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Taking place on Monday, 31 March, at Stockport Plaza, the concert will feature performances from a mixture of Manchester icons, past and present. Special guests include Peter Hook, bassist of Joy Division and New Order, Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets, and Andy Couzens, one of the founding members of the Stone Roses. The venue has a capacity of just over 1300 seats, and with only 163 tickets remaining at the time of writing, fans must act quickly to secure a place.

Founded in 1968 by Peter Tattersall, Strawberry Studios began life as a modest space above a shop in the centre of Stockport, lined with egg cartons as DIY soundproofing. Eric Stewart, then of The Mindbenders, quickly became involved in the project, naming the studio after his favourite Beatles song, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. The studio would be pivotal in the formation of 10cc, bringing together all of the founding members and becoming their home studio.

Tattersall shared his vision  for the studio in a Daily Mail article in 1968, telling the newspaper: “We hope to make the studios into another Memphis, a small place that has built up its own sound in America and is attracting artists away from the big studios in New York and Los Angeles.” Future 10cc member Graham Gouldman joined as an investor within months, and shared his wish for the Beatles to record there one day. Paul McCartney would use the studio to record the debut solo album for his brother, Mike McGear, in 1972.  

The ‘Strawberry Studios Forever’ event on Monday night will feature a variety of performers, including The Lottery Winners, who are set to perform The Smiths’ classics ‘Hand in Glove’ and ‘This Charming Man’. The evening will end with Peter Hook performing ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ by Joy Division, and ‘Ceremony’ by New Order.  

Along with the event, The Stockport Music Story has also issued a vinyl release, also named ‘Strawberry Studios Forever’. The 11-track record features covers of songs originally recorded at the studio, and has been mastered in nearby Bredbury by Jim Spencer, known for his work with Johnny Marr, The Charlatans, and Black Grape. Like the live show, it  features a mixture of established artists and emerging talents.

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 Reflecting on the legacy of the studio, The Stockport Music Story’s John Barratt, who organised the events, said: “The legacy of Strawberry Studios is so important not just locally but internationally. Peter Tattersall’s vision helped put Stockport on the global musical map, nurturing bands like Joy Division, New Order, and The Smiths.”

Fusing nostalgia, history, and emerging local artists, the event is a must-see for music fans in and around Stockport. It celebrates an often overlooked part of music history, though without it, the face of music today would be unrecognisable. Tickets for the event can be found here.

The London-born musician is most known for his notable West End appearance, where he portrayed the late John Lennon in the production of the musical ‘Let It Be’. Despite his theatre performances, Canning is defined more by his singer-songwriter persona, firmly established in a soft rock&roll genre.

Canning began his discography in 2017 with the release of his first studio album, This Acoustic. This album featured covers of songs by artists such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, The Police and many more. Canning has continued to release acoustic covers that gain him popularity; his cover of Shania Twain’s You’re Still The One is the most acclaimed, with almost 5 million streams on Spotify.

The trained vocalist used this new popularity to score an opening act with the famous British rock-band 10cc, known for their number 1 hit song I’m Not In Love. Canning toured with the band for their 2019 U.K. Tour, playing famous venues such as The Royal Albert Hall in May of that year. To this day, Canning occasionally sings lead for 10cc when the band is need of a filler vocalist.

Graham Gouldman, of 10cc, features on Canning’s 2020 album as dueling singer and bassist for the song The Loud Room. Gouldman is not the only rock legend to appear on Bandwagon as Jo Webb of the band Electric Light Orchestra has contributed lead guitar on many of the tracks off the new album.

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Really wonderful couple of gigs with 10cc this last few days. Started off in Denmark and tonight we were in Belgium. #10cc #smukfest #fonnefeesten

A post shared by Paul Canning (@paulcanning_official) on Aug 10, 2019 at 4:03pm PDT

In promotion for the newly released album Bandwagon Canning appeared on radio interviews with BBC’s Oxford and Northampton stations in early October. In lieu of live-shows or performances due to safety concerns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, Canning also hosted a live (virtual) performance of his single Under The Radar for Electric Umbrella TV.

Acoustic guitar plays a starring role on this newly released album and Canning continues to showcase his expert ability to produce clear and powerful vocals over top a vintage rock sound. Canning is known for his poetic lyricism and this is evident throughout his newest record.

While there are no current tour-dates or live-show announcements for 2020 or 2021, listeners of Canning’s famous acoustic cover-songs can now experience his original work through this newly released album Bandwagon. Streaming is available on all platforms as of today October 26th, 2020.