The great and the good

Courtesy of The Hidden History of Manchester's Punk Fanzines at the City Fun exhibition curated by the Manchester District Music Archive.  We go back to 22 September 1979 and The Distractions are supporting Joy Division, as reported in the 6th November 1979 Vol 1 Issue 11 of City Fun...

(c) Steve Benham at Joy Div.

THE DISTRACTIONS, The Nashville, their first London gig.  On before Joy Division, the place is packed.  I’m here to enjoy myself, not to think of things to write about and consequentially am totally pissed.  The Distractions don’t play their best but neither is it their worst.  The organ fails to work when called upon so consequentially Adrian has to remember the second guitar part.  I try to dance but there are tables in the way.  The band seem a bit less relaxed than usual, Mike and Steve are a bit less sure of their ground than usual and are not as confident in their between song asides.  So what, they sound good.  The audience don’t quite know that to make, about a third of them are getting into it but a few throw bottles (dodged most stylishly by the band) in the second encore.

JOY DIVISION at the Nashville are great.  The Nashville was firebombed by the National Front not so long ago and looks similar to the black hole of Calcutta – not that I’ve been there to check the truth of that.  Who thought The Factory was tatty you middle class posers.  Joy Division, well I’m stood on a chair talking to a friend I’ve not seen for a long time and watching the band about two thirds of the way into their set I have to leap off the chair and start dancing.  This is what it’s all about, involuntary excitement that compels participation and it’s just good, if you know what I mean.

(c) 1topclassmanager.