Kenion Street Lives Again

There are some streets that don’t look like much until you listen closely.

On Kenion Street in Rochdale, between 1977 and 2001, music that would travel the world was pressed into tape. Joy Division. A Certain Ratio. OMD. The Fall. The Stone Roses. Inspiral Carpets. Happy Mondays. Countless others. At Cargo Studios and Suite Sixteen, something restless and northern was being made - music that carried damp brickwork, late buses, stubborn hope.

In 2026, as Rochdale becomes Greater Manchester Town of Culture, that street sings again.

Rochdale Music Stories presents: Kenion Street is a one-off live album launch taking place at Heywood Civic (LCpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, OL10 1LW) on Saturday 14 March 2026 - a celebration of both legacy and what’s happening now.

The evening will be hosted by Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets), with special guest appearances from Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), Vox (The Chameleons) and Martin Moscrop (A Certain Ratio) - artists whose own histories are bound to the borough’s studio walls.

But this isn’t simply nostalgia dressed up as tribute.

Funded by Arts Council England and launched by Rochdale Development Agency as part of the wider Rochdale Music Stories campaign, fourteen local artists have been invited to reimagine tracks originally recorded at Cargo and Suite Sixteen. The result is a new limited-edition vinyl compilation — Rochdale Music Stories presents: Kenion Street — recorded at Voltalab Sound Studios, the building that now stands where Cargo once did.

On the night, the artists will perform their reinterpretations live.

The Line-Up

Audiences can expect performances from:

K-Estate
Micah Stalgic
Desyfer & Emma Konnanov
From The Ground Up
PoolEra
Medley
P*Starr
Blvckout
The Velvet Shadow
Leo HC

Each artist bringing a contemporary voice to a track born on Kenion Street.

The Album

Released on 14 March 2026 as a high-quality limited-edition vinyl, the compilation features:

1. Micah Stalgic ft. Local Vocals – “Atmosphere” (Joy Division)
2. K-Estate – “Damaged Goods” (Gang of Four)
3. Desyfer & Emma Konnanov – “Twenty Four Hour Party People” (Happy Mondays)
4. P*Starr – “Keep The Circle Around” (Inspiral Carpets)
5. Leo HC – “Up The Down Escalator” (The Chameleons)
6. PoolEra – “Electricity” (OMD)
7. Medley – “Dreams Never End” (New Order)
8. Blvckout – “All Night Party” (A Certain Ratio)
9. The Velvet Shadow ft. Maisie Thompson – “All Tomorrow’s Parties” (Nico)
10. Jennifer Reid – “Totally Wired” (The Fall)
11. From The Ground Up ft. Bloom Music Community – “Elephant Stone” (The Stone Roses)

It’s a record that understands inheritance not as imitation, but as conversation.

A Borough That Remembers - and Rebuilds

Rochdale’s musical lineage stretches from Gracie Fields to Lisa Stansfield, from Autechre to The Courteeners. It has always produced sound that feels slightly sideways, slightly ahead.

Voltalab Sound Studios - rebuilt in 2013 by producer Jamie Alsop - now occupies the space where Cargo and Suite Sixteen once operated. With custom design and careful restoration, the studio honours its roots while shaping new work. It has become more than a recording space: a rehearsal room, a collaboration hub, a gathering point. Projects such as Voltalab Live continue to platform talent from Rochdale and beyond.

The Rochdale Music Stories project extends that spirit. Alongside the album and concert, a dedicated area on the Rochdale Creates website will archive stories, podcasts and memorabilia - building a lasting cultural record for future generations.

This is heritage not locked in glass, but played back at full volume.

Event Details

Rochdale Music Stories presents: Kenion Street – Album Launch Concert
Saturday 14 March 2026
Heywood Civic, OL10 1LW
Hosted by Clint Boon
Special guest appearances from Peter Hook, Vox and Martin Moscrop

Tickets are on sale now from £13.65: HERE

The limited-edition vinyl album will be released the same day.