Factory Archive, Jon Savage, Leigh Festival, Moonlight Club and Early Factory

Last Updated on July 21, 2023

Leigh Festival

Early draft of Leigh Festival poster

I came across this video about the Factory archive a few years ago and forgot to post it to our history (sp)

This second episode of two pretty much starts with the Leigh Festival.  It really was cold and it really was pretty shitty just as Jon Savage’s headline in Melody Maker, “Angst in East Lancs Wasteland” said as he himself recalled in this clip and as I recalled here…(sp)

Angst In East Lancs Wasteland

Angst In East Lancs Wasteland – Meloday Maker article by Jon Savage

I thought we did pretty well actually, particularly so in Merry Xmas Prince Charles.  The recordings of Joy Division there that exist like this, say, apparently straight off the mixing desk, are pretty rubbish IMHO.  I suppose ours sounded much the same, but actually, at least I could hear myself sing! (sp)

Sex Machine

First mention of Sex Machine by The Crawling Chaos

Later on in the same video the forthcoming Factory releases are discussed including our own Sex Machine  – as noted on the paperwork for shareholders’ meeting.   The show at The Moonlight Club is noted, the one after ours was when Curtis had a fit.  He was alright when I saw him at our gig, but miserable…..Maybe it was us, because I knew we weren’t good and the drumming that drove our jams was uninspired to say the least.  Jeff thought we were okay, but he always bigged us up, touché.

This is it here:

Still later on we are mentioned again….video is below at the end.

It is described on the paperwork and we are called thus,

Sex Machine in the planning stage, woe is nigh!

“FAC 17: Crawling Chaos.. 7″.  It’s called ‘Sex Machine.’  Release late February.  Opening up a new genre of heavy modern.  Three short-haired awkward types from Tyneside who are a cross between Status Quo and Orchestral Manoevres (sic).  Special embossed bondage sleeve.”

It’s interesting in that Savage recalls Tony Wilson typing most of these things out himself.  He even did the final Leigh Festival poster himself to make it look like Saville’s work!!  So fair play to Wilson, he did his best for us surrounded by a lot of other forces.

The three factors of the embossed cover, death of Ian Curtis and the previous expensive record covers hit the release of Sex Machine.  A lot of impetus was lost at that time. The covers and their unique expensive covers are mentioned here: