Lost punk footage found in Bafta award winner’s attic

Rare documentary footage of one of Manchester’s legendary punk bands has been found after nearly 30 years and preserved before it became unplayable and lost forever.
Novice filmmaker John Crumpton, who went on in later life to win a Bafta for his sound work on Jimmy McGovern’s Hillsborough documentary, trekked around the punk dives of Manchester in the late 1970s following emerging punk band Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds, gathering unique footage of the fans, the concerts and the chaos which encapsulated the city’s scene at the time.
The Nosebleeds were one of the first acts to be signed to the infamous Rabid Records and would later become the band that sacked Morrissey. Lead guitarist Vini Reilly went on to fame and fortune with Factory Records’ Durutti Column, while Ed Banger became a lost legend.
Crumpton’s film was never edited or shown, the reels left abandoned and rotting in his attic, until he had a call from the Manchester District Music Archive (MDMA) who were trying to track down music treasures from the area’s glorious past.
"I’m really glad that the MDMA got in touch" said Crumpton "Videotape doesn’t have the same longevity of film and if I’d have left it for much longer, stored in the loft, the original master material may well have been unplayable and lost forever."
Crumpton and a team of experts have now re-mastered and edited the eight hours of raw black and white footage - which also features the Nosebleeds hilarious debut television appearance on Tony Wilson’s 'Granada Reports' – and the film, 'Ain’t Seen This Before’, will have its world premiere in a pub setting, at the King’s Arms, Bloom Street, Salford on March 4.
The film will be introduced by Salford University culture expert, CP Lee, and will be presented by a very special guest star. There will also be a fund-raising raffle featuring rare Manchester punk memorabilia.
(GB)