1988 - Technique Gig

Anybody lucky enough to be at the Manchester G-Mex Centre gig in 1988?

This has to be one of the defining moments in NO history. An absolute quality affair. A Certain Ratio kicked off the gig with a myriad of random songs that nobody had ever heard of, followed by The Happy Mondays in their infancy. Looked like NO had allowed them a break (never seen or heard of them really at this point).

Anyway, as The Happy Mondays were plodding through some guitar 'raw' (as if they've ever been any different) versions of their early material on walks Hooky across the stage to flick the v's at Sean Ryder. Nice bit or repoir going on there, Hooky did this about 3 times, for no apparent reason - it was funny, and what a NO gig. should be about.

Happy Mondays clear off then the hall goes silent, enter NO and 'Touched by the Hand of God' pulsating, throbbing and meaty bassline... Jeezus, absolutely sublime! - what a set ensued, absolute genius. First time I'd heard any of Technique's songs, in fact, when Vanishing Point stops near the end to allow the high hats (just before the big ending) eveybody clapped and cheered as if it had finished. Barney was not happy as someone was blowing an air horn through Bizarre Love Triangle.

Just when things couldn't get any better Age of Consent starts up and Stevey Morrisey's kit sounded like a bomb going off.

Anyway, I'll be back to Manchester (obviously, the only place to see the Order) this year when they return to gigging in the UK.

It's been a long time, and lets be honest, Get Ready was a worry, however, having downloaded the Realplayer samples from this site it sounds like, well, No, which is definately a step in the right direction from 'SOME' of the material from Republic.

Now, did I tell you the story about when my girlfriend met Peter Saville for a few hours...

Yep, I was at G-Mex in 88. I went for the weekend with a couple of mates - we went to the Hacienda on the Friday night, went to see Man City play on the Saturday afternoon (I forget who they were playing - I just remember all the inflatable bananas!) and then went to the gig on the night. I'm pretty sure that Happy Mondays played first though? ACR played a lot of stuff from 'Force' and pretty much blew Happy Mondays away IMHO - I've seen ACR play almost as many times as New Order.

Excellent stuff Andy, your probably right, can't remember the exact order of appearances. Did you get involved in the crowd towards the middle front of the stage? - me any mate were in it and it was pretty hard trying to stand up, I wouldn't be surprised if someone was stood on.

ACR are pretty crap, hope your not a fan. Its not that hard to blow Happy Mondays away eh!? - I heard Simon Topping went back to college recently, not too chuffed with life outside the charts... obviously not making much coin.

I was more towards the right as you looked at the stage but during AOC and Temptation I ended up in the middle - it wasn't till afterwards that I noticed I'd completely wrecked my trainers!

I'm afraid I'm still an ACR fan :-) They lost their way when they signed to A&M but around 85/86 they were superb live - 'Wild Party' & 'Sounds Like Something Dirty' rubbing shoulders with older stuff like 'Flight'- excellent!

I hadn't heard anything of Simon Topping since he released 'Prospect Park' and did the Quando Quango stuff after leaving ACR.

And, yes, you're right, Happy Mondays weren't exactly the best live band in the world!

Andy, I've got a USA promotional album from, I think, 1987 (3 records) featuring ACR, Gene Loves Jezebel and New Order, as well as a couple by Echo and the Bunnymen.

I think it was given out or sold in America when they toured that year. I collect NO stuff (as I imagine everyone does on this site). Could never quite get my head around the strange combination of stuff that's on this recording, any clues?

Age of Consent, your right, it kicked off around then - I was pretty young, and the amount of people poggo-ing to the guitary songs put the shits up me. I watched my mate get picked up in the sway of about 100 people and floated about 30 feet across the place. I didn't catch up with him 'till about another couple of songs.

Am I the only one who watched Hooky taunting the Mondays?

ACR - 'I won't stop loving you' - a bit commercial, but possibly the best they did. If there back, what the hell do they sound like now? - 8 trumpets, a bagpipe, some blocks of wood and a band membership of 200?

Hunter,

Bit of a combination but I'm pretty sure that New Order toured the States with the Bunnymen around 86 or 87. They also played with them at G-Mex in 86 along with ACR(ACR also toured with them in 85 if I remember correctly). Not too sure of the Gene Loves Jezebel connection though - I definitely wasn't a fan of theirs!

Allen,

Yes, the Wembley gig was pretty poor - I took a sickie from work to go and then wore the t-shirt the next day much to the amusement of a few mates!

Mondays seemed to support New Order pretty much everywhere from around 86 onwards.

ACR definitely did some 'Force' stuff and now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure that Flo McSweeney did sing with them that night so they must have done some 'Good Together' stuff too.

I remember going to the toilets after the G Mex gig and everybody was stripped to the waist sticking their heads under the taps! Come to think of it, my t shirt was ripped during the gig too! Ah, happy days!

Hunter,

Get hold of some earlier ACR stuff like 'Shack Up', 'Flight', 'To Each..', 'Sextet', 'Graveyard & the Ballroom', 'Wild Party' etc. as they went off the boil when they signed to A&M.

Alright, fucking hell, you've convinced me. I'll start gathering some 'decent' ACR gear when I get the chance. It did cross my mind that they might be better than the occassional bit of stuff I've heard judging by the volume of material they have played.

Gene Loves Jezabel has definately got some connection New Order, they've gigged quite a bit-I've heard them on a few New Order bootleg live tapes.

Has anyone got 'Looking from a Hilltop' by 'Section 25' - my mate had the 12" yonks ago and I passed up the opportunity of buying it off him, I plumped for Ceremony 12" with a metallic gold cover instead. Its so nice I never dared play it!

Hunter

Are you'z lot talking about the Wembley Arena gig.??? - I managed to blag a bootleg of the gig, I missed it... I take it it was pretty good?

This might sound like a stupid question, but can't Gillian be arsed with the band at the moment? - I've never seen her in any live pictures.

Yes, the 'Good Together' album was poor. I lost track of them a little when they started releasing stuff on Robsrecords but, as you say, they're coming back.

www.acrmcr.com should be up and running by the end of the month featuring a brand new ACR track called 'Starlight'. You can also hear some 24 Hour stuff on urbanite.co.uk

I'm afraid my Wembley T shirt hasn't stayed the distance!

Whatever happened to the Cabs?

Hunter,

I've got it on the 'From The Hip' album. I've also got 'Girls Don't Count' in the tracing paper sleeve. And whilst we're on the subject of ACR, 'All Night Party'!

Allen,

I'll have to watch the programme (I've never seen it). When are NO on TOTP? I hope I didn't miss it this week.

Talking of Wembley,I've only just remembered that Primal Scream supported them although I can't remember what they were like.

Did you go to Finsbury Park? I remember Mike Pickering playing a load of House stuff before the gig much to the confusion of the rare groove loving southerners!

I know for a FACT New Order recorded Crystal live at TOTP today!

Which means it should be on tonight?

mind you, TOTP was on last night.

How did you manage to 'bump' into Gillian at the airport? -

Yep I know what you mean. I had a Nude night t-shirt from the Hac with MP squared on it. It poured down on our way there if I remember correctly - middle of summer as well! Good old England!

Righto' Seb, switch it if you can be arsed.

Seb, I'm new to this site and have just downloaded some mix of Sub-Culture by DJ Micro whatever, my good god are you going to take that off this site? - Such a devotional place for genuine New Order fans and a mix of that quality? - don't take this the wrong way, some of these downloads are exceptionally rare and superb to find but a throw-away bog standard load of trifle like this? - sacrilege

1. Looking From A Hilltop - F***ing excellent 12" 2) Don't diss ACR mofo 3) CABS - Mal emigrated to Aus. & formed band called Koo-lin Brothers or some such name & Richard H. Kirk releases a CD exery 2 weeks. 4) I agree Wembley was shite venue but band top. Primal Scream supported if I remember. Also remember that the lager came in tins, was warm and tasted of piss. That's the south of England for you.