Music

Ian Curtis documentary podcast released as part of ‘Death of a Rock Star’ series

A brand new documentary episode focusing on the legacy of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis is being released as part of the Death of a Rock Star podcast series.

The Manc The Manc - 15th March 2021

A brand new documentary episode focusing on the legacy of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis is being released as part of the acclaimed Death of a Rock Star podcast series.

The Crowd-produced show has covered the lives and deaths of some of the world’s greatest music icons – including Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, Prodigy frontman Keith Flint, multitalented singer Amy Winehouse, and Beatles star John Lennon.

But the latest episode focuses on the brooding, baritone Joy Division musician who helped put Manchester on the map.

Curtis’ bewitching vocal talent and twitching dance moves thrust his band into the limelight in the late seventies – turning the world’s attention towards a working-class northern city in England.

But Joy Division would only ever release two studio albums.

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Curtis tragically committed suicide on 18 May 1980 – just hours before the band were set to embark on a huge tour of America.

He was only 23.

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Ian Curtis’ legacy is being explored in new episode of Crowd’s podcast series Death of a Rockstar / Image: R~P~M via Flickr

Still, despite his short career – Curtis left behind an enduring legacy.

More than 40 years on, he remains one of the most seminal and enigmatic figures in Mancunian music – setting a bar which young local musicians still aspire to reach today.

The new episode of Death of a Rockstar tracks the life of Curtis, delves deep into his psyche, and investigates what made the singer quite so special.

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The synopsis reads: “Some bands could be from anywhere. You can’t hear their home in the bassline, feel the streets and skies in the guitars.

“But Joy Division and Ian Curtis are pure Manchester – an old town, a new town, a city that tears down the past and falls into the future.”

You can download and listen to the Ian Curtis episode of the ‘Death of a Rock Star’ podcast online here.

Death of a Rock Star is also available on Spotify, Apple and Google.

Music

One of the world’s greatest music photographers to exhibit at Manchester Art Fair this month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of the world’s greatest music photographers is set to make her debut appearance at this year’s Manchester Art Fair.

Having grown up in the music industry alongside her father, Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page, legendary photographer Scarlet Page is definitely no stranger to life on the road, and has travelled across the US with bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, The Beastie Boys, and more throughout her illustrious career.

Her photography has also featured in album artwork for iconic Manchester band The Verve, and she’s also had the pleasure of shooting some of the biggest music names in recent times like The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Lady Gaga, and Foo Fighters.

Manchester Art Fair arrives in the city centre for 2024 next weekend / Credit: Supplied

But now, in a first for the North of England, Page’s work – which has featured in Kerrang!, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Mojo, The Times, and many more publications – will be available to see exclusively at Manchester Art Fair next weekend.

Set to be presented by The Art Hound Gallery, Page will unveil a number of exclusive fine art photographs for sale.  

Expect to see her iconic stills of people like Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, and Keith Richards, alongside a selection of carefully-curated and completely-unseen new releases, including Courtney Love, Public Enemy, and more.

If all of that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, Page will also be leading an artist talk at the Fair on Saturday 16 November from 1pm.

“I am deeply honoured to showcase my work, hosted by The Art Hound Gallery, alongside such extraordinary artists at Manchester Art Fair,” Scarlet Page said ahead of this year’s event.

“Celebrating 30 years as a photographer, it’s a privilege to reflect on the intimate moments I’ve captured of some of the world’s greatest musicians.”

Legendary music photographer Scarlet Page will be exhibiting exclusive works / Credit: Supplied

Sophie Helm, who is the Director of Manchester Art Fair, added: “Scarlet is widely-recognised as one of the greatest music photographers of all time, and we are immensely proud to have her join us at this year’s Manchester Art Fair to provide art and music enthusiasts with the opportunity to hear from Scarlet on some of her most memorable photoshoots and collaborations of the last three decades.”

Manchester Art Fair 2024 will take over Manchester Central on Friday 15 November from 5pm until Sunday 17 November.

Read more:

You can get yourself some tickets online here.

Featured Image – Supplied

Music

Wunderhorse toast stellar year with their biggest headline shows yet – including a massive Manchester gig

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wunderhorse Manchester Victoria Warehouse tickets

Riding side-by-side with the likes of Fontaines D.C., Wunderhorse are arguably one of the biggest bands on the planet at the moment, and as a huge 2024 for them is drawing towards a close, they have just announced more dates next May – including a truly massive Manchester gig.

Wunderhorse smashed their Manchester Academy only last month – a concert which we dubbed “one of the best of our lives” – and were just announced as the support act yet again for Sam Fender’s huge arena shows this December, as well as landing some huge festival slots this year.

A landmark show at Alexandra Palace in London had already been announced earlier this year after all of the 2024 UK tour dates had sold out but now the Newquay-formed band have added four more huge dates which will be their “biggest headline shows” to date.

Still only a few short years into their career under the Wunderhorse moniker and they’re now set to play the O2 Victoria Warehouse right here in Manchester.

If you’ve ever been to a proper rock show inside the iconic and former Warehouse Project space, you’ll know it’s guaranteed to be a rager, especially with a band like this playing.

Having recently landed significant PR spots on the likes of online show Track Star* and even The Late Show with Stephen Colbert over on US TV, the modern rock, indie, alternative and post-punk outfit is really riding a wave of growing fandom right now.

The four-piece went on the road with fellow high-flying contemporaries Fontaines on their recent European tour and are set to join them again for their Oceania dates in Japan, Australia and New Zealand next year, and their increasing profile has also seen them land a sizeable US tour of their own.

Wunderhorse attracted a record crowd of 7,000 to the tiny BBC Introducing stage at Reading Festival this past summer and have been booking progressively bigger venues since their breakout in 2021.

Known for loud, in-your-face, grungey guitars as well as powerful vocals, the energy – and especially on-stage antics from lead singer Jacob Slater – at their live shows has seen them go viral on social media on numerous occasions and made them an instant hit across multiple generations of gig-goers.

Exhibit A:

@the.manc Please just take us back to 19/10/2024 when @Wunderhorse took the absolute roof off Manchester Academy 😫 ‘Teal’ really has captured the minds of a generation. 🤘 📹: wunderhorse HQ (via X) @Wunderhorse Mania #gigs #jacobslater #wunderhorse #teal #manchestergigs #rock #postpunk #indie #livemusic ♬ original sound – The Manc

Read more:

Wunderhorse will be coming to Manchester for their Victoria Warehouse gig on 28 May 2025, with other shows announced including Birmingham and Glasgow.

In the meantime, you can read our full interview with the band’s frontman, Jacob, and then get ready for the mad ticket rush this Friday, 8 November.

Tickets go live at 10am HERE but you can access a pre-sale code by registering via the mailing list on their website and O2 customers can get priority access this Wednesday from the same time.

Be warned, this show will sell out in a flash so you best be quick if you want to see scenes like this…

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)

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