exhibition Review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Recently opened at The Modernist Society's premises on Port Street, Manchester, Praxis XL is an understated exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Factory's first release.

Whilst Jon Savage and Mat Bancroft's recent display at Chelsea Space (coming to Manchester in 2020) focussed on the first 50 Fac numbers and the ephemera linked to the early days, Praxis XL showcases the whole legacy of Factory.

It's been curated and designed by Trevor Johnson (a stalwart of Factory's design team) and his brother Craig. On display are 40 of the label's most familiar and sometimes interesting items from the likes of Peter Saville, Central Station, 8vo, Ben Kelly as well as Trevor himself.

The Modernist Society is tucked away in the Northern Quarter, close to where the Buzzcocks' New Hormones office and the Roadhouse once stood, slightly off the beaten track, just a short trip up Newton Street from Piccadilly. The Society, until a few months ago had only held pop-up events and exhibitions before renting this unassuming building.

It's quite small and as you may imagine quite minimalist but perfectly formed, with the items on display allowed to breathe and not cramped.

My son and I went along on the morning of Saturday 9th November and we were surprised that we were the only 2 visitors upon arrival. However, this meant we had plenty of time to peruse and study the 40 items on display on the ground floor as well as read the accompanying notes.

For Factory fans and aficionados there are plenty of heart-warming familiar items on display, such as the original Factory Club poster, A Factory Sample, Unknown Pleasures, Blue Monday, etc.

Where this exhibition comes into its own, in my opinion at least, are the more unusual, and seldom seen items, the original rough layout for the Leigh Festival Poster, the 'Say No To London' T-Shirt design and of course Fac 191, the Haçienda Cat (a picture, not a real living cat).

Personally, the one item I would have liked to see included, but isn't is FAC 268, Northside's 'Shall We Take A Trip' - not only for people to realise that "the one with the apple on the cover" actually has a plum, but to remind people that Happy Mondays weren't the only successful band in the final years of the label.

After exhausting the items downstairs we moved upstairs to the smaller space on the first floor (greeted on the way up by a classic cheeky image of Rob Gretton with his tongue out) where there are selected photographic works of Kevin Cummins. Most will be familiar to fans but they really come to life when blown up from the A4 size people will most be familiar with. My personal favourite is the distance shot of the Factory Club alongside one of the infamous Hulme crescents.

Whilst we were watching part of the loop of Factory-related videos, the musical pioneer that is Graham Massey arrived with a small entourage who were out on a walking tour around key locations of the city, with Graham recollecting his personal experiences and involvement in Manchester's music heritage.

I can't guarantee that you will bump into a bona fide Manchester music legend if you visit Praxis XL but I can guarantee you'll be met with a warm welcome and an exhibition that will reinforce Factory's legacy of being a key cultural force which is recognised worldwide, and not just as a record label.

- Iain Key for Cerysmatic Factory

--

Praxis XL runs from 11:00 Saturday 9 November 2019 11:00 to 17:00 Monday 23 December 23 2019.

The Modernist Society
58 Port Street
Manchester
M1 2EQ

More info: modernist-society.org

Joy Division @ Colston Hall, 1979 - Jacknife Heritage Poster

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 08:48:00 +0000

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

The S25 Industrial Unit Cerysmatic Factory Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Ahead of their Wildcard Brewery gig in London on 21 November 2019, Section 25 IndustrialUnit's Vin Cassidy and Steve Stringer pick their top tunes for Cerysmatic Factory.

Vin's picks

'Whip It' by Devo - I saw them at Manchester Apollo back in the day. Excellent.

'The Light Pours Out Of Me' by Magazine - Saw them at Lancaster University, Great Hall and they did this epic piece. The proto post-punkers.

'United' by Throbbing Gristle - Saw them at The Russell Club and was converted

'The Gnome' by Pink Floyd - Reminds me of when my brother and I were small. We were very fond of Syd's whisticism.

'Strong' by London Grammar - This got into my head at work. I like the vocal style.

Steve's picks

'2000 Light Years From Home' by The Rolling Stones - A great track from Satanic Majesties. I listened to this a lot back in 1977.

'Careering' by PIL - I saw this on the Old Grey Whistle Test in early 1980. A great TV moment - uncompromising and sublime.

'Für Immer (Forever)' by Neu - From Neu 2, driving, precise. Rock music at its best.

'Warszawa' by David Bowie - Great ambient future sounds and still inspiring to listen to.

'I Want More' by Can - Great pop dance track from 1976. Always loved the feel and sound of this track.

The Section 25 Industrial Unit Cerysmatic Factory Playlist is available on Apple Music and Spotify.

Section 25 IndustrialUnit play the Wildcard Brewery in Walthamstow, London E17 on Thursday 21 November. Tickets are available now via Eventbrite from 11.00 GBP + booking fee.

Many thanks to Paul Pledger for sequencing and assembling (and exerting compiler's licence to insert the 11th track).

See also: Section 25

More info: section25.com

Factory 40th Anniversary T-Shirts via Vinyl Revival

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Vinyl Revival is launching a special t-shirt to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Factory Records designed by the brothers Johnson - Trevor and Craig. The release coincides with the Praxis XL exhibition currently running at The Modernist on Port Street in Manchester.
Five colour schemes will be available:

White print on Navy
White print on Red
White print on Burgundy
Burgundy print on Grey
Burgundy print on Petrol Blue

The t-shirts are available to buy now via vinylrevivalmcr.com.

See also: Johnson Panas / Trevor Johnson

Monaco return in Belgium

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Peter Hook and David Potts's Monaco will return with a live show on Saturday 23 May 2020 at the ⁦‪W-Festival‬⁩ at Waregem Expo in Belgium.

Meanwhile, follow Monaco on Instagram for the latest updates.

Scream City 4 - additional material

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Scream City 4 - The FAC-2 issue - had a consistent graphic identity the whole way through and there was one golden rule - no colour. That rule was adhered to without fail except for one small dash of orange on the centrespread.

After a brief dalliance with a Situationist International graphic, the front cover concept was tied directly to the FAC-2 interview with Vini Reilly and the SC4.1 CD of 'Cup a Soup Romance' by The Durutti Column. Vini Reilly provided three photos by Rachel McFarlane, his then girlfriend, with the best of these being selected. The original photo features Vini in a brightly coloured top holding his beloved Les Paul guitar. It seemed such a shame to drain the colour but rules are rules...

Scream City 4 additional material