A very rare handbill advertising The Durutti Column and Cabaret Voltaire at Manchester’s Factory Club, on June 2, 1978; from the archive of Factory Records co-founder Tony Wilson.

This show was promoted by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, soon to found Factory Records and sign Joy Division, Durutti Column and many other iconic bands.

Tony Wilson, then a TV presenter on Granada TV, had joined friend Alan Erasmus in managing the Durutti Column, and the two convinced the owner of the Russell Club in Hulme to allow them to book bands on a few Friday nights.  While walking around Manchester, Erasmus saw a sign reading “Factory closing” and said “Let’s call the club The Factory, because we can have a factory opening instead of a factory closing.  This show was the third Factory Night at the Russell Club.

This show is one of four Factory shows advertised on Peter Saville’s celebrated “Use Hearing Protection” poster (FAC 1.)

The handbill was designed by Tony Wilson, and utilizes various pop cultural imagery (including an ad for Syd Barrett’s debut single “Octopus”) collaged in a Situationist style with typed text.  The thought balloon text reads The Problem is not to Understand Music, The Problem is to Change It……… 

We acquired this handbill directly from Tony Wilson’s family.  It has been stored at Manchester’s Museum of Science + Industry since Wilson’s 2007 death, and is in mint condition.  8 ¼” x 11 ¾” (A4), printed on yellow Granada TV paper.

Included is a letter of authenticity from the archivist of The Tony Wilson Archive reflecting its extraordinary provenance, and Recordmecca’s written lifetime guarantee of authenticity.