On Thursday and Friday music conference Un-Convention took place at the O2 Ritz in Manchester. The team behind Un-Convention knows how to set up a conference with a balanced program, including brief intervals of live music and talks from inspiring music industry professionals as well as artists. Manchester has always been a great influence within the live music industry and the developing of musical talents. A big part of that was the founding of independent record label Factory Records.
From the 19th of June 2021 until the 3rd of January 2022 the Science and Industry Museum is celebrating Manchester’s place at the heart of Britain’s music and creative industries with an exhibition that tells the story of Factory Records’ formative years from 1978 to 1982. We had the pleasure of visiting Use Hearing Protection: The Early Years Of Factory Records and it was more than we could have hoped for.
The exhibition showcased an extensive overview of Factory Records’ early years through animated timelines, gig posters, personal letters and examples of early artwork of albums by bands such as Joy Division and A Certain Ratio. Handwritten letters about collaborations and handwritten setlists truly give the exhibition its unique view on the early years of the iconic label.
Use Hearing Protection showcases the importance and influence Factory Records had on the music industry and Manchester as a city. The exhibition exposes a certain need for it, and a longing for being a part of something different and how that meant the start of the label and its movement.
One of our favourite bits of the exhibition would be the virtual live performance as a tribute to The Factory Night at the The Russell Club. For a short amount of time we felt like we had gone back in time and were part of the incredible wave Factory Records made with their forward thinking and desire to be subversive. We thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth account of Factory Record’s early years and… Could we go back in time, please?
For more information on Use Hearing Protection and to book your tickets, click here.
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