1986 09 New Order - letters in Melody Maker

HEY there Tom Morton, where did your sense of humour go when you reviewed New Order at Glasgow's Barrowland? Admittedly I wasn't there myself but I've seen them enough times to  presume that this gig didn't differ incredibly to most — though this may have been your point. I still think that you were being unnecessarily harsh on both them and the audience when you moaned right from the first paragraph about the length of grey overcoat, the stench of cheap hair gel and biker? So what? I think it's great that New Order attracts such a wide audience and too bad if this means rubbing shoulders with bikers and "split-ends-ridden hippies". And why do you insist that New Order want to be either Kraftwerk or a machine and "crush their angst-ridden audience into a puree of organised emotion". Know them well do you? Anyway - I'm not bitter Tom, but do try taking them with a pinch of salt if there's ever a next time. And Barney ... A Dalek? That is funny. 

PS: I never said that I hated your haircut, Steve Sutherland - just that it made you look a little erm, seasoned. Ha!

THE KIWI ANIMAL, Chelsea

Tom Morton is entitled to his opinion and as you weren't at the concert he described it rather invalidates your argument. And Stickboy's bumfluff is very dear to our hearts here at the Maker office so lay off the snidey comments. I think it makes him look years younger than 45.

THREE full pages of live reviews in the Melody Maker {September 20) and only one writer had travelled more than 20 miles from the Melody Maker offices, that being the token New Order gig in Glasgow. Melody Maker probably more than any other music rag built its reputation on the strength of its provincial coverage, where, let's face it, the massive majority of talent evolves from in the first place.

This undoubtedly points to a music business trend which mirrors the great North/South divide. The stench of an unhealthy closed shop grows even stronger. The southern-based belief that there really isn't a scene as such is laughable, certainly the socio-political heads down London may have taken everything from the lower classes, but let me assure you mate, the northern provinces have always had a progressive scene. In Manchester and Liverpool alone there is a hard core crowd viewing local bands and I don't just mean the Hacienda mob either. Its in the north where things are really happening, as it always has been.

PURD THE BIRD, Middleton, Manchester.

PURD, what kind of old rubbish is this? Okay, perhaps in one solitary issue we didn't have a full, representative coverage of gigs in the provinces but I defy you to prove that we don't adequately or comprehensively cover provincial happenings, as they happen. In fact, we pride ourselves on it. Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales are all under constant scrutiny and compared to other music papers I'd say that our coverage of north of Watford compares most favourably. So don't be so paranoid about us southern folk, many of us are from the provinces too, remember. You don't have to tell us what the score  is. We don't think London is the centre of everything by any means. Roots rule, okay?