The beautiful Ashton Memorial overlooking Williamson Park in Lancaster looked stunning on Sunday 8th May as the glorious sunshine drenched its intricate Edwardian-Baroque styled architecture.
With unrivalled views overlooking the City of Lancaster and Morecambe Bay, this was the majestic setting that saw thousands of people gather to witness the latest instalment of the Haçienda Classical series, featuring The Manchester Camerata Orchestra.
The Haçienda was born in Manchester in 1982 – the nightclub on Whitworth Street West, owned by Factory Records and New Order. It remained open until 1997, however its influence has not dwindled, with many nostalgic Hacienda events taking place across the country over the last few years.
Its cultural significance to this day is immense, not only as part of the Madchester era music scene, but worldwide. During its heyday, underground club culture evolved into something the late 80’s and 90’s will always be remembered for.
Not only did it become the epicentre for the house music and rave scene in the UK, the Hacienda and Factory Records revolutionised the way we infuse art installations into our entertainment.
It seems exactly fitting then for former resident DJ’s Graeme Park and Mike Pickering to curate something that stands out from the rest, something innovative and intriguing – a fusion of classical music with electronic, acid house masterpieces. It may not be the first time this has been done, but it’s a first for Madchester.
With the input of New Order’s Peter Hook, the Hacienda Classical series was curated, with the aim of showcasing some of the finest and well known tracks associated with the club – the ones that when played, instantly remind you of the era, the scene, the DJ’s and artists. Only this time, they would be played live, by a 70 piece orchestra.
It makes perfect sense. Before the digital age, we had Disco. Many tracks belonging to this genre were recorded by live session musicians, dominated by a four-to the-floor beat along with a prominent rhythm and bass guitar edge. A huge variety of orchestral instruments were added into the mix – the most iconic ‘disco’ sounds created by the string and brass sections, with wind instruments and percussion adding flair to the tune.
Once recorded, DJ’s played vinyl pressings to dancers at disco hotspots, which were part of a very underground scene initially, hence the concept of today’s ‘modern’ nightclub DJ. Naturally, once discovered by the masses, Disco became an enormous commercial success, particularly in Europe, before its popularity faded towards the very early 80’s.
Disco didn’t die though, it evolved. Pioneers such as Giorgio Moroder had fused disco with electro and before long, a new and uprising movement, influenced by these sounds, was happening in Chicago – House Music. These people were composing tracks with synthesisers, drum machines and other electronic sounds, with DJ’s playing and sampling such tracks live in the clubs.
New Order visited the US in 1981, and brought back the influence of electro and house to Manchester, with the Hacienda opening its doors a year later as avenue for showcasing the sound in the UK.
Fast forward to 2016, and imagine the excitement we felt knowing that we would get to hear House Music played as live as it could possibly come, right in front of us, spearheaded by two of the scene’s most influential DJ’s.
Local event promoters A-Wing, well-known for hosting pioneering electronic music events at Lancaster Castle had set up the spot, with an impressive outdoor stage positioned in close proximity to the Ashton Memorial.
The setting for the concert was unrivalled – outdoors on the hottest day this year, with the Ashton Memorial towering above us. Williamson Park looked stunning with its flora and fauna at its very best – luscious green lawns adorned our way up onto the hill, with butterflies and songbirds sharing our journey.
Upon entry to the event area, we were greeted by a queue of fellow concert-goers eagerly expressing their excitement in anticipation of the main performance. Many were enjoying the sunshine and also the prospect of being ‘out on a school night’! The mood was friendly, sociable and nostalgic.
There was a true ‘party in the park’ atmosphere going on – obviously the good weather assisted, however it was clear that the people attending were enjoying the social aspect of being outdoors at such an event.
Having exchanged our tickets for wristbands, we found what must be the world’s cutest Prosecco bar located up on the hill.
The Fizz & Flute, a converted Piaggio Van decorated with fairy lights, bunting and flowers, served up bubbles by the carafe in the blazing sunshine, right where you could see views of Lancaster Castle and beyond. It was the perfect way to start, as it made it feel like a very special occasion.
Shortly afterwards, the park café opened its doors to serve up delicious pies and flatbreads to the VIP ticket holders, however you could also get a selection of Lancaster Brewery beers and cider and a good old cup of tea.
It soon got busy up there, so we decided to explore the surroundings before sitting on the grass in the sun with friends. There was ample room to sit either side of the monument on your picnic blanket, or if preferred, a generous area to dance right in front of the stage.
We didn’t sit down for long – distracted by the sound of an interesting beat emitting from the stage down below, we descended to the main circle to find Ian Williams behind the decks playing a solid set of tunes that formulated the soundtrack to the Hacienda era.
With a distinct house party or back room vibe, we grooved at the front of the impressive outdoor stage to the immense ‘Dub be good to me’ by Beats International (aka Fatboy Slim back in the day). A few keen revellers began to bounce around to the happy ska undertones of this legendary track, drink in hand, as the sun continued to shine brightly above this spectacular scene in Lancaster.
Following on with NUDE classics such as ‘Why’ by Carly Simon, sampling the wonderful bass of Bernard Edwards and the feel-good vibes of The Chic Organisation, Ian Williams continued to entertain with the epic ‘Loaded’ by Primal Scream and the melodic ‘Tom’s Diner’ by DNA feat. Suzanne Vega.
Handing over the decks to Tom Wainwright, we were then treated to some of the highlights, masterpieces and all-time favourite house music tracks from some of the scene’s main icons – new and old.
Reminding us of our roots, the disco scene back in 1970’s America with the use of live bands and orchestras in production, Tom dropped the ultimate classic by Chicago – ‘Street Player’.
Released in 1979, it was a cover version of an earlier release by Rufus. This was later sampled in 1995 by House Music Master Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzales under his alias The Bucketheads with ‘The Bomb’ – a sound we all associate with our memories of the 90’s.
As these sounds fell into our minds, Tom kept the 90’s house vibes going strong with Ruffneck’s Everybody Be Somebody and Soulsearcher’s Can’t Get Enough.
By this point we were ecstatic, exchanging hugs, enjoying the beer, re-living our nights out on the dance floor and sharing the love for this wonderful scene with a bunch of like-minded folk who had come right down to the front to show their appreciation for what was indeed an immense set of classic tracks.
‘It’s Alright, I feel It’ by Masters At Work and it’s glorious piano riff and samba rhythm belted out majestically across the arena, swiftly blended into another piano heavy monster in the form of Todd Terje’s Strandbar.
In tribute to one of House Music’s leading pioneers, Larry Levan’s powerful disco rendition of ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ had everyone singing along together, the mood lifting right up towards the end of Tom’s set just in time for the main attraction.
As the sun began to set and the crowd gathered closer to witness The Manchester Camerata Orchestra take to the stage, the atmosphere was electric. Lead by conductor Tim Crooks, the 70 piece orchestra held an impressive stage presence as the legendary MC Tunes appeared on stage to introduce them and whip the crowd up into a frenzy.
Park and Pickering took to the decks towering above the orchestra, and together with Crooks, they absolutely took command of the once in a lifetime performance we were about to witness. Opening with T Coy’s ‘Carino’ - magnificent salsa driven piano solo resounded into the night sky as we envisaged nights at The Hacienda and felt a part of something very special.
Accompanied by spine-tingling strings and huge horns, your feet were moving, hands clapping, like a box of fireworks waiting to go off, this warm-up led straight in to the scintillating Sweet Harmony by Liquid. As the sun began to set, it was absolutely mind-blowing, hearing the mighty acid house piano riff played live was enough to make us shed a tear of joy at this point as the sound – particularly the cello and bass, was so powerful.
The energy from the crowd was immense, obviously a different bunch to your usual classical concert goers. Lead Violinist Adi Brett had a huge smile on her face as she observed die-hard Hacienda fanatics jumping, swaying, partying and enthusing in their thousands. It was clear that she and the rest of the performers were enjoying this as much as the crowd. It became rather a team effort with Park and Pickering fully engaging with the crowd whilst providing the beats that kept this wonderful fire burning. Always on hand, MC Tunes greeted us frequently with his unique style and unmistakeable presence, keeping the energy flowing.
The orchestral dynamics were stunning as we heard a rendition of ‘I’ll Be Your Friend’ by Robert Owens, before our first highlight of the night – the mighty Voodoo Ray by A Guy Called Gerald. Probably the tune we all name when we are asked to identify a Hacienda classic, the brass arrangement was out of this world.
808 State’s ‘Pacific State’ was another highlight, the stage drenched in warm pink sparkles as the huge glitter ball above the orchestra emitted it’s glow across the stage. The beat at this point becomes wonderfully downtempo, with thousands of people putting their hands in the air and singing along to the anthem. The orchestral arrangement was insanely complex, thrilling and beautiful.
An appearance by New Order’s Peter Hook on stage, playing that epic bass line from ‘Blue Monday’ was probably the point we all had a slight melt-down in the crowd, as it really was like being immersed in history – hearing him play that famous riff from the biggest selling 12” single of all time was a privilege and an experience we will never forget.
Day had merged into night, even though at this point we were enjoying it so much we had lost the concept of time. Piercing through the darkness, The Ashton Memorial had been decorated with lasers, reaching far and wide across the city of Lancaster, lighting up the sky around Morecambe Bay.
By now, the atmosphere was intense, the energy insane and the whole park was bouncing. We didn’t think the performance could get any better – until we heard Armand Van Helden’s ‘You Don’t Know Me closely followed by Marshall Jefferson’s ‘House Music’. These tracks were made to be played by an orchestra – the string arrangement heavenly, powerful and emotive, with the stunning vocals giving the performance a wonderful soulful edge.
The piece de resistance was indeed the finale. The Happy Mondays’ Rowetta graced the stage to close the performance with what can only be described as an incredible, astounding rendition of Candi Staton’s ‘You’ve Got The Love’.
The orchestral arrangement closely resembled the wonderful, string-section heavy remix by New Voyager, with Rowetta’s powerful, soulful voice moving us all and once again, making us shed a tear of pure joy as we felt every word she sang.
Walking home, along the tree-lined streets of the historical city, it’s night skies still alight with lasers, we felt ecstatic and in total awe of what we had just been a part of. We could have really gone into this review taking the slightly more serious viewpoint of a music critic or an event planner, however we decided to be clubbers, music lovers and ravers. It was wonderful, and if the opportunity should present itself, we would do it all over again – it was stunning.
Review: Gwen Angood.
