On Thursday 27 February, we were joined by more than 300 people for Rebelution 4 at Diecast – a repurposed metalworks, transformed into one of Manchester’s newest, coolest event spaces.
It was all to celebrate Cooper Parry’s arrival in the North West. We promised a party. A ‘big bang’. The furthest thing from any event that accountants have put on in the city before. And, thanks to Hacienda legend Dave Haslam, our live entertainers, dancers, temporary tattoo artists, VR experiences, karaoke booth, the awesome Diecast staff and our eager guests, it lived up to our wildest expectations.
David Kendrick, CP’s Head of North kicked off proceedings atop Diecast’s metal walkway, welcoming the revellers below with a feel for what CP is really about, and everything you can expect from us now we’re in MCR.
Then, it was time for Dave Haslam, international DJ, writer, broadcaster, and our MC and DJ for the night to take centre stage. Dave played his records at the now iconic Hacienda nightclub in Manchester over 450 times. He also went on to publish five books, write for some of the UK’s biggest newspapers, and become a leading voice on culture, music and rebellion in Manchester.
So, who better to welcome the rebels of accountancy to his home patch?
HACIENDA: INNOVATORS TO ICONS
Since the Hacienda closed after 15 years in 1997, its reputation has been cemented as one of the most iconic, fabled nightclubs anywhere in the world.
Numerous documentaries and films including 24 Hour Party People have captured the club’s rise and evolution into the beating heart of Manchester’s acid house and rave scene in the late 1980s. But, that wasn’t always the plan.
“Initially, DJs were a cost-cutting exercise,” Dave told us. “Bands like The Smiths and New Order were playing at the club but the Hacienda wasn’t making enough money. So, people like me would DJ. I’d get £40 for a Thursday night, or £120 for a Friday or Saturday.”
“When the Hacienda booked DJs,” he continued, “they didn’t see what music was hot in Manchester and follow that. They played completely different genres and styles. It was unique, idiosyncratic, brave and ambitious – refusing to follow the mainstream, even when the numbers weren’t quite adding up.”
Dave would head down to his local record shops, Piccadilly Records and Eastern Bloc – both of which are still thriving today – and dig for tunes he’d love to play. “Things that would turn people on.”
“The Manchester people wanted something radical,” he told us. “They didn’t want the lowest common denominator. If it was on the radio, we wouldn’t play it. And we had queues round the block at the Hacienda, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.”
Sure enough, this rebel sound began to turn heads beyond the North West.
“In the mid-90s, Pete Tong came onto Radio One, playing the kind of music we’d been playing since the 80s,” Dave told us. “But before that, in November 1989, the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses were both on Top of the Pops. All the kids in the UK saw what we’d been doing in Manchester. London didn’t think about us until then. If EastEnders wanted to kill off a cast member, they’d send them to Manchester. But now, young people wanted to be in this city. Student numbers rocketed in 1989/90, and the Hacienda went on to become the blueprint for so many clubs around the world.”
Before taking to Diecast’s decks for an unforgettable set of Madchester classics, mixed in with an array of timeless tunes, Dave shared brilliant stories of holidays with Bez, his books on Sylvia Plath and Courtney Love, and the underground Manchester scene.
But it was one line, just before Dave descended from the walkway, that really stuck with us.
“Welcome to Manchester, Cooper Parry. Don’t forget to go beyond the stereotype, because it will blow your mind.”
Cheers to that, Dave. And cheers to everyone who joined us for an evening that will be forever etched in our memory.
One guest described it as “the best event I’ve ever been to”, another spoke of the “great atmosphere and buzz about the place”, and Dave himself said “it was great to be part of an event that exuded so much energy and originality.”
Manchester, the rebels of accountancy are here. We’re sticking to our tried and tested rulebook-ripping ways, and we can’t wait to share more incredible experiences with you in the not-too-distant future.
