Macclesfield is currently up for sale
Andrew Trendell

14:05 16th February 2015

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Following the news that late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis' former home is up for sale, fans have launched a campaign to turn the building into a museum. 

Last week it emerged that the house was for sale on Rightmove for £115,000. 77 Barton Street in Macclesfield is where Curtis, wife Debbie and daughter Natalie lived in his later years - as well as being the site of his tragic suicide in 1980.

Now, fans have launched a campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds to turn the house into a museum. 

"As important as every member of Joy Division was to the band, one member that made the difference was Ian Curtis," they say in a statement. " The troubled yet gifted singer and lead guitarist has impacted upon so many peoples lives.

"Recently his final home and the place where he spent his final moments has gone up for sale in Macclesfield and rather than it be taken by developers or sold for development, we feel a place with such cultural significance with such an important man attached deserves to be made into a museum and somewhere that Joy Division fans from around the world can come to pay respects and learn about Ian Curtis.

They add: "By donating you would help keep Joy Division and Ian Curtis alive through further generations and help provide somewhere for their millions of fans to meet and discover more." 

 Watch Joy Division's Peter Hook perform and tell the story behind 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' for Gigwise below

The news comes after a kitchen table belonging to Curtis and in the room when he killed himself was auctioned off for thousands - leading his former bandmates to slam the move in an emotional statement

  • 12. 'The Eternal': This is suggestive of the musical direction that Joy Division were expanding towards. This penultimate track on their second album and shows a mature edge. They introduce keys, and unusual samples to create an other-worldly, but majestic cut.

  • 11. 'A Means To An End': Proof that Peter Hooks cyclical riffs have a trance-like quality that absorbs the listener allowing a meander closer to Ian Curtis' intriguing lyrics.

  • 10.'Twenty Four Hours': This has a desolate feel and evokes a lot of the depression Curtis was experiencing in his life.The music that accompany his deep poetic introspective lyrics is equally moving. (Photo: Kevin Cummins)

  • 9. 'New Dawn Fades': The same descending bass riff is looped throughout the track. Curtis' vocals rise and have a wide atmosphere . He really throws himself into this track. The guitar solo at the end has a majestic Led Zeppelin-esque power.

  • 8. 'Transmission': NME places this as No.20 of greatest indie anthems of all time and it shows the band at their most anthemic and danceable. We can't help but agree.

  • 7. 'Disorder': Taken from the 1979 debut album Unknown Pleasures that was released via Factory Records. This is quintessential listening for anyone into the post punk pioneers.

  • 6. 'Digital': This shows Joy Division at their punkiest. It's Buzzcocks-esque fun with angular riffs that are hard not to imagine a room full of punks losing themselves to and throwing each other around the room.

  • 5. 'Shadowplay': A catchy repetitive bass riff, and occasional flashy solos on the lead guitar interact to create a poignant sound that feels very informed by the post-industrial financial decay of Northern England in the time of Thatcher.

  • 4. 'Isolation': This is a highlight from their second album, Closer. The LP wasn't released until after Curtis passed away. However, it showed the band not succumbing to that difficult second album narrative that so many bands today appear to suffer and ensured they'll be remembered as one of the greatest bands of all time.

  • 3. 'Candidate': A dark and experimental track that evokes Curtis' influence Jim Morrison at his angriest and bluesiest. It's got a slow tempo and has an intensely emotional bleak, Gothic, and psychedelic sound.

  • 2. 'She's Lost Control': Bassist Peter Hook's tendency to play high melodies on the bass informs a lot of Joy Division's sound and he's at his catchiest here. In combination with Curtis' simple lyrics (which document a girl having an epileptic seizure - a condition Curtis himself famously struggled with) it creates a powerful and ominous mood.

  • 1. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart': This is their most well-known and influential song, ranking among Echo And The Bunnymen's 'Killing Moon' as one of the greatest alternative pop songs ever. It's sheer miserably majesty is unparalleled - setting the template for the dizzying heights that alternative pop was capable of reaching. A true masterpiece.

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Photo: Press