'Rochdale Music Stories': A Celebration of Rochdale's Rich Musical History

‘Rochdale Music Stories’, a brand new campaign celebrating the rich musical history of the Greater Manchester borough, has kicked-off in style with an all-star event. The project sees Rochdale Development Agency, The Stockport Music Story and Voltalab Sound Studios working together to celebrate Rochdale’s rich musical history while championing its new, emerging talent. 

Major talents including Peter Hook (New Order / Joy Division), Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark), and Martin Moscrop (A Certain Ration) were all invited back to the birthplace of some of their most iconic tracks. 

Serving as an official launch of Chris Connelly’s new book, ‘Cargo Studios', the event saw the author and guest artists share their personal stories of recording at the legendary Rochdale studio in a live panel. 

Hosted by DJ and presenter Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets), the audience in attendance were treated to reflections of how Joy Division recorded “Atmosphere”, how A Certain Ratio recorded “All Night Party”, and how OMD recorded their first single “Electricity”, by their respective creators. All of these releases were released on Tony Wilson’s Factory Records, and have since achieved widespread acclaim and global recognition. In addition, Clint Boon revealed how his own band, Inspiral Carpets, recorded their first EP ‘Planecrash’, together at the studio with the assistance of The Chameleons’ Dave Fielding, who produced the record. 

Interviewed about his new 360-page hard-back book ‘Cargo Studios’, Chris Connelly shared revelations from the rich history of the famed Rochdale studio during the period 1977 to 1985. Also in attendance was esteemed studio engineer and Cargo owner John Brierley, who worked at Cargo Studios alongside production maverick Martin Hannett at its peak. Remembering how Joy Division recorded classic tracks “Digital” and “Glass” for the highly collectible ‘A Factory Sample’ release; Brierley also stated that he believed “Atmosphere” was “the greatest song recorded at Cargo”. 

The prestigious event also provided a launch pad for the forthcoming release of the Rochdale Music Stories album affiliated with the campaign. The upcoming studio-recorded compilation will see contemporary local artists reimagining classic tracks originally recorded at Cargo Studios. At the launch event, artists from both generations were introduced and exchanged compliments for the first time. OMD’s Andy McCluskey was notably very impressed with acoustic guitar duo, PoolEra, and their radical reinterpretation of his track “Electricity”. 

A vinyl version of the Rochdale Music Stories album will be available from 14th March 2026, accompanied by a one-off gig at Rochdale’s Champness Hall the same evening which will see the artists involved playing their reinterpretations alongside one of their own original songs. The night will be hosted by Clint Boon and special guests. Standby for further details soon.