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'The Vast Majority Of People Are Content To Be Apathetic’: A Chat With The Chapman Family Singer Kingsley Chapman

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In February 2015, on the release of my recent novel about post-punk  ‘ How I Left The National Grid ’  I had an extended conversation with Kingsley Chapman on this nebulous and multi-pronged subject. At the time he was not speaking  publicly  about forming a new band following the split of The Chapman Family, though interestingly this issue is dangled towards the end of the conversation. It was soon after that I asked Kingsley if he would play at the launch party of the book, and he agreed. In my novel the main character, Robert Wardner, strangles himself with a mike lead onstage and there was some discussion at the time about the fact that Kingsley used to do this too- a connection I hadn't quite made. On the night of the launch Kingsley resurrected that act during his set- which left me with conflicted feelings that him and I kicked about backstage afterwards. Happily, his band, ‘Kingsley Chapman and The Murder’ have since recorded an excellent first sing...

The Psychic Terrain Of Haunted Artists. A Conversation With Lonelady.

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When I started this blog in 2011 I posted an entry reflecting on the work of Warp Records artist Lonelady, aka Julie Campbell. In 2015, during the course of researching my novel 'How I Left The National Grid', we were introduced and we began corresponding. Our work at the time shared a psychic terrain. This terrain contained preoccupations with Manchester and Factory Records. With how the legacies of both inform the haunting aspects of the city's interzones, concrete flyovers, and tower blocks. The conversation itself teetered on the margins of semantics and terminology. Both of us have tried to make sense of these concerns using walking and words, and the brittle aesthetics of post-punk. She has also used synthesisers, guitars and other forms of music which crackle and twitch like a frightened metropolis. This interview with Pop Matters is a sanitised (believe it or not) version of the chats we had which covered this hinterland. Quite why both of us, at this point in ...

How I Left The National Grid book launch at The Cluny- 28/02/15

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Book launch, with Greg Fox Puppet Show, Hausfrau, Retriever and Kingsley Hall and the Murder. Photos by Bethany Mankowski, Eloisa Cuturi, GJB Performance Photography.    

Launch of HOW I LEFT THE NATIONAL GRID

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On 28th February, in the midst of the bleak Newcastle winter,  The Cluny will host a unique celebration  bringing together musicians, comedians and writers for the launch of a new novel about music and The North. 'How I Left The National Grid' brings to life the sprit of the 80's Factory Records scene in Manchester, a spirit which we'll be summoning through a one-off event. The night will feature music from  Kingsley Chapman  of the acclaimed North East band THE CHAPMAN FAMILY.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKzW7phwtRE The Chapman Family’s debut album was described by The NME as ‘angsty, cliché free brilliance’. Also playing is the Glasgow-based  hausfrau , a necromancer summoned straight from a David Lynch film, recently described by The List as ‘mesmerising and understated’.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vZ_oYjcOrU As if that wasn't enough, there'll also be a sprinkling of dark Northern stand-up from Manchester comed...

Advance notices for 'How I Left The National Grid'

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'How I Left The National Grid', will be published in the UK, US and Canada in February 2015. More information to come soon through Zer0 Books / Roundfire. In the meantime, here are some words that have been said about it- 'This book is the epitome of cool. A cross between Twenty Four Hour Party people and Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers, written by Julian Barnes. It contains a narrative as spiky as a punk set, a whole symphony of ideas composed by Mankowski within a few subtle bars of text. A brilliantly written literary treat.'   AJ Kirby, reviewer for The New York Journal of Books . ‘Anyone who remembers Melody Maker, or who attended indie nights in clubs strewn with Snakebite, will fall in love with this book immediately. Mankowski captures brilliantly the psychology of ‘fan obsession’. Those of us who marvelled at ‘The Secret History’ or ‘A Passage To India’ are sure to find it enthralling.’  Matthew Phillips, Huffington Post. ‘Already recognised a...

Talk on Pop Manifestos and Post-Punk at University Of Leicester on 30/10/14

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I'll be talking about pop manifestos and post-punk at the Punk Scholars conference at the University of Leicester on 30/10. Other talks that day on anarcho-cinema, Johnny Rotten, and virtual moshpits. Tickets available from link- http://psnpostgradconf.wordpress.com/    

'How I Left The National Grid' to be published in the UK, US & Canada In February 2015

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After two and a half years of writing, I'm excited that my third novel, 'How I Left The National Grid' will be published in the UK, US and Canada in February 2015. More information to come soon through Zer0 Books / Roundfire. In the meantime, here are some words that have been said about it- 'A cross between Twenty Four Hour Party people and Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers, written by Julian Barnes. It contains a narrative as spiky as a punk set, a whole symphony of ideas composed by Mankowski within a few subtle bars of text. 'This book is the epitome of cool.    A brilliantly written literary treat.'   AJ Kirby, reviewer for The New York Journal of Books . ‘Anyone who remembers Melody Maker, or who attended indie nights in clubs strewn with Snakebite, will fall in love with this book immediately. Mankowski captures brilliantly the psychology of ‘fan obsession’. Those of us who marvelled at ‘The Secret History’ or ‘A Passage To India’ are sure to...