Originally Factory Records' offices, FAC251, or "One Charles Street", it became the Paradise Factory after Anthony H Wilson's maverick record label went bust, despite New Order and the Happy Mondays being two of the biggest and successful band of the Madchester era.
Paradise Factory, Princess Street. (c) Cerysmatic.
Read Peter Hook's How Not To Run A Club to appreciate how wasteful Factory Records were! When Factory bought the premises they covered it in Happy Mondays posters just to make sure everyone know who the new tenants were.
Read Peter Hook's How Not To Run A Club to appreciate how wasteful Factory Records were! When Factory bought the premises they covered it in Happy Mondays posters just to make sure everyone know who the new tenants were.
As with most things tainted with the FAC label, the offices didn't last that long and the building was converted into the Paradise Factory when the label went under. It was a gay club for years in the '90s, then for a brief time in the early '00s it was open as Industry.
FAC251 Factory HQ. (c) Tokyo Industries.
It laid empty until it was entirely redesigned by original architect Ben Kelly. FAC 251 The Factory opened in February 2010 in a joint venture between New Order's Peter Hook and Tokyo Industries' Aaron Mellor, the company that runs a dozen clubs around the UK (including a club in Oldham).
FAC251, Princess Street. Ben Kelly (left), Aaron Mellor, Peter Hook (right). (c) Tokyo Industries.
Kelly has recast the building to suit its new purpose as a venue which draws on the legacy of the past but updates the original Factory ethos for contemporary bands and DJs. Judging from the queues which were forming the other Thursday night, it's making a success of itself.
FAC251 Factory HQ. (c) Tokyo Industries.
This must be a pleasant surprise to Hooky, who lost so much cash back in the day as New Order held up their label and poured their record sales profits back into the ill-fated Hacienda and Dry Bar ventures.
FAC251 Factory HQ. (c) Tokyo Industries.
It's cheap drinks galore in here as well, though for a decent pint of ale beforehand, maybe stick to the Lass opposite.
FAC251 Factory HQ. (c) Tokyo Industries.
This must be a pleasant surprise to Hooky, who lost so much cash back in the day as New Order held up their label and poured their record sales profits back into the ill-fated Hacienda and Dry Bar ventures.
FAC251 Factory HQ. (c) Tokyo Industries.
It's cheap drinks galore in here as well, though for a decent pint of ale beforehand, maybe stick to the Lass opposite.
FAC251 Factory HQ. (c) Tokyo Industries.
No comments:
Post a Comment