Although only existing for a tantalisingly brief three years or so and splitting before they made an album, MANICURED NOISE remain one of the most fascinating, semi-hidden entries in the Mancunian post-punk lexicon.
Coming outta the concrete crescents and tower blocks of Hulme, they had a dynamic two-girl/ two-boy line up (including a killer female rhythm section) and rehearsed at the vast, crumbling warehouse space of TJ Davidson's (next door to the soon-to-be massively influential Joy Division), yet musically they were ahead of their time by throwing open the windows and letting the dance-enhanced sunshine in a good couple of years before UK punk-funkers like Pigbag and Maximum Joy were making the more discerning British dancefloors shake.
Indeed, it was only when the ever-vigilant Caroline True released the tremendous 'Northern Stories 1978 -80' collection in 2006 that it became apparent what a rich legacy MN had left behind, even when it was compiled from a variety of sources such as radio sessions, live performances and the few official single releases they clocked up during their brief lifespan.
One of 'Northern Stories” key tracks was/ is 'Faith' – originally unleashed by the PRE label in 1980 and still sounding as fresh and arresting now as on its' original release. One of MN's most direct and confident outings, it cocks a snook to both the past (its' Twisted Wheel-style Northern soul backbeat) and future ( its' slippery danceability which pre-dated the coming of the Hacienda by several years) and also referenced frontman Steven Walsh's transatlantic influences – courtesy of the clipped, Nile Rodgers-style guitars and the occasional, David Byrne-ish psychosis in the vocals - without ever sacrificing Manicured Noise's own distinctive grit and guile.
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It's fantastic in its' original form, but even when tweaked reverently by hip NYC producer/ DJ Pocketknife (Joanna Newsome, Feist, Paul Simon), its' sharpness and class is merely enhanced, leaving us with the 'Straight Line Edit': something which – along with Domino's recent unearthing of Liquid Liquid's 'Slip In & Out Of The Phenomenon' – reminds us why both Manchester and New York have long played vital roles in encouraging the underground to dance.
OK, historical re-appraisal over. Go get (re)discovering all for yourself.
(http://www.myspace.com/manicurednoise)
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