Tony Wilson, R.I.P.

LONDON (Reuters) - Anthony Wilson, who managed Manchester bands Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays, has died, British media reported on Friday.

The Manchester Evening News reported that the 57-year-old, who also co-founded Factory Records and the legendary Hacienda nightclub, died on Friday evening at the Christie Hospital after suffering a heart attack this week.
(full story here)

I've been lucky enough to see Tony in action a few times over the years, and can vouch that he was every bit the raconteur his reputation painted him as.

I was a guest at the New York version of his In The City music conference in June, and despite his obvious illness and frailty, he was as cantankerous and mischievous as ever. His style and wit will surely be missed by the music industry around the world.

New Order - "Krafty (Japanese Version)" mp3

Happy Mondays - "Wrote For Luck" mp3

Happy Mondays Cancel NYC Gigs

According to the Nokia Theatre website, the Happy Mondays gigs at Nokia this Wednesday & Thursday have been cancelled. No reason is given, but given the spate of Visa problems for UK bands recently, I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't play a part.

The shows were being held as part of the In The City Of New York music seminar, and the Wednesday gig was also to feature The Rakes and The Pigeon Detectives. The Thursday night show at Highline affiliated with In The City Of New York featuring featuring Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, and Blood Red Shoes appears to be still on.

Happy Mondays - "Wrote For Luck" mp3 buy