An appeal has been launched to find a new permanent site to house a recreation the iconic mural of Ian Curtis in Manchester city centre.
It comes after significant public backlash when the original mural of the late Joy Division singer on Port Street in the Northern Quarter – which was the work of renowned Manchester-based muralist, Akse – was painted over by an advert promoting the debut album of Moston-born rapper Aitch earlier this month.
The original mural of the music icon – who took his own life in 1980 – was put up for World Mental Health Day in 2020, and was commissioned to raise awareness and money for charities Manchester Mind and Help Musicians.
But without warning, Manchester locals and music fans discovered a few weeks back that the mural had been covered by an advert commissioned by Amazon Music to promote the 22-year-old rapper’s debut album ‘Close To Home’ – with graffiti saying ‘Money, money will tear us apart again’ and ‘Adverts over suicide awareness’ daubed on the wall in angry red paint soon after.
Even Aitch himself condoned the promotion once he found out the mural had been covered, explaining that it was “the first time I’ve heard of this” and that himself and his team were working to get it fixed as there was “no way on earth would I want to disrespect a local hero like Ian.”
The album artwork and graffiti was then painted over in black shortly after the rapper got involved.
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An appeal has been launched to find a new permanent site for the recreation the iconic mural of Ian Curtis after it was painted over by an Amazon Music advert for Aitch’s debut album / Credit: The Manc Group
But now, Councillor Pat Karney from Manchester City Council has confirmed that the owner of current site wants to continue to use it for advertising purposes, which means a new home is needed for the Ian Curtis mural recreation – and so, an appeal has been launched.
Cllr Karney told BBC Radio Manchester yesterday that the new mural could become “a major tourist attraction”, and that Aitch and his management have been “very keen to help us out”.
He explained: “It would be silly to put the mural back up there because it could be taken down again quite quickly and we’d go through the same routine, so we want a permanent site and I’m putting out an appeal for a building owner in the Northern Quarter.”
“If they could contact me about it, that would be excellent,” he concluded.
Another section has ‘Adverts over suicide awareness’ painted on in angry red paint.
The original Ian Curtis mural on Port Street, and the advert it was replaced by / Credit: Unsplash | The Manc Group
Amazon Music apologised for the advert.
A spokesperson for the company said: “As part of our efforts to promote Aitch’s new album we asked our ad agency to create a mural in his hometown of Manchester, but unbeknownst to us or to Aitch, the wall agency chose for the new artwork already had a mural on it – one honouring the late Ian Curtis.
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“As soon as we learned of this we ordered the production to stop, and are working with Aitch to restore or replace the original Ian Curtis mural as soon as possible.
“Our apologies to all who are justifiably upset.”
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One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
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Half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
Christmas dinner is one of the key parts of any festive celebration.
No matter whether you choose to tuck into a traditional roast with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy, or you prefer to go for something a little different like a curry or a Chinese instead, your Christmas dinner is a chance to gather round with your loved ones and enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll likely have all year.
However, some shocking new figures have revealed that half of Manchester residents have no clue how to even cook a Christmas dinner.
Through a major study by the UK’s leading electrical retailer, AO.com, it was revealed that the majority of our city’s residents are “losing confidence” in preparing even the simplest of British dishes – with a traditional roast or Christmas dinner being one of them.
A new survey has revealed that half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner / Credit: Freepik | GoodFon
As part of its new campaign to get Brits back into the kitchen, AO found that just 57% of respondents reckon they would be able to make a roast dinner, 52% could whip up a classic shepherd’s pie, 58% could cook bangers and mash, merely 61% could prepare a full English breakfast, and again, only 57% could tackle fish and chips.
Classic desserts are clearly a struggle for us Mancs too, according to the survey, as only 19% of respondents said they’d feel confident cooking a Christmas pudding.
The survey also found that nationwide, it was Gen Z – those between the age of 16 and 27 – that are the least confident in their ability to cook great British classics, while on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers are the most capable, proving that culinary confidence increases with age.
Our region’s residents are apparently ‘losing confidence’ at cooking simple British classics / Credit: Freepik
Commenting on the results, Jay Lockton, oven expert at AO.com, said: “Kitchens should be a place of creativity and joy, but our data shows that a lot of people in Manchester are losing confidence in preparing even the simplest of British dishes.
“Based on our findings, many younger people may be opting for convenience foods or takeaways due to their busy schedules and the perception that cooking from scratch is time-consuming or difficult.
Emily Sergeant -
1st September 2022 
