A not so favourable review of the Chrissy Hyde's performance when The Pretenders played the Main Debating Hall, the gig was during the band's month long reign at the top of the UK album charts with their debut release. A big ticket show!

Taken from the Mancunion newspaper, written and edited by University of Manchester students. With thanks to James Peters at the University of Manchester Archives and Ben Ward at University of Manchester Students' Union.

Manchester's Exodus were the headline act of this event that was part of the Union's 1980 International Student week program.

Taken from the Mancunion newspaper, written and edited by University of Manchester students. With thanks to James Peters at the University of Manchester Archives and Ben Ward at University of Manchester Students' Union.

Graham Massey of 808 State remembers:

The Human League gig at the Students' Union (MDH/Academy 2), 1980. They were still using multiple slide projectors and tape recorders. There were no backing singers at this point. Synth bands on the rise!

Paul B writes:

Rockpile included Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe. This was after Dave Edmunds had had the hit with Girls Talk. Great rock 'n' roll gig with lots of Dave Edmunds hits. Support band was The Polecats.

Legendary Manchester photographer Kevin Cummins' photo pass for the Stray Cats at Manchester University.

Brian Setzer's rockabilly heroes Stray Cats were promoting their eponymous debut LP released a few weeks before this gig.

Kevin Cummins famously documented the punk and post-scenes, particularly in Manchester, before establishing a career as one of the UK's most prominent music photographers.

He was instrumental in establishing City Life, Manchester’s ‘what’s on’ guide and was a founding contributor to The Face, where he won an award for Magazine Cover of the Year.

"Kevin Cummins was sometimes more important than the bands."
Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks)

Courtesy of Kevin Cummins.

Story by Dubwise-er:

Bow Wow Wow! Good gig as I recall, though mad packed. I'd seen them before at The Cavendish some time earlier, but this time they had Boy George on backing vocals.

Story by Abigail:

In the recent film 'The McLaren Westwood Gang', which explores Malcolm McLaren's cultural legacy, there is an interview with Boy George in which he describes being approached by McLaren in '81 to co-front Bow Wow Wow. This University gig was, I think, his second performance with the band. It didn't go well. George got covered in spit from older punks and ended up kicking off badly with various members of the audience. He was promptly sacked and a short time after formed Culture Club.

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

In 1980, Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren persuaded guitarist Matthew Ashman, drummer David Barbarossa (also known as Dave Barbe) and bassist Leigh Gorman, all then members of Adam and the Ants, to leave the founder of the band, Adam Ant, and form a new group. After a six-month audition process for a lead singer, the band enlisted Annabella Lwin. David Fishel, an acquaintance of McLaren's, discovered 13-year-old Lwin while she was working a Saturday job at her local dry cleaners.

Bow Wow Wow's record label, EMI, refused to promote the cassingle "C·30 C·60 C·90 Go" because it allegedly promoted home taping, as Side B was blank. EMI dropped the group after releasing their second single, "W.O.R.K. (N.O. Nah, No No My Daddy Don't)".

Paul B writes:

Great songs and great live band in a nice small venue. I seem to remember Paul Carrack being on keyboards and singing Tempted. And support was from the legendary John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett.

Not content with the havoc wreaked back in March, Malcolm McLaren's proteges return to MDH, this time without Boy George.

Exceprt from Wikpedia:

Albert Griffiths, singer and guitar player, was the founder of the reggae group The Gladiators. After some success with the singles "You Are The Girl" (a b-side to The Ethiopians hit record "Train to Skaville") in 1966, he recruited his childhood friends David Webber and Errol Grandison in 1968 to form the original Gladiators vocal group. The group's name was allegedly suggested by a fellow bus passenger during the time of their first recordings.

The group's first major success was with the single "Hello Carol" in 1968, for producer Coxsone Dodd, which topped the Jamaican music charts. Shortly afterwards, in 1969, Webber became ill and was replaced by Clinton Fearon, one of Griffiths' proteges. 

During the early 1970s the Gladiators cut numerous records for various producers such as, Lloyd Daley and Lee Perry, but it was their recordings for Dodd at Studio One that became the biggest hits. 

The success of these recordings garnered the attention of Britain-based Virgin Records who gave the group their first major recording contract in 1976. 

Story by Dubwise-er:

Aswad at the University and not sure who the support was, maybe Merger.

The medley they did with 'African Children' was a killer. They were a good homegrown reggae band, but I preferred Steel Pulse, and probably Misty in Roots most of all. They did some killer choons with Dennis Brown's 'Your Love's Gotta Hold On Me' being a personal favourite.

Review of The Go-Gos poorly attended gig at the Main Debating Hall in 1981. This must have been a bump back to earth for the band who were in the midst of enjoying massive worldwide success with their debut Beauty and the Beat album.

Taken from the Mancunion newspaper, written and edited by University of Manchester students. With thanks to James Peters at the University of Manchester Archives and Ben Ward at University of Manchester Students' Union.

Ticket for the Slits at MDH in 1981. This was the 'Return of the Giant Slits'-era line up: Ari Up (pictured), Tessa Pollit, Viv Albertine, Neneh Cherry (pictured), Steve Beresford, Bruce Smith.

The Slits' sound and attitude became increasingly experimental during the early 1980s, when they formed an alliance with Bristol post-punk band The Pop Group, sharing a drummer (Bruce Smith) and releasing a joint single, "In the Beginning There Was Rhythm/Where There's a Will There's a Way" (Y Records), followed by a bizarre, uncommercial, untitled album of mostly homemade demo recordings, and a few more singles. The band toured widely and released another album, Return of the Giant Slits before breaking up in early 1982.

Photographer: Random Please

Great fanshot of The Slits at MDH in 1981. This was the 'Return of the Giant Slits'-era line up: Ari Up (pictured), Tessa Pollit, Viv Albertine, Neneh Cherry (pictured), Steve Beresford, Bruce Smith.

The Slits' sound and attitude became increasingly experimental during the early 1980s, when they formed an alliance with Bristol post-punk band The Pop Group, sharing a drummer (Bruce Smith) and releasing a joint single, "In the Beginning There Was Rhythm/Where There's a Will There's a Way" (Y Records), followed by a bizarre, uncommercial, untitled album of mostly homemade demo recordings, and a few more singles. The band toured widely and released another album, Return of the Giant Slits before breaking up in early 1982.