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Jul 22, 2014 Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands By Hays Davis

Founded by New Order and Factory Records and kept afloat for years by their profits, the Hacienda in Manchester, England functioned on a self-destructive business model to become one of the most storied nightclubs in history.

As one of its owners, New Order bassist Peter Hook was more likely to be reaching for a drink during the club’s ‘80s/‘90s heyday than to be offering guidance to its managers. His book, now released in the U.S. in a new paperback edition, is packed with period detail and tales of debauchery, gangsters, and especially, as the title promises, how not to run a club.

Bands were regularly paid a generous flat fee rather than bothering with percentages of the door take. Booked for a 1982 show, The Teardrop Explodes were popular at the time and so were paid 3000 pounds for a “secret” gig in which everyone forgot to leak the news and only eight people turned up.

The Hacienda was known as well for the bands they presented, and Hook provides numerous club schedules for historical reference. He also includes their accounting ledgers, which are probably as much for our amusement as they were for themselves at the time. (www.peterhook.co.uk)

Author rating: 7.5/10