Interview: Factory Records Legends A Certain Ratio
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Written by Adam Simpson
In the 1970’s Factory Records began revolutionising the way British music was produced and the way artists were managed. The original creation of Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, Factory Records soon shaped the Manchester music scene and sowed the seeds for the 90’s Madchester Revolution that followed. The list of acts working under the label are huge and diverse, containing some huge names such as Joy Division, New Order, The Happy Mondays and A Certain Ratio.
Factory did not do things the normal way, or the cheap way. Famed for never really making any money, no expense was spared, record sleeves, posters, flyers were all pieces of art in themselves as Peter Saville was given the creative freedom and ultimately the cash needed to produce the artwork that the label was famed for.
In 1982, The Hacienda opened its doors, co-owned by several members of Factory including Tony Wilson, legendary producer Martin Hannet, band manager Rob Gretton and famously the members of New Order, who for all their fame and success in the 80’s and 90’s hardly made a penny, as all their profits were put into The Hacienda, to keep it open.
Management blunders, an over exuberant design and terrible acoustics all helped to keep the huge super club almost empty and an unprofitable venue, until the 90’s when acid house gripped the nation and The Hacienda became the super club it was always meant to be.
That was Factory all over and although the club is no longer open, the legend lives on with the FAC251, built on the 3 floors that were the original Factory offices. The club is as visually stunning as The Hacienda and I’m sure will not only keep the legendary label alive, but also allow future club goers a chance to visit a fantastic venue for years to come.
Factory Legends, A Certain Ratio are playing the venue on July 17th, to celebrate the release of their new album, Mind Made Up, which was released on June 1st. I interviewed the group’s front man Jez Kerr, to get his views and memories on the history of Factory and to see how he feels to be playing at the new venue.
How did Jez and A Certain Ratio become involved with Factory?
A Certain Ratio brought their first record out with Factory, without a formal contract. “We didn’t have contracts; they didn’t really do that until The Happy Mondays sort of time.” The group began with the release of a 7” single and then an album and then continued making records until about 1985.
So did Jez enjoy the way Factory did things?
“At the time yeah, we benefitted a lot from the way they did things the fact that it was such a groundbreaking label.”A Certain Ratio particularly enjoyed the way Factory concentrated on the art and the packaging of the products. “The way the products looked set that apart really they spent so much money on that, that they didn’t really make any.”
What does Jez remember about Tony Wilson?
The flamboyant co founder of Factory was a music fanatic and seemed to always have the bands best intentions at heart. He started out as a presenter on Granada TV and it was his TV programme So It Goes, which first allowed him to share his passion for music. Tony died in 2007. However his memory and approach to making music will never be forgotten and the film 24 Hour Party People will offer any viewer a brief insight into his life. Jez told me that he remembers Tony as many things, but mainly a good talker. “He was a good talker, he had the gift of the gab and he was very interested in the music culture but yeah a good talker.”
How excited is Jez and the group to be playing at the new venue?
“I think the audience might be a bit older now but some young kids got into us at the gig at Platt Fields. They got into the new album, so hopefully there’ll be some young people checking us out as well as a lot of balding old men.”
For fans who remember the early sound of A Certain Ratio, how different is the new music?
“We’ve gone back to what we were originally good at, which is funky drums and funky bass and scratchy guitars but we’ve also got a keyboard player and a sax player so yeah we’ve sort of gone back to how we used to do things really keeping things really basic.”
What does Jez remember of The Hacienda?
“It was empty but it looked fantastic I really enjoyed those first years when it was empty but then it filled up with The Happy Mondays and the ecstasy crowd and that was real fun, it was pretty wild in there.”Jez told me that at the time, The Hacienda was like a New York Club in Manchester. Unfortunately it was years though before people took to the club.
How does he feel the new FAC251 venue compares to The Hacienda?
“It is its own little thing, it’s not the same as The Hacienda, its a different structure really, its 3 floors which is different but it’s a good club, unsigned band nights on Thursdays are great so it’s a good venue for bands to play, but it is comparable to The Hacienda on club nights and although there’s lots of good clubs I think it’s doing really well.”
What can we expect from A Certain Ratio at the FAC251 gig on July 17th?
“It's gonna be a good funky gig, wer'e enjoying it.”
Jez tells me how the pressures to make money and ultimately make music can affect how groups perform and why they wanted to go back to how they originally did things. “Back then it wasn’t about making money it was just about doing something so the music was easy, there’s no pressure on you to produce it. If you're signed to a major and you’re on your second album you're under pressure.”
So the group are definitely enjoying performing and people can expect a good set of dance music at the gig?
“We’ve always played dance grooves joined with some interesting lyrics.”
The doors open at 8pm and tickets are available. Tickets on the night also include entry to the nightclub which closes at 4am.
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What does Jez remember about Tony Wilson?
