Faç Off Exhibition

Central Station X Factory Records


After the lyrics, music, and even the band members, there is nothing more interesting than the cover of an album... yes album. I’ve always said ripping a song from a CD or just downloading one or two songs it's like... like... like... tearing a chapter off a book, but I digress. Breath the ‘Madchester’ era through the art work of Central Station and Factory Records (highly recommended site).

To celebrate 25 years at the top, record sleeve design trio Central Station are to showcase a retrospective look at a quarter of a century’s impressive creative portfolio.

The exclusive exhibition, to be held throughout May 2008 at Manchester’s Richard Goodall Gallery, will include a selection of limited edition fine art prints of some of their iconic artwork from this period.

Central Station’s legendary career has seen them working alongside bands such as Happy Mondays, Northside and James. The team, brothers Matt and Pat Carroll and Karen Jackson, have been responsible for some of the most memorable record sleeves of modern times.

Curator Richard Goodall notes, “Central Station’s work is widely accepted as amongst the most influential; they inspired a generation of designers and music fans and helped define the infamous ‘Madchester’ era.” Famously their iconic logo design, as featured on the Monday’s 1989 record Madchester Rave on EP, became the focal image of the movement.

Since the 1990’s Central Station have continued to produce artwork for the Happy Monday’s Shaun Ryder (now as part of Black Grape), along with others such as Australian band The Panics. They had also maintained a close working relationship with the late great Tony Wilson, designing the visual campaigns for Manchester’s world-renowned premiere music convention ‘In The City’. The influential trio’s artwork has also been exhibited world wide, from New York to China to Australia.



Their 2002 collaboration with Michael Winterbottom on his film 24 Hour Party People opened the door to a wide range other TV and film design projects, from Channel 4’s Hamburg Cell to ITV’s Prime Suspect. This has led the team to working with such names as Helen Mirren, Robbie Coltrane, Tim Robbins, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Central Station have, of course, continued to work on record sleeves, recently re-packaging special collectors edition releases of Happy Mondays Bummed and Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches. Stylistically, their designs are bold and strong, often with Technicolor graphics, carefully selected non-band images and very little text. Jackson explains however, “I don’t think we have a formula, we just approach every sleeve totally differently”.

Gallery curator Richard anticipates great success for the show, “We are honoured to be housing this exclusive exhibition. Central Station’s influential designs are part of both music recording and Manchester’s history and this show will present a great viewing opportunity for music and art fans alike.”

Jackson adds, ‘It seems only natural that we have chosen to launch the retrospective exhibition in Manchester; in choosing the new Richard Goodall Gallery in the city’s Northern Quarter we have found a fantastic space, in an ideal location. We are excited to dust of some of the old designs and look back at some of the great memories we have of the last 25 years’.

Via Creative Review