Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records with author James Nice in conversation.

Celebrating a revised and expanded edition of the long out-of-print history of Factory Records, featuring a foreword by Jon Savage.

Shadowplayers is considered the definitive history of Factory, even by the band members and label empoyees, a famously contrary bunch.

In 1978, a ‘Factory for Sale’ sign gave Alan Erasmus and Tony Wilson a name for their fledgling Manchester club night. Though they couldn’ t have known it at the time, this was the launch of one of the most significant musical and cultural legacies of the late twentieth century. The club’s electrifying live scene soon translated to vinyl, and Factory Records went on to become the most innovative and celebrated record label of the next thirty years.

Always breaking new musical ground, Factory introduced the listening public to bands such as Joy Division, whose Unknown Pleasures was the label’s first album release, New Order, Durutti Column and Happy Mondays. Propelled onwards by the inspirational cultural entrepreneur, Tony Wilson, Factory always sought new ways to energise the popular consciousness, such as the infamous Hacienda nightclub, which enjoyed a chequered 15-year history after opening in 1982.

Now fully revised and expanded with a new chapter, Shadowplayers is the most complete, authoritative and thoroughly researched account of how a group of provincial anarchists and entrepreneurs saw off bankers, journalists and gun-toting gangsters to create the most influential record label of modern times. Based on both archive and contemporary sources, the book tells the full story of Factory’ s heroic struggles, its complex web of inventive, idiosyncratic and tragic personalities, and ultimately, the acclaimed and much-loved music it produced.

We have two ticket options available: * Event Only and *Event with Discounted Book Combo deal - books will be available for collection at the Festival.

Our event will be followed by a dedicated signing event with James. RRP books will also be available for purchase on the day.

About the Author

James Nice manages labels Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crépuscule and has worked with artists including Durutti Column, New Order and A Certain Ratio. He is the author of The Durutti Column: A Life of Reilly, and the curator of box sets including Use Hearing Protection: Factory Records 1978-79.

About the Host:

Ryan Walker is a writer and musician from Bolton. He lives in Manchester. He is a member of Volk Soup, Quick Drop and formerly, Gad Whip. He is passionate about the preservation of independent culture and believes everything in life to be rooted in the true spirit of Dub.

James Nice image by Carl Glover

Shadowplayers:The Rise & Fall of Factory Records - James Nice & Ryan Walker