Lancaster Music Co-op to celebrate 40th anniversary in style

The Lancaster Music Co-op will mark turning 40 with a special birthday celebration next weekend.

The co-op holds its ‘40th Birthday Bash’ from 3pm until late on Saturday July 19 in the garden of The Pub in Lancaster, and everyone is invited to the party, with no fewer than seven acts appearing.

Liverpudlian industrial post-punk electro outfit THE DSM IV headline what will also be a fundraiser as the co-op. Homeless since 2018, it is aiming to mark the landmark year by returning to its home in Lodge Street – with entry on a ‘pay what you can’ basis.

The co-op team are raising money to fit out the non-profit rehearsal facility, recording studio and music space, which has been undergoing extensive renovation, including a new roof.

THE DSM IV recently returned from their European tour with Humanist and released their latest EP Negative Utopia. Their special appearance is part of their Love, Death and the Supernatural Tour. Featuring Guy McKnight, formerly of the 80’s Matchbox B-line Disaster, the band are renowned for their captivating live shows.

Next up, will be Lancaster Music Festival and Mellodrome favourites, Maz and The Phantasms. The psych, post-punk disco heads from Glasgow have been wowing audiences all over the country with their recent single, Factory Hell.

Also on the bill are Chorley social commentary post-punk outfit, and co-op favourites, Hauspoints. Take a bit of The Fall, sprinkle in some Devo, and finish off with some lyrics about dingy pubs and meat raffles in the North West.

An artist who recorded his first album at the co-op more than 20 years ago will also be making an appearance. Electronic-improvised composer and analogue synth wizard, Polypores, whose live shows are the stuff of legend, will be showcasing his acclaimed new album, Cosmically A Shambles.

Another Cracked Ankles Records group will be joining the party in the shape of dead things, and their shouty angular tales of historical murders in Lancashire. Louder Than War said of their recent EP, Rum Do, ‘one listen and you’ll be begging for more’.

Lancaster new band, Dull, will also be taking to the stage. Although they’ve played in various other bands and are known around town for their DJ sets, the duo are already gaining notoriety after only a couple of shows.

Opening proceedings, are Lancaster-Kendal based indie-rockers, Supermodel, returning after their set at the co-op’s club night earlier this year. Their recent debut single, Internal Dryout, was a favourite with BBC Introducing.

Co-op director Derek Meins said: “We are beyond excited to present such a special line-up for this landmark anniversary.

“For an organisation which sprung from such humble beginnings in the mid-1980s to still be here - especially after the existential challenges we have faced – says a lot about the strength of the community here in Lancaster.

“The support we received when our premises were under threat, was incredible, and has got us to where we are now, ready to embark upon an exciting new chapter.

“We are now on a final push as we aim to return to our spiritual home later this year, and we’d urge all music-lovers to join us for this feast of music as we celebrate our past and look forward to an even brighter future.”

Co-op merch – including a special edition 40th anniversary t-shirt - will be available on the night. There will be donation points and you can also donate to the fundraising campaign here.

The co-op was established in 1985 by a group of Lancaster University students who had nowhere to practice and identified a local need for rehearsal and recording facilities.

They were offered the premises by Lancaster City Council and secured funding from North West Arts and other smaller bodies for three rehearsal rooms, and the recording studio was built by former Music Co-op director Mick Armistead.

It opened in 1986 and has given hundreds of local bands somewhere to rehearse and grow over the years. But in 2018, the council, as building owners, deemed the premises unsafe and issued an eviction notice. After a community campaign and support from city councillors, it was eventually granted a long-term lease .

The building has since been undergoing major structural repairs funded by £1.2m from the government’s Community Ownership Fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Lancaster’s High Street Heritage Action Zone and the city council.