Although The Haçienda is currently well known, at the time it was part of the 'marginal activity' circulating Manchester city centre. The small scale (however not insignificant) weekly events at The Haçienda were in conflict with mainstream culture at the time because it was something different, independent and new. As Manchester was at industrial ruin at the time, The Haçienda was hosted in an old warehouse. The thick walls of the old building were perfect to play loud music in, but the run down look of the place added to the charm of the event. You were out of the ordinary if you attended these events. Music was played that you hadn't necessarily heard before, but you were immersed into a marginal sub culture with people who had similar interests and the same spark of independence from the 'norm'.
There was little marketing for the events hosted at The Haçienda, which kept its crowds small and prices low. Word of mouth and one off flyers were the height of advertising.
Fanzines were a main topic during Dave's talk, in particular one called "City Fun". The fanzines were sarcastic, contained jokes and artwork, and most importantly were always hand made. They explored the potential of the new and exciting punk sub culture, being imaginative and creative. "City Fun" gave the first ever written review The Smiths which were also part of the small scale margins.
Mainstream culture eventually caught up to this style, which left the punk sub culture to question, "what to do next?" After all one of the main philosophies of punk culture was "Question Everything." This is something from an artist point of view, we should all have at the front of our consciousness. QUESTION EVERYTHING.
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