Gig celebrates 'Abbey Road of the north' studios

A special gig celebrating the recording studio where 10cc, The Smiths and Joy Division recorded their music is taking place later.

Strawberry Studios, which has been described as "the Abbey Road of the north", started out as Inter-City Studios in 1967, but was renamed after Beatles song, Strawberry Fields Forever.

The gig at Stockport Plaza pays homage to the cradle of Manchester music and will feature cover versions of the city's pop anthems by local bands, plus guest appearances from Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets and Andy Couzens, a founder member of The Stone Roses.

A vinyl album, Strawberry Studios Forever, is also being released.

Also lined up at the gig are The Lottery Winners who will perform two songs by The Smiths.

"It's hard to imagine how Manchester might have been without Strawberry Studios," Boon, who will be singing Solitaire, said.

The comeback hit was written by US 60s legend Neil Sedaka and recorded in Stockport in the early 1970s.

"It was pioneering - there was nothing like it outside of London," he added.

John Barratt, the man behind the album and gig, which highlights Stockport's musical pedigree worked with his wife Rosemary, a music journalist, to create The Stockport Music Story project.

"It was the Abbey Road of the north," he said, referencing the London recording studio where The Beatles recorded many of their albums.

Mr Barratt said: "It was affordable with the latest sophisticated technology which meant fledgling bands like Joy Division were able to record - it was why Martin Hannett was able to create the sound for the band's album Unknown Pleasures."

Set up in 1967 in a 20 sq ft (6 sq m) room above a record store it was initially called Inter-City Studios but after Peter Tattersall bought it for about £500 and Eric Stewart, of The Mindbenders and 10cc, became a partner, it was renamed Strawberry Recording Studios.

"We were having trouble thinking of a name when Eric suddenly thought of his favourite Beatles song - Strawberry Fields forever," Tattersall said.

Tattersall also produced and recorded the novelty hit There's No-One Quite Like Grandma, by local children from the St Winifred's RC School choir where his own children attended.

In December 1980 it knocked John Lennon off the number one slot as the UK's best selling single of the year with 980,000 copies sold beating The Police and Barbara Streisand.

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