Brian & Michael (aka Kevin Parrott & Mick Coleman), first met in 1965 at the Albion Inn Stalybridge.They were together in a great little 'Stax' style soul band called The Big Sound, and spent most of the rest of the 1960s living in Denmark and touring Scandinavia Germany & Israel. By 1977 Mick was writing songs and Kevin producing records, and together in their respective roles of writer & producer, they recorded the song which was a million seller, and took them to number one in the UK charts in 1978. The Ivor Novello award winning, Matchstalk Men & Matchstalk Cats & Dogs, about the painter LS Lowry. They resisted requests to perform live again as a duo. However, at the beginning of 2012 fate took a turn when their respective brothers became available to join them and form the dream band. The new band is 'The Matchstalk Men', with Kevin & Mick (Brian & Michael), Kevin's brother Nigel, Mick's brother Timmy, and keyboard player Ian Jenkins..
Why say matchstalk though it ruins the song. People say its a local term but this is bull because there's tonnes of interviews of lowry himself and he says matchstick like pretty much everyone else in the world
when you're manchester born this means a lot to a lot lowry was unrecognised for years remind me of the future in this country looking more and more victorian suppose the gov wants us to call them sir and madam like in the old days . really seems that way
I met Michael Coleman and Brian Burke as a comedy duo Burke and Jerk in Fagins in Manchester in the 1977, they were fabulous very friendly. FA Cup 1977 Liverpool v Manchester United man utd won 2-1 and they came into Fagins to celebrate and my mate and I went for a drink with them to celebrate
The thing I love about L.S. Lowry is he kept on doing what he loved. He certainly didn't let Southerners dictate terms. Lowry's success gave countless Northern Artists of all kinds 'permission' to take no notice of the posh Art World, and go for it anyway.
I'm now 73 and have loved lowry from an early age and I have 2 of his prints in my walls I went to see his video when I was in Salford many years ago x ❤❤❤
Love this. Great era l was 23 when this came out. Love the severnties. Elizabeth Farrah-Atkin HULL. Love music full stop especially The Blues foot tapping blues. Clapton, Big Mamma Thornton. Sonny Terry and Brownie Mcgee. Peter green out of Fleetwood Mac. Ace guitarist. Ben -King Awwee just loved that guy and aĺl the other Black Guitarists. Formed a band in HULL with my late husband a fanatic on the blues. He and l shared vocals to all the blues stuff . Great times in and around Hull. He was the Harmonica player. I am bias. But he was good. Hi in heaven Michael.. 🫂✝️🫂✝️🫂✝️🫂
Salfordian born and bred and very proud of my roots. I'm in my 60's now and left Salford 15 years ago for another country. This brings back so many memories of people and places, along with a few tears. I still miss the dirty old town 😢
Introduced to L S Lowry’s work by our primary school teacher in the 80s. I remember visiting a gallery in Bolton where his works were displayed in 1988.
I love this song - even though I never lived in Manchester my dad, for a short time lived in Ancotes and I loved this song , played it over and over again
I remember years ago i bought a calendar of the Lowry paintings and twelve picture frames put them in and thought i had a collection which would make me a millionaire when i sold them, how nuts is that, i thought it was a good idea at the time but then i started watching Antiques roadshow and my dreams were shattered so they stayed on the walls for a while because i loved them and then they went to the charity shop, hopefully no body did the same as me. 😂😂😂😂.
I have lived in New Zealand since 1956 and I have only just recently found this video. I went to school in Manchester and worked there for ten years I now play this song on my ukulele and mouth organ. Derek Finegan
The guy who wrote this lived on the next street to us in Manchester. Its such a lovely song and takes me back to a time when life so much simpler and so much happier.. I miss those days. Listening in 2024.
