A GUY CALLED GERALD REPRISES ‘TRIP CITY’
‘Voodoo Ray’ man collabs with rave author at Manchester literary music fest
Louder Than Words is a new alternative literary festival “celebrating words — oral, written and published — associated with the music industry”. It’s taking place in Manchester, England from November 14th – 16th.
Of course, no alternative music literary festival would be complete without a dance element. So alongside panels with people like Guy Garvey from Elbow and Edwyn Collins from ‘80s jangly guitar merchants Orange Juice, the club scene will also be represented by two key events.
One is a special reunion of screenwriter Trevor Miller and pioneering ‘Voodoo Ray’ producer A Guy Called Gerald. Miller wrote what was probably the first ‘rave novel’, Trip City — published in 1989 — that came accompanied by a soundtrack from Gerald, cover-mounted on a cassette.
A 25th anniversary edition is now being published, this time with Gerald’s soundtrack accompanying the novel on USB stick.
And at LTW, the Trip City partnership will be renewed on the Sunday — a live performance will feature Miller on words and Gerald on beats.
“This is a real coup for the festival,” said club culture panel convener and music academic Simon Morrison. “I think they also have an event in LA, but as Gerald and Miller are both originally from Manchester, all the celestial bodies will be aligned that day.”
The other dance music event at Louder Than Words is a panel looking at the way club culture has been reported over the years.
This panel on the Saturday night features Hacienda DJ Graeme Park, author Nicholas Blincoe — who wrote three novels set in club-land (Acid Casuals etc) — Sarah Champion, the music writer who championed the Madchester phenomenon and edited the club-land short story anthology Disco Biscuits, and Carl Loben, deputy editor of DJ Mag.
“People care passionately about this culture, and they also care about the way it’s reported, whether in fiction or non-fiction,” said Simon Morrison, who will chair the panel. “So whether stepping on the dancefloor yourself, or reading about it in a book, the panel will cover the lot.”
This is the second annual Louder Than Words festival, an event created by acclaimed music writer John Robb and Dr Jill Adam of partnership creators Level Partnerships Ltd. The festival is backed by the Arts Council, and is based at the Palace Hotel in Manchester.
Tickets and more info here www.louderthanwordsfest.com
