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MANCHESTER - NEW ORDER & THE HACIENDA

The Haçienda became the centre of everything that was good almost by accident. The New Order guys set up the club in 1982 so that their friend's bands would have somewhere to play and they could have a clubhouse to get fucked up in. The design of the place was one million years ahead of everyone else and has influenced two decades of club architecture since. After hosting shows by people like The Smiths, OMD and Cabaret Voltaire, the club became the home of acid house and Ecstasy, and gave birth to bands like The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays. Pretty important place then...

The Haçienda finally had to close its doors due to poor financial management and the fact that whatever money did get made was filtered back into the hands of the dealers that pretty much ran the place. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the club's opening, New Order's bassist Peter Hook is curating a big party tonight at Urbis. We spoke to Hooky to see what was up...

The Haçienda was recreated for 24 Hour Party People. Did seeing a mock up of the place not make you want to re-open it?
If we were to try and do it again it would have to be on our terms and you just can’t really do business like that anymore. Look what happened the first time around: financial fucking black holes and villains all over the place. The place was my little baby though, whatever happened. When they built that set for the film a company put an offer in to buy it just before it was due to be knocked down. The demolition balls were literally about to swing and the call came through over the walkie talkie to stop them. But the builder on site misheard and gave the wrecking crew the go ahead. I was over the fucking moon. Seeing the club in the hands of someone else would have been like watching someone shag your missus. Nightmare.

So what can people expect on Wednesday night?
A massive fucking rave with everyone getting off their tits. No two ways about it. You don’t want bands when you’ve got DJs, mate. We’ve enjoyed doing this one so much that we already have one planned for August.

So you are DJing at the party, no bass solo sets?
Nah. I’m really into DJing now. It really re-vitalised me at a point where I was pretty fucking jaded. Mani out of Primal Scream had some cunt let him down so I stepped in. I never really appreciated how technical playing records was, I just though they were loner guys who liked being alone in a DJ booth but there is a real fucking art to it. I play everything from 77 onwards and you have to make it all work playing stuff for the dancefloor and stuff to please yourself. I play anything from punk through to hard dance and LCD Soundsytem. It’s also a great way of getting paid to get pissed.

 

Comments

The Smiths are gay.

The gays are johnny.

Sounds fun... right Johnny is way gay.

uhhh, last time I checked, that tony whatshisname opened the club, and around that time new order was still a relatively defunct offshoot of joy division. the mondays came before new order took off...fuck, vice u.k. should know this shit....i'm not even british

FYI:

the guys in new order opened the hacienda with tony wilson.

"blue monday", new order's biggest tune, came out in 1983. the happy mondays took their name from that song.

"uhhh, last time I checked, that tony whatshisname opened the club, and around that time new order was still a relatively defunct offshoot of joy division. the mondays came before new order took off...fuck, vice u.k. should know this shit....i'm not even british"

It shows.

Every single fact in your poorly capitalised sentence is incorrect.

Tony Wilson co-owned. Peter Hook was effectively the manager and creative director.

New Order released the biggest selling 12" in UK chart history a few months after the Hacienda opened.

The Happy Mondays did not form until 1985 and took their name from Blue Monday.

You are an idiot.

uhhh, last time I checked, that tony whatshisname opened the club, and around that time new order was still a relatively defunct offshoot of joy division. the mondays came before new order took off...fuck, vice u.k. should know this shit....i'm not even british


Check again retard. And explain to me how something can be "relatively defunct" when it's actually in existence?

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