Fans of gloomy post-punkers Joy Division, start packing your bags. On July 27, fans can flock to Macclesfield, England for a guided walking tour of Ian Curtis's hometown that will visit the sites that influenced the band, including 77 Barton St., where Curtis wrote many of Joy Division songs and, 30 years ago tomorrow (May 18), took his own life.
As the Guardian reports, the walk will visit many of Curtis and co.'s favourite haunts, including the pubs, clubs and rehearsal spaces - such as the Travellers' Rest and Krumbles nightclub - where Joy Division first played, and will end at the town crematorium, where Curtis's famous memorial bearing the lyrics "Love Will Tear Us Apart" stands. (Does this mean it's been replaced?)
The walk will be guided by an annotated map that fans can pick up from various venues around Macclesfield, and is expected to draw fans from around the planet, according to punk historian Jon Savage.
"Macclesfield is a slightly gloomy town," he told the Gaurdian, "and if you want the Joy Division experience it is a good place to go. You get a sense of where Curtis was from, and what he was trying to escape from."
The tour will also point out the Unknown Pleasures exhibition, held at 1813 Sunday School Heritage Centre building. The venue showcases original record sleeves, posters and handbills, as well as set lists, rare vinyl and letters from Joy Division members to their manager, including one that in which Curtis calls Joy Division's beloved second album, Closer, "a disaster."
Interesting historic walk, or exploitative cash grab? We'll let you decide for yourself.
In related Joy Division news, the band's former co-founder and bass player, Peter Hook, has opened a record label. Consequence of Sound reports that Hook is owner and manager of Hacienda Records UK, which he is operating out of the recently reopened Factory Records building in Manchester. The label has only produced two acts to date (both of which feature Hook), but there are plans to showcase more up-and-coming artists soon.
As the Guardian reports, the walk will visit many of Curtis and co.'s favourite haunts, including the pubs, clubs and rehearsal spaces - such as the Travellers' Rest and Krumbles nightclub - where Joy Division first played, and will end at the town crematorium, where Curtis's famous memorial bearing the lyrics "Love Will Tear Us Apart" stands. (Does this mean it's been replaced?)
The walk will be guided by an annotated map that fans can pick up from various venues around Macclesfield, and is expected to draw fans from around the planet, according to punk historian Jon Savage.
"Macclesfield is a slightly gloomy town," he told the Gaurdian, "and if you want the Joy Division experience it is a good place to go. You get a sense of where Curtis was from, and what he was trying to escape from."
The tour will also point out the Unknown Pleasures exhibition, held at 1813 Sunday School Heritage Centre building. The venue showcases original record sleeves, posters and handbills, as well as set lists, rare vinyl and letters from Joy Division members to their manager, including one that in which Curtis calls Joy Division's beloved second album, Closer, "a disaster."
Interesting historic walk, or exploitative cash grab? We'll let you decide for yourself.
In related Joy Division news, the band's former co-founder and bass player, Peter Hook, has opened a record label. Consequence of Sound reports that Hook is owner and manager of Hacienda Records UK, which he is operating out of the recently reopened Factory Records building in Manchester. The label has only produced two acts to date (both of which feature Hook), but there are plans to showcase more up-and-coming artists soon.