Talking Moose

Was there really a Talking Moose at the Open Neck Shirt on Friday, or was it just a figment of my imagination?

Twenty Eight Bloody Years

The Open Neck Shirt
17 November 2006, Manchester, England

1pm The Sevenoaks

2pm Albert Square - Christmas Market

3pm Circus Tavern

5pm La Tasca, Deansgate

6.30pm onwards - Britons Protection, Peveril of the Peak, Corbieres, etc

Any problems, and all nuisance phone calls to Neil on 07976 540836 - Hey Phil we expect at least one!

As usual it is...
Politics, gratuitous insults, lying and cheating, violence and heavy drinking.

The Open Neck Shirt 2006

Another year has passed, but what are the significant changes that have taken place in the lives of the Open Neck Shirters.....

Will Phil now be called 'Digger', and be living somewhere in the Outback?
Will Pete have become a Hari Krishna?
Will Neil have had a full body wax?
Will Harry have joined the Tory party?
Will Ken have opened a Gay Wine Bar in Gorton?
Will Stan have joined the Local Immigrant Support Group?
Will Gary have become a Viagra addict?
Will Graham have become a Trappist Monk?
Will Jon have become Ben Thatcher's agent?
Will Ian have joined the Pearly Kings?

All will be revealed at twenty eight years in an Open Neck Shirt on Friday 17th November 2006.

Full details of the day's itinerary to follow soon.

Hacienda Exhibition

The Haçienda - Photographs of Manchester's Legendary Club
18 Oct - 4 Dec
Urbis

As part of it's Manchester Season, Urbis has commissioned photographer Ian Tilton's homage to the Hacienda. This should be of interest to both Open Neck Shirters and all students of pop culture. This exhibition is a precursor to the much larger Hacienda retrospective due next summer.

Manchester Music Archive

I recently purchased the Q Classic magazine 'Morrissey & The Story of Manchester', which is highly recommended for nostalgia freaks and Manchester music fans. Contained within is an article about the Manchester Music Archive at http://www.mdmarchive.co.uk
This is a very useful online resource about the Manchester music scene. There is a poster and photograph archive, information about upcoming events and the archive would like contributions about your Manchester music experiences. The long term ambition is to create a building based museum. The team have already sourced thousands of artefacts, records, posters, flyers, recordings, and personal journals. The archive covers everything from the Halle Orchestra, the formation of the Musicians Union to Manchester's newest bands. Recently the archive was able to sift through the lock-up of Rob Gretton the Manager of Joy Division and New Order. Rob kept almost everything from his time as Manager. The notebooks amount to a complete history of the band, plus there are photos, posters, hundreds of Factory acetates, white labels and live tapes.
There is also an excellent unofficial blog, history and archive about Factory Records at Cerysmatic Factory http://www.cerysmaticfactory.info
which is well worth checking out.
I've added the two sites to the Links section on the side panel for future reference.

Musical Nostalgia Reigns

Musical Nostalgia Reigns

Why are we always listening to old records and CD's? Is it because we are nostalgic and like to remember our association with a particular band or album? Or is it because these bands and albums and have stood the test of time and still sound great today?
Of course, it's a combination of both. These bands and albums still sound great. But they have a greater resonance for us. We are nostalgic for our youth and the associated events which relate to a particular band or album.

'Dragnet' - The Fall at Cavendish.
A remarkable band whose mercurial longevity is renowned.
Mark E Smith is hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd - in typical Smith style he leaves the stage and tries to assault the perpetrator. Only the actions of the rest of the band prevent a mini riot. The Fall go on to put in an incredible performance quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before.

'Give Em Enough Rope' - The Clash at the Apollo.
The Clash take the stage, the crowd surges forward the punks and pseudo punks leap forwards pogoing and jumping on each other. Half way through the first song the bouncers have had enough and randomly remove a few of the punters. Unfortunately our house mate Rob Miller is one of those removed and misses the rest of the gig. Despite the removals the pogoing continues undiminished. The Clash are the predominant band of the time. At the gig and maybe because of the hype I am somewhat reluctant to be over enthusiastic. In retrospect the performance is, of course, excellent and their music has definitely stood the test of time.

'Chairs Missing' - Wire at the Factory.
For some strange reason I was at that Mancunian institution 'Tommy Ducks' and was drinking with a disparate group, Mike Wales, Anne, Julian Bickerton, Andy? and maybe some others? We didn't have tickets for Wire, but we just thought we'd go along and see if we could get in.
This was our first time at the Factory, we walked through the urban wasteland that was Hulme and managed to find the Russell Club or the Factory as it was known on certain nights. This was possibly the coolest and probably the edgiest of venues and it was to be one the most memorable gigs ever. Wire produce a remarkable set, totally different from anything else I had seen and heard before. The band are almost statuesque on stage, lit in a half light and the performance is mesmeric. An event and an album that will live in the mind forever.

Ultimately I think we return to these albums not only because they still sound great today, but because they remind us of the events, the new experiences, the feelings, and the emotions. They were very exciting times indeed.