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Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,255A1330,themed,letter,tiles,over,Greater,England,culture,art,music,museum,design,heritage,creative,Factory,records,baggy,indie,dance,acid house,rave,northern,pop,cultural,history,nightlife,legendary,nightclub,ecstasy,Shaun Ryder,Bez,Step On,Kinky Afro,Pills n Thrills,drug,drugs
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3F9CT81 - . MadFrit Madchester-themed letter tiles over an Ancoats and Manchester street map, evoking Happy Mondays, the Hacienda and 1980s Mad Frit music. Photographed on 15 August 2026. The recorded location is Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK. Factory Records, founded in Manchester in 1978 by Tony Wilson and partners, became central to the city's post-punk and dance culture through artists including Joy Division and New Order and through the Haçienda nightclub. Its design-led catalogue and influence on the later Madchester scene made surviving offices, signs and ephemera important pieces of British music history. Looking at concert photography, the longer history is that concert culture changed with amplification, arena touring, festivals and digital promotion, yet the basic relationship between performer, venue and audience continues to be central
Older gig photographs can gain significance as bands, buildings and local scenes change. The background to engineering history is that industrial buildings and machinery preserve the material history of manufacturing: steam power, engineering, mining, textiles, ceramics and mass production transformed both the economy and the physical character of towns
Surviving equipment is now studied as industrial archaeology. Within the history of local history, museums turn objects into interpreted past, while archives preserve documents that may have little value until researchers connect them with people, buildings or events
Interiors therefore record both collections and changing curatorial practice. In 2026, concert photography remains relevant because streaming dominates recorded music , increasing the importance of touring, merchandise and live events to many artists
Historical concert images therefore connect fan culture with the changing economics of the music business. Its wider subject context includes archive research, library service, and cultural institution.
Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,255A1331,Factory,Records,wordplay,letter,tiles,map,Greater,England,culture,art,music,museum,design,creative,tourism,FAC51,FAC,51,records,rave,Es,StoneRoses,New Order,letters,book,under construction,Joy Division,Ben Kelly,catalogue,Northern,memorabilia,gigs,gig,clubbing,clubs,gooch posse
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3F9CTAN - . Mad Frit Madchester and Factory Records wordplay with letter tiles on a Manchester map - MadFrit. Photographed on 15 August 2026. The recorded location is 1115 Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5NQ.. Factory Records, founded in Manchester in 1978 by Tony Wilson and partners, became central to the city's post-punk and dance culture through artists including Joy Division and New Order and through the Haçienda nightclub. Its design-led catalogue and influence on the later Madchester scene made surviving offices, signs and ephemera important pieces of British music history. For music heritage, the historical context is that british popular music has been closely tied to particular cities, independent labels and venues
Manchester and Liverpool in particular developed internationally recognised scenes whose clubs, rehearsal rooms and concert halls became cultural landmarks. Looking at industrial archaeology, the longer history is that industrial heritage links architecture and machinery with the people who worked in mines, potteries, foundries and factories
As production declined or modernised, many sites were demolished, adapted or preserved as museums and regeneration projects. The background to lifting equipment is that cranes and construction access systems are symbols of large-scale building and industrial work
Dockside cranes originally served cargo handling, while building cranes and controlled turnstiles reflect the organisation and safety requirements of modern sites. For music heritage, the 2026 context is that live music remains culturally important but venues face pressure from operating costs, redevelopment and changing audience habits
England's dedicated 15% business-rates relief for eligible live-music venues during 2026/27 reflects concern about their economic sustainability. The scene also brings together stage, music history, fan culture, touring, and live entertainment.
11""“15 Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5NQ.
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,255A1334,Factory,Records,themed,letter,tiles,map,Greater,England,design,heritage,creative,dance,DJ,DJs,rave,ravers,Tony Wilson,Badly Drawn Boy,John Cooper Clarke,urban,weekend,break,second,city,2nd,nostalgia,Oasis,Space Monkeys,entertainment,night,out,nights,indie,Fac51,1980s,era
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3F9CTE1 - Conceptual Manchester tourism and nightlife image using cream letter tiles spelling MAD CHESTER across the distinctive black and yellow striped FAC51 The Haçienda design, positioned over a detailed street map of Manchester. The humorous Mad Chester wordplay references Madchester, the late 1980s and early 1990s music and club culture that helped establish Manchester as one of Britain's best-known destinations for gigs, nightlife and alternative culture. The composition also works as an illustration of a Manchester city break, combining music heritage with the modern visitor attractions of bars, pubs, restaurants, independent businesses, live music and late-night entertainment.
Manchester remains strongly associated with Factory Records, The Haçienda, acid house, rave culture, New Order and Happy Mondays. The former FAC51 Haçienda nightclub became particularly influential in the development of British dance and club culture, including the ecstasy and MDMA-fuelled rave era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The image can therefore illustrate both the celebrated creative legacy and the drugs culture historically associated with parts of Britain's rave and nightclub scene, without implying drug use by any contemporary venue or visitor.
For today's tourist, Manchester offers contrasting but closely connected city-centre neighbourhoods. The Northern Quarter is promoted for independent shops, street art, creative spaces, cafés, bars and live music, while the Gay Village around Canal Street remains one of Britain's best-known LGBTQ+ nightlife destinations, with pubs, restaurants, clubs and events. Together with the city's extensive gig, food and drinking scene, these areas contribute to Manchester's reputation as a lively, unconventional and culturally distinctive weekend-break destination. Visible map details including Piccadilly, Ardwick, Ashton and Pollard Street reinforce the image's geographical identity and urban character
Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,England,UK,MES,band,nightclub,poster,Tue,6th,March,Mar,1990,M.E.S.,9pm,at,FAC51,Whitworth Street,West,Manchester,Advance tickets available,Piccadilly Records,Eastern Bloc,history,historic,Mancunian,city,centre,music,scene,Tony Wilson,Factory,Records,Extricate,tour,touring,11-13 Whitworth Street West,M1 5DD,M1,Mark E Smith
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2PFAAAD - The Fall Extricate tour opened 01/03/1990 at Poole arts centre, closing 26/03/1990 at the Top rank Brighton - Cog Sinister
Extricate is the 12th album by post-punk band the Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader Mark E. Smith divorced guitarist Brix Smith. Brix's departure helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and relatively pop-oriented guitar, which had become mainstays of The Fall, are noticeably absent in this release. In one of the more unusual events in the group's career, she was replaced by founding former member Martin Bramah, who had previously left the group in 1979 to form his own group Blue Orchids.
Lead-off single Telephone Thing could have been seen as a nod to the Manchester scene of the time as the sound is quite similar to the dance-influenced music that was being released by Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses in 1989. However, its origins were in Smith's previous collaboration with Coldcut on their track I'm in Deep, which, in turn, led to Coldcut producing the track and Black Monk Theme Part II, one of two tracks by 60s garage band The Monks to be covered on the album (the other being Black Monk Theme “ The Fall retitled both tracks). Elsewhere, Bramah, appearing on his first Fall album since Live at the Witch Trials adds a distinctly raw, even rockabilly sound to some of the songs. However, the album's best-known track was one of the least typical of the group's catalogue: Bill Is Dead, a slow-paced tender love song which topped John Peel's Festive Fifty that year, the only occasion in the DJ's lifetime when his favourite band would do so. Although originally conceived by Smith and Craig Scanlon as a parody of The Smiths, Smith changed lyrical tack when he decided Scanlon's music deserved better, delivering a highly personal lyric. However, at Smith's insistence, it was not released as a single.
The critical reception to Extricate was largely positive
The Hacienda, Factory Records FAC51, 11-13 Whitworth Street West, Manchester, England, UK, M1 5DD
Description
Keywords: Gotonysmith,@HotpixUK,HotpixUK,5X8A7357,Tony,Wilson,gravestone,memorial,music,Manchester,Factory,Records
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3E4243M - . Tony Wilson gravestone memorial. Photographed on 20 May 2019. The recorded location is Greater Manchester, England, UK. Seen through memorial, the earlier context is that ecclesiastical buildings are both active places of worship and repositories of local evidence
Churchyard monuments, carved stone, stained glass and plaques provide material for genealogy, architectural history, religious practice and remembrance. For adaptive reuse, the historical context is that industrial buildings and machinery preserve the material history of manufacturing: steam power, engineering, mining, textiles, ceramics and mass production transformed both the economy and the physical character of towns
Surviving equipment is now studied as industrial archaeology. Looking at cemetery, the longer history is that public commemoration changes over time
Statues, plaques, war memorials and graves reveal the values of the people who created them, while later generations may reinterpret, restore or challenge those meanings. The 2026 relevance of memorial comes from the fact that historic places of worship remain important not only for faith but also for tourism, music, community use and local identity
Images of interiors, memorials and churchyards can support stories about conservation, heritage skills and the continuing reuse of sacred buildings. For adaptive reuse, the 2026 context is that industrial heritage is increasingly tied to regeneration, tourism, conservation and skills education, particularly in former manufacturing towns seeking new uses for historic sites. Other closely matched search terms include ecclesiastical architecture, parish church, Christian heritage, sacred art, religious symbolism, church interior, place of worship, architectural conservation, local history, faith community, historic fabric, religious heritage, and engineering history. Closely associated editorial terms include historic machinery, factory, mill, labour history, and working life.
Greater Manchester, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,England,UK,North West England,manchester,NQ4,Northern Quarter,Manchester,City Centre,Company,Co,Ltd,Limited,Manchester City Centre,M4,Company Limited,green tiles,tiles,green,door,doorway,entrance,historic,factory,manufacturing,Greater Manchester County Records office,Greater Manchester,County Records office,GMC,Records,office,artdeco,tiled entrance,art-deco tiles,tile,Abandoned Factory,decline,recession
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy RG98K5 - . This contextual photograph depicts the social and built context of Marshall St, Manchester, England, UK, M4 5FU, in a 2019 record. The scene is specifically associated with Marsden Harcombe Company Limited, Marshall St, Manchester, City Centre, North West England, UK, M4 5FU. The scene also brings together urban conservation, heritage streetscape, traditional building, built heritage, conservation architecture, local landmark, period architecture, conservation interest, townscape identity, historic townscape, period property, and urban fabric. Modern coverage of period streetscapes frequently reaches beyond the immediate scene to questions of maintenance cost, adaptive reuse and preserving local character. Small period details preserved at Marshall St, Manchester, England, UK, M4 5FU may become historically important as commercial occupants, public services, infrastructure and the built environment change, making the image useful for retrospective editorial coverage. The surrounding context also touches on architectural detail, architectural character, historic fabric, historic environment, heritage asset, historic built environment. Further recorded details include Manchester Northern quarter, Marshall Street, art-deco tiled entrance, art-deco. A more expansive reading adds , and architectural heritage. For present-day editorial use, heritage assets can also illustrate debates about maintenance cost and conservation of original fabric, particularly where these affect keeping older buildings useful. As the location changes, the frame remains a reference for changes of use, the appearance of the built environment, period design, local character, and public activity at this precise location. In historical comparison, the image can help trace physical infrastructure, signage and branding, local continuity, commercial identity, and community life within the surrounding area.
Marshall St, Manchester, England, UK, M4 5FU
Description
Keywords: Ian,Curtis,JD,joy,div,division,Joy Division,macclesfield,chesh Division,cheshire,england,uk,manchester,band,bands,music,musicians,factory,record,records,love,will,tear,us,apart,unknown,pleasures,tonysmith,cemetary,crematorium,grave,stone,gravestone,britain,new,order,goth,gothic,post,punk,postpunk,narrative,art,arty,sex,sexy,wide,angle,wideangle,lens,sigma,12-24mm,10-20mm,hotpix!,last,resting,place
Description: Tony Smith image Flickr 4596581097 - 'To the centre of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you,
To the depths of the ocean where all hopes sank, searching for you,
I was moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you,
In a room with a window in the corner I found truth.
In the shadowplay, acting out your own death, knowing no more,
As the assassins all grouped in four lines, dancing on the floor,
And with cold streel, odour on their bodies mad a move to connect,
But I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left.
I did everything, everything I wanted to,
I let them use you for their own ends,
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you.
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you.
Ian Curtis (Ian Kevin Curtis to be precise) was songwriter and lyricist of the Manchester band Joy Division.
I was lucky enough to see Joy Division a couple of times. Once at the manchester Free Trade Hall 25/06/1979, with Fashion supporting Salford Punk Poet John Cooper Clarke. Secondly at the Factory / PSV / Russel club in Hulme, Manchester 28/09/1979. The latter time on a bill with The Teardrop Explodes (we were too late to see Foreign Press), before they were signed and had just released the Sleeping Gas EP on Zoo records.
I remember that friday night well as me and my pal from school David Hague were dropped off by his brother Nick in his nippy red leather seated Mazda. This was to be totalled some weeks later in Sheffield with over a hundred charges being cooked up by the south Yorkshire police. As you would expect the case was chucked out! But thats another story as they say.
The first time I saw Ian Curtis I was amazed at the power he had. I like everyone else it seemed at the FTH was drawn down to the stage to look at this man and his unique dancing style. Similar to an epileptic Northern Soul dancer. To this day I have not witnessed a vocalist with those same powers. He and his writing was special, dark, urban.
He explained the motivation as 'Instead of just singing about something you could show it as well, put it over in the way that it is, if you were totally involved in what you were doing'.
Songs like 'Transmission', 'Shes Lost Control again' and Shadowplay encapsulated Manchester and the late 1970's.
In the early hours of 18 May 1980, on the eve of a first tour in America, Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his house in Macclesfield. He had just viewed Werner Herzog's film 'Stroszek' and listened to Iggy Pop's 'The Idiot'. At the time of his death, his health was failing as a result of the epilepsy and attempting to balance his musical ambitions with his marriage, which was foundering in the aftermath of his affair with journalist Annik Honor\u00e9. His wife Deborah found his body the next morning.
Curtis's memorial stone, which is inscribed with 'Ian Curtis 18 - 5 - 80' and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' (the single released just before his death), was stolen in July 2008 from the grounds of Macclesfield Cemetery. The missing memorial stone was later replaced by a new one shown here.
NB: Like all the images on this stream, full size prints up to 30x20inches are available, Check my profile for how to contact me.
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(c) Hotpix / HotpixUK Tony Smith - Hotpix.freeserve.co.uk WDCC',
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,music,posters,flyer,flyers,FAC,FACT,records,at the,the,PSV,Royce Road,Hulme,21st July 1978,Culture,Tradition,Friday,28th July 1978,Suicide,Joy Division,The Actors,Ian Curtis,JD,Joy,Division,history,historic,gig,gigs,punk,1970s,new wave,label,Factory,act,acts
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2K3T3C6 - . A grounded documentary photograph made at Manchester, England, UK in 2021, combining the immediate subject with evidence of the surrounding streetscape, public realm, business activity or local character. The photograph centres on The Factory Fridays,at the Russell Club,Royce Rd,Hulme,21st July 1978,Culture,Tradition,Friday,28th July,Suicide,Joy Division & The Actors. The subject also carries associations with music tourism, changing streetscape, local music culture, place-making, place identity, heritage-led regeneration, song-inspired design, public realm, period architecture, commercial redevelopment, civic architecture, period detail, architectural character, and everyday life. Current relevance extends to commercial viability and construction costs, particularly through the value of reusing existing buildings rather than wholesale demolition. In present-day coverage, the subject reaches into venue survival and local tourism, not least because of how memorial benches and themed venues turn music into place-based memory. As a dated visual record of Manchester, England, UK, the frame retains landscape treatment and surrounding development, making it especially useful if changed technology subsequently changes the scene. A second descriptive layer includes contemporary social history, before-and-after reference, social history, tribute venue, music iconography, community identity, archival record, and local history. References to Division, Royce, Factory, Actors, and Hulme give the picture a strong period identity and tie it closely to its named subject. The wider setting at Manchester, England, UK matters because ordinary visual details often provide the strongest evidence of how a place actually looked and functioned. The image also provides a reference for commercial viability and the value of reusing existing buildings rather than wholesale demolition as part of the longer story of Manchester, England, UK.
Manchester, England, UK
