The Haçienda: How Not to Run a Club

In “The Haçienda: How Not To Run a Club” Peter Hook, bass player in two of Manchester's greatest bands: Joy Division and New Order and also co-owner of the club itself explains how it vacuumed up the bands income and brought him to the point of bankruptcy.

This is a candidly entertaining short'ish read written in a personal and chatty style. While Manchester in the early 1980s probably wasn't quite ready for a New York style disco it wasn't long before the popularity of the club soared and things started to fall apart. Hooky reveals that in the 15 years it was open the club effectively cost the band £10 for every person who entered! I have to admit that I never went and I'm rather pleased I didn't after reading some of the stories.

The book covers the drug fuelled meetings, Madchester and Acid House excesses, the influx of gangsters and subsequent violence, so it's definitely not a tale for faint hearted. The book also has its fair share of funny passages too which are offset with stories where you find yourself shaking your head in disbelief, for example paying bands generous flat fees to perform to almost nobody and organising the bar so it required two staff to serve every customer.

I listened to the audio book and its split into sections devoted to each year the Hacienda was open. Each section is preceded with a snippet of a song which may have been played at that specific point in the clubs timeline. This device helped to set the scene and enhance the “read”. However, it's worth trying to get a copy of the actual print version as it contains a chapter listing outlining which gigs put on during that specific year and it has copies of balance sheets which I'm guessing would make an accountant cry. You also get to see the photos of the interior and exterior of the Haçienda along with various flyers, posters and other media.

I would recommend that you read Unknown Pleasures first as the end of that book slightly bleeds into the start of this one. The Haçienda: How Not To Run a Club is a great read even if you're not a fan of his music as if nothing else it certainly puts the evolution of the 1980s/90s clubbing scene into context.