Dark Wave Disco & Panic present

24 HR. PARTY PEOPLE

A tribute to the late Tony Wilson, co-founder of Factory Records and the Hacienda Nightclub.

The man who introduced the world to punk rock on television, Joy Division on record and The Happy Mondays on the dancefloor has died today at the age of 57. Tony Wilson, the founder and owner of his Manchester-based label Factory Records, passed at approximately 7pm GMT today at Christie Hospital in Manchester, England, surrounded by friends and family.

The cause of death is reported as being a heart attack, though Wilson had also been battling kidney cancer since his diagnosis in 2006. Wilson's doctor, Robert Hawkins, has said of his patient's death, "It's very sad. He died as a result of something unrelated to his cancer. His cancer was responding well to treatment but obviously did contribute to his poor health."

featuring DJs

MARK GERTZ
TRANCID
POGO
BRAD OWEN
ARTURO
and others

Doors open 9pm

Part of the door proceeds will be donated to The Kidney Cancer Association in Evanston

Tony Wilson:

Wilson's involvement in popular music stemmed from hosting Granada's culture and music program So It Goes. Wilson saw the Sex Pistols at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, in June 1976, an experience which he described as "nothing short of an epiphany" [6]. He booked them for the last episode of the first series, probably the first television showing of the then-revolutionary British strand of punk rock.

He founded the 'Factory' night at the Russel Club in Hulme. He later founded the record label Factory Records and the Haçienda nightclub in Manchester.

He was the manager of many bands, including A Certain Ratio and The Durutti Column, and was part owner and manager of Factory Records, home of the Happy Mondays and Joy Division (later New Order) - the band managed by friend and business partner Rob Gretton. He also founded and managed The Haçienda (FAC51) nightclub and Dry (FAC201) bar, together forming a central part of the music and cultural scene of Manchester. The scene was termed "Madchester".

He never made a fortune from Factory Records or the Haçienda, despite the enormous popularity and cultural significance of both endeavours. Both came to an abrupt although not necessarily premature end in the late 1990s.

A semi-fictionalized version of his life and of the surrounding era was made into the 2002 film, 24 Hour Party People, which stars the comedian Steve Coogan as Wilson. After the movie was produced, Wilson wrote a novelization based on the screenplay, despite being described on the movie soundtrack album cover as a "twat". He played a minor role in the 2005 film A Cock and Bull Story, in which his character interviews Steve Coogan (playing himself).

Wilson was a partner in the yearly In The City music festival and industry conference, and also F4 Records, the fourth imprint of Factory Records, set up to be an online distributor for Wilson's long term protégé Vini Reilly, of The Durutti Column. F4 also released music by Manchester based bands RaW-T and The Young Offenders Institute.