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
Thousands of FREE tickets to The Big Night of Musicals at AO Arena have been released
Thomas Melia
There are thousands of free tickets up for grabs to attend ‘The Big Night of Musicals’ in Manchester next year which features a variety of theatre classics.
The curtain has risen once again as returning favourite, The Big Night of Musicals, is coming to AO Arena for a fourth year.
Hosted once again by the one and only Jason Manford, this event contains segments from some of the world’s greatest theatre productions.
Fronted by The National Lottery, this showcase is a thank you to all players whose money has supported more than 20,000 theatre-related projects totalling £1.3 billion.
These funds have been used on many performing arts resources including restoring theatres and enabling hundreds of musical-related projects to commence.
This isn’t something to be missed out on as the bill is shaping up to be one of the event’s biggest to date featuring stars from the West End and some of the most notorious shows.
Attendees can expect to hear some familiar favourites in the likes of Bat Out of Hell, Here & Now: The Steps Musical, Mean Girls and more.
There’s even an exclusive preview of the upcoming theatre adaptation of a Disney superhero as snippets from ‘Hercules’ will be performed live.
Guests even have a chance to be in the same room as musical theatre legend Carrie Hope Fletcher as she takes on the role of Calamity Jane in the theatre show of the same name.
Dear Evan Hansen is also on the bill and if you aren’t free for the musical ensemble, it’s running at Palace Theatre Manchester from 18-22 February next year and tickets are available right now.
This event has a super varied lineup too, from throwback pop bangers to Wild West heroines, this night really caters to everyone.
In true musical style, there will be big, bold performances and, of course, lots of excellent surprises all set to make a fantastic night of live music at the AO Arena.
All National Lottery players have the chance to reserve up to four tickets, the only cost is proof they’ve purchased a product from the National Lottery and a £2 booking fee per ticket.
Tickets for the ‘Big Night of Musicals’ on 25 January are already on sale you can try your luck at grabbing some free seats HERE.
National Portrait Gallery to debut ground-breaking digital exhibition in Salford
Daisy Jackson
The National Portrait Gallery has announced a ground-breaking new experience that’s set to make its debut at MediaCity in Salford.
Some of the world’s most famous paintings will be brought to life in an immersive digital exhibition, called Stories – Brought to Life, that will tell the stories behind iconic portraits.
FRAMELESS Creative has partnered with the National Portrait Gallery on the project, which will be the first major touring art experience by any UK art institution and makes up a long-term partnership called National Portrait Gallery Unframed.
Those who attended the hugely popular and acclaimed Van Gogh Alive experience will already know a little of what to expect – famous paintings reimagined with digital projections, visual effects, and audio technology.
FRAMELESS has been granted access to the National Portrait Gallery’s collection to create Stories – Brought to Life, which will tell the tales of people who have shaped history, from the Tudors to the present day, in an innovative new way.
While the exhibition will premiere here in Greater Manchester next year, there’s a planned national and international tour to follow.
The National Portrait Gallery will be debuting a ground-breaking digital exhibition in Salford / Credit: MediaCity
Rich Storton, general manager at FRAMELESS Creative said: “We are delighted to announce this new long-term partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. We hope that by unleashing the power of digital storytelling we can help the Gallery to bring art to a whole new audience.
“We’re living in a changing world and there is a real need for new experiences that help open up art and culture to new audiences and crucially help ensure that national institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery and their incredible collections continue to be accessible and have cultural significance for the next generation.
“MediaCity is a vibrant cultural hub attracting a hugely diverse audience. This combined with its proximity to major transport links and focus on technology made it an obvious choice for premiering our first experience.”
Rosie Wilson, Director of Programmes, Partnerships and Collections at the National Portrait Gallery said: “The National Portrait Gallery aims to share our unique collection of portraits with as wide an audience as possible and explore the human stories that shape our history and culture.
“This exciting new partnership with FRAMELESS, inspired by our Collection, will enable us to take these stories outside of the Gallery walls and bring them to life in new, innovative ways.”
Caroline Aikman, Director of Marketing, Brand and Place at MediaCity said: “We are honoured that the National Portrait Gallery and FRAMELESS have chosen MediaCity as the first stop on the tour of this unique immersive experience.
“We’ve hosted many arts and culture events, experiences, festivals and exhibitions over the last few years and we can’t wait to welcome visitors to Salford when the experience opens its doors in May next year.”
Emily Sergeant -
3rd June 2024 
