Posts Tagged ‘Factory Records’

The man behind the iconic artwork designs which played such a pivotal role in the story of Manchester’s legendary independent label Factory Records has lent his considerable talents to the latest official England football shirt to roll off the production line.

On this day in 1992, Factory Records was finally declared bankrupt, ending one of the most fascinating stories in British music. Here we take a run through the rise and fall of the legendary label and the people behind it.

In 1973 Tony Wilson, a Manchester born Cambridge graduate, returned to his home city to persue a career in journalism. He took a job as a reporter with Manchester’s independent station Granada Television, and became known for his ‘Kamikaze Corner’, in which he would undertake various stunts including a stab at Hang-gliding which was later recreated in the 2002 film ‘24 Hour Party People‘. In July 1976, Wilson was given the chance to combine his burning passion for music with his television career when he landed the presenters job for a new Granada music and culture programme called ‘So It Goes‘. Brought in to rival the BBC’s established music shows ‘Top Of The Pops‘ and ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test‘, the programme gave Wilson the platform to premiere a clutch of new bands who were emerging from the burgeoning punk scene, a scene which Wilson had fallen in love with.