Louise AldermanI had been living in a shared house with Dick Witts for about two years when the idea of Manchester musicians collective was first suggested. We had just finished a series of performance at The International mixed media in Gent, with Dick’s contemporary music group NorMedia, performing pieces by Trevor Wishart( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Wishart ) who was the Composer in residence for North West arts that year and Bob Dickinson. Dick had had some involvement with musicians from the London musicians collective and he wanted to form a Manchester collective. Trevor was the obvious person to work with and as a grant from Northwest arts would be needed for room hire, printing etc. We set up a registered charity for that purpose. Leaflets were printed and put in Libraries and music colleges etc and we waited to see who would come to the first meeting at Northwest arts basement. It was just past my 21 Birthday also in April. The Fall for one, a photographer bongo player called Keith also Frank Ewart from the Mekon, Dick, me Trevor, and Chris Griffin (later of the Mekon and bathroom Renovations) who was one of Dicks students at the music college and had been to Gent with us. The meetings were fun with a variety of musicians. The Fall performed their first gig .Una on keyboards with the names of the notes selotaped on the Keys, a different drummer called Steve (who didn't last) and lots of energy. It was soon decided a more suitable venue was needed if we wanted an audience, so with northwest arts connections a venue was suggested, “Band on the wall” which was in fact a jazz club. A pilot scheme was suggested to the owners. A few trial Sunday nights to see how it went I think this was very brave of Steve Morris and his partner. Steve played clarinet in trad jazz style and he found the music of the late 70’s difficult. But he was a keen musicians union man and believed in encouraging young artist whatever the musical genre The first few gigs were very mixed different performance artists as well as band and individual musicians But gradually the Bands took over. It was very exciting and the gigs were popular I joined the Mekon they had been together for several years since school I think, but had never played a gig. There was a lot going on I was generally at band on the wall for the gigs Dick Witts was there a lot at the beginning, but after he joined the “What’s on” team ( a TV program), formed The Passage and became music and dance officer for Liverpool Arts he was there less and less and Trevor faded early on, as his year as musician in residence came to an end. At first I was passing on messages for Dick all the time, because even though we were a collective there was no one designated to do the work but we got a committee together. I was Press officer (informed press of weekly line up organised interviews etc) but I was also at all the gigs liaising with the Band on the wall staff. Organising the door rota ,checking takings,etc.
The coming together of so many different types of musicians and artist was exciting and empowering .We had our own venue, organised our own gigs, designed our own posters, and developed press contacts. No one could tell us what to play or say it wasn’t “suitable”(except Steve Beresford was asked not to play the Band on the wall piano with his feet). The musicians shared equipment for two reasons, firstly some of the younger members didn’t have enough amps or even instruments to go round and secondly the time constraints of having three bands on a night in the smallish confines of the Band on the Wall stage meant it was just much easier to share. The Bands also began to share musicians. People were often in two or three bands, sharing musical ideas and jamming together at each other’s houses. Franks house (Mekon) on Burton Rd Didsbury was always full of musicians from different bands he had a room set up for rehearsing and recording. We were all young most of us were students and we had lots of time and energy. The collective flourished. The arrival of “Steve Solomar” and the Spherical Objects Was another turning point Steve financed and organised the recording of the first collective album. Many of the bands went on to better things .The Fall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_(band)) New Order, Mick Hucknell, The Passage, Duruttii colum etc mostly involved with Factory ,but they were all still supportive of the collective. Some such as The Not Sensibles , and Fast Cars are still working now.
I began to go to Band on the Wall on other nights to listen to Jazz and Blues. I formed an ad hoc blues band Cajun Cutie. Victor Brox used to come and play with us at Collective gigs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Brox
The Collective changed the course of my life and I think also the lives of many others. With its DIY values and sexual inclusiveness it had an enormous influence on the Manchester music scene and of popular culture of the time with far reaching effects which have lasted until this day.
Louise
A Certain RatioThe first time I played the MMC was sometime in 1978 I think and it was with my first band Alien Tint. We played with A Certain Ratio who were a three piece and I liked them so much they made me feel wish I was playing with them and not Alien Tint. Alien Tint were a bit of a glam punk band and I was a bit out of place because I looked like one of ACR. ACR liked the way i looked and asked me if I wanted to join them. I was delighted and said yes. I think the next time we played as a four piece we played with the Fall. We were stil drummerless at the time and the Fall ofered us a lift back in their van after the gig. In the van mark E Smith said "you cant get away forever without having a drummer and it is important to have one' Shortly after that we found Donald. I remember going to the MMC meetings. Was it at the Sawyers arms? Martin
Bob Dickinson
Cath Carol They may not have recorded a full-length album for Object, but Manchester
Mekon’s Frank Ewart was a key facilitator for many of the Object Bands and
members of the Collective. The attic of the Mekon flat in Burton Road,
Withington, hosted scores of rehearsals and recordings, a lurid array of
bands and visitors. Intent, omnipresent and instantly spottable in a punk
rock crowd, Ewart was the slightly shuffling hippy peering out from a
drapery of long brown hair, clad in a much-worn pair of old man’s slacks.
Always willing to lend gear, fiddle with the PA and fix leads, Ewart made a
lot of things happen. His neighbours may not have felt so fondly. While the
very musical ‘Mekon were held in great affection by musicians and Collective
audiences alike, their gently proggy jazz never received the tribute it
deserved at the time. The flat at Burton Road was downstream of slightly
posher Didsbury, where Factory was still based, on Palatine Road. That
Ewart should be the unsung contributor to Factory’s signature song is very
fitting.
| 
