The Factory is 1. (Well, almost)…

Luke Allen speaks to some of his colleagues at Peter Hook’s most recent night club project to see how things are going as it approaches its 1st birthday…

Say the word “Factory” in Manchester and several things might spring to the mind of a passing Mancunian. Factories put Manchester on the international map; the city’s contribution to the railway industry and the fact that the birth of the computer took place here made it world-famous. However, the word will invoke different thoughts with any avid music fan.

The Factory is of course the original headquarters of the late Tony Wilson’s record label, which supported bands such as the now-legendary Joy Division and the hell raising members of the Happy Mondays. Whilst running the label, Tony was involved with the infamous night club “The Hacienda”, which was popular but a disaster financially due to customers bringing drugs into the building rather than purchasing alcohol. New Order’s album sales kept the club on its feet for a while but eventually it was beyond rescue and closed down in 1997. Years later the original Hacienda building was expanded and redesigned into state of the art apartments, keeping some of the legacy alive.

This year Ben Kelly (the man who designed the original Hacienda) worked with the company Tokyo Industries who bought the Factory building in order to design a new night club for Manchester, which they would call FAC251. Kelly and T.I. worked with Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook to plan and transform the building so that it could once again be a live, functioning and cool night spot for the people of the city. Opening on Friday 5th February, the club’s first night was a massive success. Peter Hook brought his band The Light to the stage on the ground floor, and they played classic songs from his albums with Joy Division. As one can imagine, it was packed to the rafters.

With three big rooms for different genres of music pumping out of phenomenal Funktion One speakers, paired with its slick New York underground style, the club has shown that it can appeal to a large range of people, rather than just the indie crowd which one would expect. Having worked there myself as part of the bar staff since June, after being a regular punter since its opening in February, it’s safe to say that I’ve been there since the beginning. What I’ve experienced is a club that has made me realise how good the music in a relatively mainstream night spot can be. Apart from alternative nights that are put on such as ‘Up the Racket’, ‘Now Wave’ etc. there isn’t a large amount of clubs in town that dabble in less commercial and more exciting music, and that’s one of the main reasons I think The Factory stands out amongst the crowd of 5th Avenue, 42nd Street and the like.

One thing that I have found unique about the club, especially when behind the bar, is that the atmosphere is so infectious, even more so on a weekend. For example, the middle floor on a Friday and Saturday night is insane, with a mix of students and older generations partying to music from the ‘50’s, ‘60’s, 70’s and ‘80’s, courtesy of Glaswegian DJ Jamie El Muerto, who is one of the Factory’s resident music men. He filled me in on his first bout as a DJ: “The first time I started Djing was about 6 years ago. I used to do a Jamaican ska night in Glasgow, just with music from the ‘60’s, called ‘Ska Sunday’. That’s how it all began. I was shit, I just pressed play. But that was how I started out. Also I used to DJ at gigs for punk bands, before and after their sets.” These humble beginnings progressed when one of the leading men in T.I. gave Jamie an opportunity to be part of something new.

“I was actually chosen by the owners of the club, in particular by Aaron Mellor. He came to see me when I used to DJ at The Deaf Institute for a night called ‘Missionary’ on Tuesdays. Then we moved ‘Missionary’ to the Factory, and he asked me if I wanted to also DJ on the middle floor every Saturday and also some other nights because he told me he thought I was very passionate about music.” This venture not only gave Jamie a chance to work in a brand new club, but it also opened up the amount of his favourite music that he could play for clubbers, which is a DJs dream. “Basically the owners are very open to whatever ideas I wanna put to them. They give me freedom. Aaron will say: ‘Jamie, go and do your work, just do what you want. Whatever makes the room go.’ That’s what I like.”

Jamie thinks that the club’s vibrancy has been there since the ‘80’s, during the building’s first club carnation. “I used to have friends that Djed here when it was called ‘The Paradise Factory’, and I loved coming here because it was probably the friendliest club in Manchester. Everyone was really cool and nice. It’s like that again in The Factory.” Even though it is only almost 11 months since the club reopened its tall metal gates, certain people have already made an impression on Jamie. “There’s been lots of memorable moments in 2010, mainly involving famous faces who come here to get wasted and make fools of themselves. The whole of the Happy Mondays have been here and done ridiculous things. Especially Bez. I think there’s a picture of him in the Sun, passed out on the third floor. He was supposed to DJ but he passed out at half one. And of course there’s always Rowetta, she loves it.”

He agreed with me on the most important factor as far as Jamie and I are concerned, being employees of the club: the staff. “The bar staff are great, they’re a good laugh. Everyone’s cool and there are never any problems, nobody’s fallen out and we’re all mates. Everybody parties pretty hard.” This is true - we party very hard. I spoke to one of the most workaholic members of the Factory staff, Tom Greenhalgh, who told me what attracted him to getting a job here: “The history interested me, particularly Joy Division. The main thing I love about the Factory is that everyone is sound, all the staff are very cool. And the bosses are too, they aren’t pricks like managers in some jobs can be. There has been some funny nights here, like the time when a lad was pissing in the club, and then he got caught by the biggest bouncer. That was fun. Most importantly of course is the music, which is brilliant.

So, along with successful and popular weekly club nights showcasing music of many genres, the other key music element in the Factory is live gigs. There have been a lot of gigs since February. Manchester legends such as Peter Hook and Shaun Ryder have played here during the huge opening weekend, and unusual bands from around the world have also graced the stage. The man responsible for tweaking the bands’ output to perfection is the club’s very own sound engineer, Steve Jones. He’s been involved with bands and live music for most of his working life, and explained how he got to this point: “I ended up at the Factory as I used to run and engineer the Castle music venue for Aaron in Oldham, and when he bought this place it was too good a chance to pass up. I also rewired the Factory during the refurbishment.”

Steve has been there for every gig, manning the sound desk for any band that requires his exceptional service. The range of bands that play at the Factory says it all. From small unsigned bands to large, well-known outfits, anyone can play here. All they need to do is ask. “I really enjoy working at the Factory and I think we need to continue getting bigger and better bands. The ones we’ve had so far have been great. My favourite gigs have been White Lies, Band of Skulls, Hockey and of course Peter Hook’s The Light when they performed the whole of 'Unknown Pleasures' on the opening night. That was my highlight, especially after spending 7 weeks building the place.”

The Factory will carry on doing what it does best in 2011. All of the people that I chatted with believe that the club will continue to develop and draw in music fans from all around the city. One thing I have noticed is that European people adore the club. This could be due to their interest in the franchise’s iconic history, or maybe just because they’re curious in seeing what Hooky and co. are doing next. Whatever the reason, The Factory and its fans have a lot to look forward to. The club couldn’t be further from the apocalyptic climax of the Hacienda. However, its just like Hooky once said: “We made history, not money.”