Tony Wilson memorial approved for city of Manchester

A permanent tribute to Tony Wilson (Factory Records/Hacienda) is coming soon to the city of Manchester. The tribute came about after the idea was proposed to city council bosses by politician John Leech, and according to the Manchester Evening News, the council approved a memorial as part of a new art center development project. The article states that "a street or public square at the First Street cultural hub will be named after the music mogul once the development is complete." The center is expected to be complete in spring 2015. Read the full report here.

So far, Peter Hook is the first member of the Manchester music community to comment on the memorial. He tweeted "this is great news and long overdue." He also recently made the following comments about Tony Wilson and Joy Division in an interview with Noozhawk:

"Tony Wilson was indeed crucial to Joy Division. He believed in us, he backed us, he signed us. Without him it would not have happened. We will all be forever indebted to him."

Another movement is underway to erect a mural or statue in Macclesfield, England to honor Ian Curtis.  Read more about that here, and follow Ian Curtis Statue on Twitter.

Published on September 9th, 2013 @ 10:38 AM