Tony Wilson remembered: tribute single and launch event

This week Manchester has been remembering Factory Records legend Tony Wilson who died on August 10^th 2007. A tribute single, ‘St Anthony: An Ode To Anthony H Wilson’, is to be released tomorrow by Skinny Dog Records, featuring artwork by Peter Saville and a remix by Andrew Weatherall, with a launch party at the old Granada Studios…

The poem was written by Mancunian poet and lifelong Wilson fan Mike Garry who took it to music composer Joe Duddell (New Order, Elbow). Duddell immediately heard elements of New Order’s ‘Your Silent Face’ and decided to base the music on that song. ‘St. Anthony: An Ode To Anthony H Wilson’ was born.

‘He became known
as Mr Manchester for
his work promoting
the city’

Tony Wilson launched Factory Records in 1978 and went on to sign the likes of Joy Divison, New Order, and The Happy Mondays. He became known as Mr Manchester for his work throughout his career promoting the city and was immortalized on film by Steve Coogan in 24 Hour Party People and again in the Joy Division biopic Control, in which he was played by Craig Parkinson.

After a long struggle with cancer, Tony Wilson died in 2007 in Manchester’s Christie Cancer Hospital. All profits from the single will go to The Christie Charitable Fund.

The accompanying video, made by Soup Collective and filmed at the Sharp Project, features a collection of close friends and collaborators each reciting lines from the poem, including members of New Order, Christopher Eccleston, Shaun Ryder, Steve Coogan, and Peter Saville.

The newly launch website saint-anthony.co.uk allows you to explore the places, people and stories which make up the lyrics – helping to see the full picture of Wilson’s impact. Playing on the poem’s repeated refrain of ‘Talk to me of…’ the website allows you to send messages from your mobile phone direct to the site to join the conversation.

To celebrate the release of St. Anthony, there will be a launch party at the old Granada Studios on 14th August. Mike Garry and Joe Duddell and ensemble will be performing the single live, there will be some very special guest DJs alongside a screening of the video as well as previously unseen, exclusive interview footage from the shoot.

‘St. Anthony: An Ode To Anthony H Wilson’ will be available to download and buy on CD and white vinyl 12”, all featuring the Weatherall remix, on Friday 14^th August. Skinny Dog Records is a label formed by members of I Am Kloot and Elbow.

WATCH THE VIDEO

PRE ORDER THE SINGLE

http://saintanthony.tmstor.es

http://radi.al/StAnthony

http://radi.al/StAnthonyEP

TEXT YOUR DONATION:

FACT65 £ followed by the amount to 70070

BUY TICKETS TO THE EVENT

www.stanthony.tickets

saint-anthony.co.uk

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