(Strawberry, a few moments after the unveiling)

A Blue Plaque was unveiled on Wednesday 2nd of May at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, celebrating the legendary recording studio. Peter Tattersall, who co-founded the studio in 1968 with 10cc musicians Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, unveiled the plaque before a small crowd. The studio was one of the first outside of London to provide high quality recording facilities, and was used by musicians such as Paul McCartney, as well as Manchester bands like Joy Division, The Smiths and The Stone Roses. The studio closed in 1993, unable to compete with the growth of home studio recording, and is now used as offices. The plaque was erected by Stockport Heritage Trust and the council after a vote by the residents of Stockport. Eleven more plaques will be unveiled in Stockport over the next few weeks. A recently reformed James returned to their roots on Monday night, playing a gig at the venue where they first met 27 years ago. At Manchester University’s Club Academy the band played for a few hundred invited guests and fan club members, performing some of their older and more obscure material. In contrast, two days earlier the band had played their greatest hits to nearly 16,000 fans at the M.E.N. Arena. (MEN) A member of a local band will be spending this summer playing concerts across Europe with ex-Pixies singer Frank Black . Ding, the bass player in Manchester band Bobbie Peru , has also played with The Fall and P J Harvey, but has recently been concentrating on his own band. Formed last January, they have a single called “1971” in the shops now, with a debut album to follow. The tour with Frank Black starts in Switzerland in June and continues to France, Germany, Belgium and Holland, including appearances at prominent festivals. A gig at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire is the only British date, completing the tour on July 15th. If you want to catch Ding in a smaller venue, Bobbie Peru will be playing the Roadhouse on Friday 4th of May. (MEN) If you thought university professors were boring and stuffy, think again. Five Manchester University lecturers have found fame on the internet after they made a video of themselves miming to the Village People’s “YMCA”. The lecturers, from the University’s Geography department, videoed themselves dressed as the band and doing the song’s famous dance routine. The video was intended only to be shown at the department’s Christmas party, but a student got hold of a copy and, deciding that it deserved to be seen by a wider audience, posted it online. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkGkFEfsraM (Metro)

More news from Manchester University, where a student DJ has made his national radio debut on Radio 1. Andrew Jackson, who usually broadcasts to his fellow students on the university’s radio station, Fuse FM , got his big chance after winning an award for Best Male Presenter at the Student Radio Awards. His prize was the chance to present the early-morning breakfast show on Radio 1, which reaches an audience of over one million (though whether any of Andrew’s regular student listeners were awake between 4 and 7 a.m. to listen to him is unknown!). After a successful show, Andrew has returned to his studies and his regular audience, but plans to pursue a career in broadcasting after finishing his degree. (Metro) The Imperial War Museum North has won a prestigious award at the annual Enjoy England Awards for Excellence. The museum received the Silver Award for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at a ceremony organised by VisitBritain , the national tourism agency. The museum’s eye-catching building, designed by internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, is a familiar site next to Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford. Opened in 2002, the museum has proved popular with the public, with over 1.3 million people visiting the building to see innovative displays mixing multi-media and film with more traditional objects like tanks and aircraft. Tony Wilson will make his first major public appearance after undergoing surgery for cancer last year when he hosts the Big Chip awards on May 24th. The awards, organised by the Manchester Digital Development Agency , recognise excellence across the digital sector. Here at MDMA we’ve been shortlisted in the Best Not-For-Profit category, up against four other projects, including BBC Manchester’s Dragon’s Den website. Wish us luck! (MEN) If you have heard an interesting Manchester music story this week, or have been involved in something please email it to us and we'll stick up here for posterity.