A long-lost verse from an iconic local folk song is to be played for the first time ever at a free festival in Salford next weekend.
And it’s gearing up to be a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for those lucky enough to hear it.
Almost 75 years after it was written about the Greater Manchester city of Salford, ‘Dirty Old Town’ by legendary folk singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl is now the subject of a new BBC Radio 4 documentary.
During the documentary, an abandoned verse from the iconic song can be heard sung for the first time since 1951 – and next weekend, MacColl’s folk-legend widow, Peggy Seeger, is bringing that same abandoned verse to life in a one-time-only performance at this year’s We Invented the Weekend festival.
In a bid to reclaim the song back for the city it was originally written about, Seeger will be taking to the stage at the free-to-attend festival – which is back by popular demand at MediaCity and Salford Quays on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June.
Born in the Salford suburb of Broughton in 1915, MacColl came from a family with socialist roots, and started life as a young communist playwright.
He first released ‘Dirty Old Town’ in 1952, after originally using the melody and abandoned verse in a play in 1951, and the song quickly made waves in the UK’s burgeoning folk scene due to its emotive melodies and lyrics – which documentary host, proud Salfordian and broadcaster, Mike Sweeney, discovers as he follows along with Seeger’s recreation.
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During the documentary, Sweeney explores the myths around the song, and hears from Seeger about how MacColl’s rigorous approach to songwriting resulted in the abandoned verse being cut.
Salford’s popular We Invented the Weekend festival is returning next weekend / Credit: Mark Waugh (via Supplied)
Sweeney also traces the relationships that led to the song being covered several times, most-notably by bands like The Dubliners and The Pogues – who took it from 1960s folk clubs to audiences around the world, and subsequently led many music lovers to believing it’s an Irish song rather than about Salford.
Peggy Seeger said ‘Dirty Old Town’ is “more than just a song”, adding that it “speaks to those who live anywhere in dirty old broken down industrial cities everywhere”.
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She continued: “Salford City FC fans bawl it out, thousands of them. It has been covered by hundreds of singers. Salford was in Ewan bones. He took me to his dirty old town within a week of our three decade partnership. It is a perfect song, a beautiful melody, four economical verses, and has been covered by hundreds of singers each in their own way.”
Seeger and her son, musician Calum MacColl, will take part in an ‘in conversation’ event with Mike Sweeney at the We Invented the Weekend festival to tell the story of the song in the city it was created in.
This will then be followed by an acoustic performance in front of a live audience – with Seeger singing the abandoned verse which never made popular renditions.
We Invented the Weekend 2024 is happening down at MediaCity on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June, and you can find out more here.
The documentary, titled Archive On 4: Dirty Old Town, will be available to listen to BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds from 6 July.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
Art & Culture
A historic Stockport pub has officially become a listed building
Danny Jones
The Angel Inn pub in Stockport has officially become the thriving Greater Manchester borough’s latest listed building.
Being granted Grade II-listed status following an extensive visit and survey by Historic England (HE), Stockport Market Place’s Angel Inn may have had a lick of paint amidst the ‘Old Town Revival’ over the last decade or so, but the pub itself was erected back in the 16th century.
Reopened as one of the area’s most beloved boozers back in 2018, whilst still maintaining key fixtures and that feeling of authenticity, it harks back to the town’s Cheshire roots and taps into a deep vein of local culture.
The assessment, which was completed earlier this month, means that Angel Inn has been recognised as having special architectural or historic significance – i.e. the definition of a listed building.
Writing in a post on social media, the government-backed English heritage organisation detailed that while the inn predates the Early Modern/post-medieval period, the Angel‘s frame is comprised of wood from the 15th century.
But it gets even more interesting than that…
As well as being one of a select few surviving, traditional wattle-and-daub structures in the UK – nearby Bramall Hall being another (and a technique that had died out by the 18th century) – a close inspection of the internal floorboards unearthed something truly fascinating.
It just so happens that tests by HE proved that one particular plank of flooring “was cut from a tree alive in 1086, the year the Domesday Book was completed: the oldest government record held in The National Archives, commissioned by William the Conqueror.
How bloody cool is that?
It’s also worth noting that it’s genuinely a brilliant boozer and one of the most popular watering holes you’ll find in the town centre, promising a cosy interior, an intimate little outdoor area out back and serving plenty of regional ales.
You only have to glance at the exterior to clue into its age, let alone what there is to be found inside.Way back when.Credit: Historic England (handout)/Stockport Archives
Although they say it’s likely that the floorboard in question was originally cut for an earlier building situated in the same location, it still goes to show how old this particular North West settlement is.
“The name ‘Angel Inn’ dates from as early as 1769, though the site’s hospitality roots extend further, with references to “Cotterell’s inn” used for sequestrators’ meetings in the 1640s, who met to organise the confiscation of property of supporters of King Charles I during The English Civil War”, HE went on to add.
Angel Inn is one of only a handful of venues like this in Greater Manchester and Cheshire; safe to say a lot of time, effort and money are being put into preserving these links to the past.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Historic England (handout)/Stockport Archives
Art & Culture
You can watch Twilight with a live orchestra surrounded by candlelight in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
One of the most iconic literary and film sagas of the 21st century is celebrating 20 years since the first book was published next year.
And to celebrate this milestone moment, you’ll be able to watch the first film live in dozens of cities across the UK surrounded by the beauty of more than a thousand candles while a live orchestra plays the soundtrack to accompany.
That’s right, Twilight in Concert is coming to Manchester.
Undeniably one of the most successful young adult film franchises of all time, with five films (Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 & 2) to its name, The Twilight Saga has impressively grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office.
You can watch Twilight with a live orchestra surrounded by candlelight in Manchester / Credit: Supplied
The films were adapted from author Stephenie Meyer’s acclaimed literary series that won multiple awards over its time, sold more than 160 million copies worldwide, and was translated into 49 different languages.
But no matter whether you’re Team Edward or Team Jacob, Twilight In Concert promises to be an unforgettable event for fans of the belovedfranchise, two decades on.
Set in an enchanting candlelit setting, TwilightIn Concert offers fans a unique opportunity to re-live the film that started it all, while musicians take the stage to perform the beloved score in perfect synchronisation with the original movie presented in its entirety on a cinema-size screen.
You can expect a 12-piece ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians / Credit: Supplied
You can expect a 12-piece ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians to transport you on a journey deep into the heart of Forks.
Twilight in Concert will be stopping off at 12 other major UK cities on its tour, including other northern hubs such as Sheffield, York, and Liverpool, as well as arriving at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on Friday 6 February 2026.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd June 2024 
