University launches British Pop Archive with never-before-seen material from Joy Division’s Ian Curtis
The John Rylands Research Institute and Library at the University of Manchester will launch The British Pop Archivean exhibition on British popular culture, youth culture and counterculture from the 1950s to the present day.
The British Pop Archive will launch with Collectionfrom 19and until May 15, 2022and January 2023. Organized by the curator of British Pop Archive Mat Bancroft, Jon Savage and Hannah Barker, Collection will document the cultural significance of Manchester’s music scene, cementing our city as the country’s music capital. The Smiths’ lyricist and guitarist Johnny Marr sums it up perfectly: “Manchester’s musical heritage and history make it the ideal location for the British Pop Archive. It’s been long overdue.
Photo: John Rylands Research Institute and Library @ University of Manchester
1980s post-punk and new wave bands like Joy Division, The Fall, The Smithsand New orderand Salfordian punk poet John Cooper Clarketo the Madchester scene that saw people like Happy Mondays, inspired rugsand stone roses dominate the charts, continuing the rise of Britpop in the 1990s with Oasis and jamesto date with indie-rock bands like The Courteeners, Blossoms, The 1975and pale wavesManchester has and will always continue to have an influence on music today.
The collection will be the first to feature the Joy Division singer and lyricist’s complete archive Ian Curtis. Fans of the band and its successor New Order will be delighted to see the band’s manager Rob Gretonoriginal written vision for the band. Additionally, Ian Curtis’ handwritten lyrics to Joy Division classics such as “She’s Lost Control” and “Atmosphere” will be featured.
Photo: Handwritten lyrics to ‘She’s Lost Control’, Ian Curtis @ University of Manchester
Professor Christopher PresslerJohn Rylands University Librarian and Director of the University of Manchester Library, said: “The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is one of the world’s great and recognized libraries. This position is based on our amazing special collections and archives. As we continue to work with materials in all formats and languages from five thousand years of human history, it is essential that we also engage with our own time. The British Pop Archive is part of our desire to reach areas not always associated with large research libraries, including pop music, popular culture, counterculture, television and film. These are national archives held in Manchester, one of the most important centers of modern culture in the world.
Perhaps the pinnacle of a new musical era, the The Sex Pistols legendary shows at the Lesser Free Trade Hall – now the Radisson Hotel on Peter Street near the Albert Hall – ushered in the post-punk movement. Even today, those who attended the shows brandish their ticket stub as a badge of honor. Members of The Fall, The Smiths, Buzzcocks and Joy Division all attended and then formed their bands, feeling inspired by the ruthless punk rockers. The carefully preserved original posters of these concerts will also be exhibited.
Pictured: Hannah Barker, Jon Savage and Matt Bancroft, @ John Rylands Library Manchester
Visionary designer Pierre Saville – who designed Joy Division’s Unknown pleasures and Swedenit is Coming album art – will have their work displayed. For those wishing to put a face to the name, students may recognize Saville’s face on the huge mural on Wilmslow Road in Withington. The exhibition will also include the complete corporate archives of Granada Televisionnow known as ITV, which produces the world’s longest running soap opera Coronation Street.
Hannah Barkerprofessor of British history at the University of Manchester and director of the John Rylands Research Institute, said: “The British Pop Archive is a fantastic resource for a university with close ties to the creative industries. It provides unique material for a growing range of research and teaching at the University on popular music, television and film history, countercultural movements, and youth culture from the 20th century to the present. , linked to our brilliant Creative Manchester search platform.
Photo: Coronation Street, Granada Television @ University of Manchester
Collection at The British Pop Archive from Thursday 19and from May 15 to May 15and January 2023 at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester. You can find it at this address:
John Rylands Research
Institute and Library
The University of Manchester
150 Deansgate
Manchester M3 3EH
You can read more about The British Pop Archive here.
https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/special-collections/exploring/guide-to-special-collections/british-pop-archive/