Labour Online: Will Fabian Web 2.0 Be a Sex Pistol Moment?

Stuart Bruce, a PR Man as Wolfstar and an au fait with the zen of blog and the tao of twitter reviews Labour's latest social network moves, particularly Derek Draper's public learning curve. Seems about right to me and an interesting discussion is proceeding.

There's promised analysis of other coincident Labour births on the web to look forward to.

TRIVIA: Stuart was one of about 40 souls present for all or part of the immaculate conception of Derek's rebuttal site in the Conference Room at Manchester Town Hall during Conference. Approximately spitting distance from the Lesser free Trade Hall - though you'd have to be a good spitter - where the Sex Pistols performed their legendary 1976 gig, again to around 40 people.

Spooky parallels. The future of Manchester music was there in 1976 of course. Assembled to greet the god Lydon. Will the equivalent be true of Fabian Blog 2.0 when the world greeted the god Draper? Who's who? And in particular who is Mick Hucknall, if he was there?

Those Pistols Gigs

On June 4, 1976, the Lesser Free Trade Hall, a smaller room upstairs from the main hall, was the venue for a concert by the Sex Pistols which has become legendary as a catalyst to the punk rock movement and New Wave. Around 40 people attended the gig although many more have since claimed to have been there. Following the success of this gig, the Sex Pistols were invited to return. This second concert on July 20, 1976, was in many ways just as important as the first as it finally saw the concert debut of Buzzcocks and was attended by many more people. Some of the people who are believed to have attended either or both shows include:

Tony Wilson (one of the founders of Factory Records, home to Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays, among others. Also was – with New Order and Factory – a founder of the seminal Manchester nightclub, The Haçienda.)
Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks, Magazine and Luxuria)
Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks)
Steve Diggle (Buzzcocks)
Morrissey (The Smiths)
Ian Curtis (Joy Division) [missed the first gig, but attended the second]
Bernard Sumner (Joy Division, New Order and Electronic)
Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order, Revenge, Monaco and Freebass)
Martin Hannett (record producer for Factory)
Mark E. Smith (lead singer of The Fall)
John the Postman (Mancunian musician and personality)
Linder Sterling (Mancunian singer)
Paul Morley - Best known as a music journalist with the New Musical Express
Mick Hucknall - (Simply Red) [mistakenly believed to have attended the first, however only attended the second gig] In fact Hucknall never has claimed to have been at either show- he was actually at the December gigs at the Electric Circus.

There is a film record of part of one of the gigs that makes it possible to confirm some of the audience. This footage is used alongside a re-creation of the gig in the film 24 Hour Party People. A detailed account of both gigs is given in the book I Swear I Was There: The Gig That Changed The World by David Nolan (IMP 2006). It has interviews with audience members and photos taken at both events.

BLOGGERS NOTICED AT
THE DEL PISTOLS GIG:

Included LC's Sunny Hundal,

Tom Harris MP, Rachael Jolley,

Stuart Bruce, Mark Hanson,

Chris Paul, Sunder Katwala.

Oh and of course the future

of mainstream left blogging

Don Derek Draper.


More names please?

Cllr Anthony McKeown

UPDATE Wed 08:40: One blogger added, one broken wiki link fixed.