Pete Shelley sharing his philosophy with Tony Wilson in Woolworths cafe, Oldham Street, Manchester in 1978. Recorded for the Granada TV documentary B’dum B’dum.
Read all about Pete Shelley in Paul Hanley’s book Sixteen Again: How Pete Shelley & Buzzcocks Changed Manchester Music (and me).
Trailer for Route’s collection of books about The Fall:
You Must Get Them All: The Fall On Record by Steve Pringle
The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall by Steve Hanley and Olivia Piekarski
Have A Bleedin Guess: The Story of Hex Enduction Hour by Paul Hanley
You Can Drum But You Can’t Hide by Simon Wolstencroft
More info on all four titles can be found on this link.
Paul Hanley in conversation with John Robb at Louder Than Words Festival in Manchester, 11th November 2023. Paul is discussing his book Sixteen Again: How Pete Shelley & Buzzcocks Changed Manchester Music (and me).
Sixteen Again: How Pete Shelley & Buzzcocks Changed Manchester Music (and me) by Paul Hanley
Sixteen Again combines biography, interview, critique and social history to fully explain Buzzcocks’ unique and enduring appeal. It examines why Pete Shelley’s influence was as central to Manchester’s renaissance as it was to Manchester music. The book also explores the unique relationship between a young fan and his favourite group during their most successful phase – and why that intense interdependence can never last forever.
Footage of The Fall recording their final session for John Peel at Maida Vale Studios, London, 4th August 2004.
For full context of The Fall’s Peel Sessions read Steve Pringle’s You Must Get Them All.
The entry for this session in the Peel Sessions Index reads:
Session 24 Recorded: 4th August 2004 Broadcast: 12th August 2004 (Job Search broadcast on 31st August 2004) Mark E Smith – vocals; Ben Pritchard – guitar; Jim Watts – guitar, bass; Steve Trafford – bass; Spencer Birtwistle – drums; Eleni Poulou – keyboards; Ed Blaney – guitar, vocals Clasp Hands / Blindness / What About Us? / Wrong Place, Right Time – I Can Hear The Grass Grow.
Recorded less than three months before Peel’s death, the final session includes a magnificent ‘Blindness’ that a majority of fans consider the definitive version. The group recorded a fifth track, ‘Job Search’, that was pressed as a one-off acetate and presented to John Peel for his 65th birthday. There’s further context in the main body of the book.
Route is delighted to announce the acquisition of Mark Hoyle’s memoir, Swerve – an evocative insider’s account of post-punk Manchester.
Swerve provides intimate, eye-witness access to all the haunts and people associated with the golden era of Manchester music, both the icons and the ones less celebrated, from the early days of punk to the frenzy of Madchester. Mark Hoyle is in the middle of it all, telling us his story. Plunged into the UK Care system aged nine following the death of his mother, Mark escaped aged sixteen, alone in the world, and found a surrogate family in the wider musical community that was exploding on his doorstep. Whether as a dedicated participant in the Manchester Musician’s Collective, working at the Hacienda, or living amongst the creative chaos of Hulme’s notorious crescents, we witness an artist developing in the raw. Against this backdrop, Mark’s band Dub Sex emerge, into which everything flows.
On the acquisition:
Mark Hoyle:‘I have been an admirer of Route for many years, and I am delighted to be a part of their roster of authors. I was originally attracted by their excellent music catalogue, but it was the company’s dedication to human stories that really swung it for me. I was confident that the delicate story of my early life would be treated with respect and care, and that their specialist knowledge of music meant that they would understand the unique musical times I have been a part of and contributed to. Working on Swerve so far has been a revelation. Route have the editing skills to turn my life story into a compelling and life-changing book, and seeing it come to life before my eyes has been both amazing and uplifting.’
Route Editor Ian Daley: ‘One glance at Mark’s manuscript and we knew we were the right home for it. The Manchester music backdrop is the obvious attraction, but it is Mark’s unique life story that really grips. It’s the portrait of an artist as a young man, Manchester style. Mark has established a reputation for intelligent and honest song-writing, and all that and more is on display here. The opening chapter is the most potent advocacy for the power of books and reading that I’ve ever read. It’s an honour to help Mark share his story with the world.’
Swerve is slated for release in 2024. The book will be made available as a collector’s signed and numbered edition exclusively from Route before it goes on general release. Sign up to our newsletter to be amongst the first to receive pre-order notification.
For more on Dub Sex visit dubsex.net
Watch Dub Sex perform ‘Swerve’, the song from which Mark’s memoir takes its name.
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