Press Release - 12th December 2005
MARR AND ROURKE ARE ‘HAND IN GLOVE'
ONCE MORE FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Johnny Marr & Andy RourkeTwo members of one
of the world's most influential
and enduring bands of the 1980's are reuniting
for a special one-off charity gig in Manchester
Former
members of The Smiths, bassist Andy Rourke and legendary
guitarist Johnny Marr are set to play at the Manchester
versus Cancer Concert in association with Key 103 on
January 28 2006 at the MEN Arena. It will be the first
time they have performed publicly together since the
group's acrimonious split in 1988.
The gig is the
brainchild of Andy who hopes it will raise £1million for Manchester's Christie
Hospital - Europe's largest cancer treatment
and research centre. It is set to be Manchester's
biggest ever charity concert and North West musicians
are queuing to give their support.
New Order, Badly Drawn
Boy, Mani (Stone Roses and Primal Scream), Doves and
Stephen Fretwell are already signed up, with more big
names being announced all the time.
Andy decided to organise
the fundraiser after his manager's
sister and father were diagnosed with cancer at the end
of last year.
In their first joint interview for almost
20 years, Andy and Johnny are relaxed and in fine humour
as they talk about their plans for one of the highlights
of the musical calendar.
Andy explains: "The idea
came about knowing that my manager's sister and father
were both ill but when you talk to other people about it
you realise just how many lives have been touched by cancer.
Christie's
Hospital has been there as long as I can remember so
I decided it would be a great idea to put on a charity
gig to raise money for it.
"I got the idea from watching ‘Martin Scorsese's ‘Last
Waltz' where there are lots of different bands
having a good time. It will bring together people and
bands that have made Manchester famous. I know it's
about cancer but it is also going to be a celebration.
I phoned up a few friends in ‘the biz' to
see if they would like get involved, John being one of
them."
"Well, I was on the list after Des O'Connor," quips
Marr. "Andy and I go back a long way, since our
school days. We have been hanging out and seeing each
other and he told me about this project. I literally
applauded him and said I wanted to get involved with
it if he needed any help. It's a privilege to be
part of it as I am aware of the work that Christie's
does.
"It's not the easiest thing getting something
like this together because it needs to be done on a fairly
big scale to have any significance so I think Andy is
really brave. But who would refuse his offer to get involved?
I mean, who could refuse it? You can't unless you
are out of the country on tour. I made sure I was around
and I'm looking forward to it - it will be
a good night."
And with potential world-first collaborations being
mooted, Manchester versus Cancer promises to be a night
to remember.
Andy says: "Everyone on the Manchester band scene
knows each other anyway so we are going to get everyone
together to intermingle and perform each other's
songs. It's going to be a one-off thing, like no-one
has ever seen anywhere else."
Johnny adds: "Damon (Gough - Badly Drawn
Boy) is known for mixing things up and throwing stuff
around so there will be an air of unpredictability."
"It's
going to be chaos isn't it!" grins
Andy. "Damon can play for hours but bands will
need to be limited to a few songs each so everyone gets
a chance to play. We'll need a cattle prod to get
him off stage."
Johnny picks up again. "Like Andy says, everyone
knows everyone else so who knows what will happen when
we all get together. It's going to be interesting.
We might even get a version of Blue Monday on the kazoo."
"As the evening goes on and people get more and
more into the spirit of things the unexpected could happen,
people jumping up to jam with other people. Well, we'll
see."
"And at the end it will be all of us doing a big
rendition of ‘Let It Be," he says, tongue-in-cheek.
"What? On the kazoo?" asks Andy.
"No, electric. This is the new century after all."
Tickets for the eagerly awaited event go on sale via
ticketmaster on 0870 190 8000 or via www.ticketmaster.co.uk
on 17th December and will be priced from £40. For
more information about the ticket release date visit
www.manchestervcancer.co.uk.
For the first photo of Andy and Johnny back together,
for interview with Andy Rourke, or for DVCam/minidisk
version of the Rourke/Marr interview for radio/TV contact
Alison Hardy, Lyndsey Evans or Helen Goldsmith at Staniforth\
on 0161 274 0100.
Notes to Editors
- For regular updates on the event visit www.manchestervcancer.co.uk
- Great Northern Productions Ltd is a unique
combination of a rock legend, an award winning television
producer and researcher and an entrepreneur with a
rather impressive musical past creating innovative
music programmes and events
- Formed in 2005, the Great Northern Productions
team bring in more than a century's experience
in television, radio and musical production. In founder
director, and former Smith's star, Andy Rourke
we also have more than a little musical heritage. For
more information visit the website www.greatnorthern.uk.com
- The Christie is the largest single-site
cancer treatment centre in Europe, and an international
leader in cancer research and development. The hospital
is based in Manchester, but because of its specialist
nature, patients travel to The Christie from all over
the North West and beyond. Around 12,000 patients are
treated each year including children and adults and medical
staff share their expertise with colleagues in hospitals
across the region.
As one of the leading cancer research centres, Christie's
plays a central role in looking for new ways to diagnose
and cure cancer. There are more than 13 research teams
actively working on different aspects of this challenge
in the research laboratories, many working in close partnership
with patients on a daily basis.
In addition to NHS funding, The Christie receives a significant
amount of money every year through its charity. The money
raised is used both to fund cancer research and to contribute
to the provision of specialist medical equipment and
extras that give the hospital its special comforting
and therapeutic atmosphere for patients undergoing treatment
for all types of cancer.
- Andy and Johnny's reunion
interview took place at The Lowry Arts Centre in Salford.
For more information about The Lowry contact Michele
Bowey, PR Manager on 0161 876 2037 or email michelle@thelowry.com
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The Christie in Manchester is one of the leading cancer centres in Europe - registering around 12,500 new patients and treating about 40,000 patients every year.
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