When you think of Joy Division you might think of Ian Curtis, The Hacienda, or Factory Records – but one thing that will certainly spring to mind is that insanely iconic ‘Unknown Pleasures’ album artwork.
Well earlier this year, the Music Declares Emergency campaign group teamed up with Peter Saville and Joy Division to reimagine the classic artwork as part of their campaign “NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET”.
Now, it’s has been recreated again – only this time, it’s the size of a house.
The original artwork, designed by Peter Saville in 1979, depicts a series of lines which represent the radio waves emitted from a rotating pulsar (or a star to you and I) as it turns.
Over the years, the artwork has become one of the most recognisable of all time – but now, it has been given a much more impactful meaning by the Music Declares Emergency organisation.
The iconic artwork has been redesigned with flat lines / Credit: Withington Walls
As part of their “NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET” campaign – which is bringing music into the fight against climate change – they have reimagined the original piece. The previous lines that represented the radio waves have been reworked as flat lines to symbolise the death of a planet and the silence that follows.
This week, the poignant new artwork was unveiled as a giant mural on the side of a house on Moorfield Street in Withington.
It’s been painted by hand by artist Tom Jackson – a founding member of London muralist collective Wood Street Walls – and given that the mural has popped up in Withington, you might have guessed that it’s collaboration with Withington Walls – a local organisation who have been setting up mural projects across the town to celebrate some of the famous people from the area.
These are the people behind the Marcus Rashford and Tony Wilson murals that you might recognise.
This Joy Division one is the latest one to add to their collection.
Fitting, as the band’s record label, Factory Records, was founded in a flat just down the road from where the mural sits.
The original artwork remains one of the most recognisable album artworks of all time.
Music Declares Emergency is encouraging the entire music industry to join forces in the fight against climate change.
A whole host of musicians, DJ, producers and more have already got involved worldwide. Famous names like Annie Mac, Enter Shikari, Editors, Sam Fender, The Cribs, and more are all on board. They’re calling on governments and media institutions for immediate action and to paint a more truthful picture of environmental issues.
So, to find out more about Music Declares Emergency and the campaign, check out the organisation’s website.
___
To read more about music in Manchester, check out our music page here. And don’t forget to follow The Manc Audio for all your Manchester music and events needs.
Featured Image – Withington Walls
Audio
Oasis merch prices as huge flagship stand opens in Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
An official Oasis merch stand has opened in the heart of Manchester, selling all the Gallagher-printed wares your heart could desire.
The Oasis Live ‘25 Touring Flagship Stand has sprung up on St Peter’s Square today, where it will remain for the duration of the Manchester reunion shows.
Stacked with everything from band tees to bucket hats, plus posters, tote bags, and that exclusive adidas x Oasis collection, the merch stand is already pulling in some serious queues.
And with a few days still to go until Oasis Live ‘25 hits Heaton Park (those dates, if they aren’t burned into your brain, are 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July) there’s still plenty more time to shop.
The merch stand has opened in addition to the official merch fan store across town in Spinningfields.
And it’s at the heart of the Music for the Senses art trail, which has seen painted guitar artworks installed all over the city centre.
Back to that Oasis merch stand in Manchester though – there are pieces from their adidas collection, including a sky blue (obviously) three-stripe long-sleeved jersey for £55, a tour jacquard football jersey for £85, and a classic Firebird track top for £90.
Event-specific merch like t-shirts in various colours emblazoned with the Oasis Live ‘25 artwork will set you back £40, and you can choose from photos of the brothers back together in 2025, or back in their pre-split heyday.
Oasis merch prices as huge flagship stand opens in Manchester city centre
There’s also a £70 black hoody with the tour dates on the sleeve, plus a What’s The Story blue-tone hoody for £70, and a blue tone sweatshirt for £50.
A range of posters starring Liam and Noel are priced at £40 apiece.
There’s an Oasis Live ‘25 tote bag for sale at the merch stand in town, which costs £20.
Then the most Manc item of all – a reversible bucket hat (black on one side with the Oasis logo in the centre, or a collage of Oasis logos on the other side) – is £35.
The stand is home to city-specific event items, exclusive adidas lines, and other exclusives.
The Oasis Live ’25 Touring Flagship Stand is open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sundays, then 10am to 7pm on Oasis show days.
Levi’s are the latest fashion brand to launch an Oasis collection
Danny Jones
In case you missed it amid the tidal wave of merch currently flooding our feeds and shops everywhere, global fashion brand Levi’s has become the latest label to launch an Oasis collection.
With the Live ’25 world tour now officially underway, it feels like not only are Oasis back on top, but that there’s a large-scale Britpop revival happening here in the UK and overseas.
In terms of fashion, the 1990s and early 2000s style has been steadily making its way into contemporary culture once again in recent years, but with seemingly every big name trying to hop on the marketing machine that is the Oasis reunion bandwagon, you can’t move for crossover.
Be they official collaborations like the one with Manchester City, adidas Originals; American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch bashing out merch, or a local t-shirt maker on Bury Market, that famous logo is absolutely everywhere – cue Levi’s latest launch:
Releasing just five or five main pieces (not including individual item variations), Levi’s Oasis gear has been kept pretty straightforward, simply relying on a less is more philosophy and the quality that the denim specialists are renowned for.
Nevertheless, there is an undeniably 90s feel to the approach.
As well as the standard Oasis band tee design, available in the brand’s main red, white and blue colour, as well as black, white and light blue – the Manchester City influences never stray too far, after all – there are a couple of other types of tee.
However, while we’re sure plenty of people might have a penchant for the parka, the undeniable star of the show for us is the Type II Trucker Jacket with the group’s name and ‘Live Forever’ stitched on the breast pocket.
Still, at £170, these sure-to-be collectors’ items don’t come cheap, and that’s not even the most expensive in the Levi’s x Oasis collection. Regardless, if you fancy treating yourself, you can find them here in Manchester and at the likes of The Trafford Centre.
Any of it pique your interest?
Don’t worry if not because, as mentioned, there is absolutely tonnes of Oasis clobber at various different price points all over the place at the minute.
Hannah Starkie -
15th October 2021 
