In six half-hour programmes for Sky Arts, we bring you the very best of So It Goes, Granada Television’s music show presented by the late Tony Wilson of Factory Records and Hacienda fame.
Narrated by the legendary poet and musician John Cooper Clark, Anarchy in Manchester showcases the vibrant music scene of the late 1970s by recovering the unique – and largely unseen – performances filmed for Granada TV’s series So It Goes. This is a nostalgic feast of great music from one of the most creative moments for rock music in Britain.
So It Goes was a music magazine series fronted by the legendary Tony Wilson, later co-founder of Factory Records and founder and manager of The Hacienda nightclub. In two series screened in just three of the ITV regions in 1976 and 1977, So It Goes featured the first television performance by The Sex Pistols, showcased Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello and Van Morrison, and filmed in the studio and at Manchester clubs all the greats of early British punk: The Jam, The Clash, XTC, The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers and Siouxsie and the Banshees. All of these musicians appear in the six-part series.
Graphics: Ian Cross
Editor and director: Todd MacDonald
Producer: Linda Zuck
An Illuminations production for Sky Arts, 2014