A series of tribute concerts will be held in Stockport this summer, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of Manchester’s most influential bands, 10cc. The concerts will take place at Garrick Theatre on Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25.
Some of the band’s best loved songs will be performed by tribute band 50cc, which is made up of Sean Macreavy, Paul McNulty, Matt Buckley, Paul Roberts, Owen Johnstone and Eric Baumgartner. While multi-instrumentalist Eric is coming over from Atalanta especially for the gig, the rest of the band are UK-based.
The 50cc concerts will form the centrepiece of a weekend of celebrations for 10cc’s fiftieth anniversary. There will also be a walking tour of Stockport, which will stop off at the Strawberry Gallery at Stockport Museum and Strawberry Studios. Stockport’s popular Foodie Friday is also getting in on the action and will feature a special 10cc theme on Friday, June 24.
Commenting on the tribute concert, Paul McNulty said: “As well as being huge 10cc fans, Sean and I are musicians, so it followed naturally that we’d want to acknowledge the band’s 50th anniversary in some sort of musical way. We’d performed a special gig at The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre in Chorlton in 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road, which was a big success so we thought it would be a great idea to do something similar for the 50th anniversary of 10cc.
“As well as all the 10cc hits, we’ll also be playing many deep cuts, including selections from Graham Gouldman’s early song writing career in the 1960s and his post 10cc success with Wax, as well as some favourite Godley and Creme hits. We’re also inviting anyone who wants to, to become part of the backing chorus for I’m Not in Love.”
The gigs have come off the back of The Consequences Podcast, which was started by 50cc members Paul and Sean in April 2019. The podcast originally focused on the lesser-known Lol Creme and Kevin Godley’s Consequences album before making its way through the rest of the band’s back catalogue.
The podcast has given Paul and Sean the chance to uncover many fascinating stories about the Manchester music scene from the 1960s onwards. They’ve also interviewed Gouldman and Godley on multiple occasions, often playing them long forgotten recordings.
Formed in Stockport in 1972, the rock band was originally made up of Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart. The band achieved eleven Top 10 hits, and over 15 million albums sold in the UK alone, with three no 1 singles - Rubber Bullets, Dreadlock Holiday and the iconic I’m Not in Love.
Most of the band's songs were recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, where they had worked together as a house band for four years before they stepped into their own spotlight as 10cc. Before it closed in 1993, Strawberry Studios hosted some of Manchester’s most revered musical exports including Joy Division, The Smiths and The Stone Roses.
Tickets cost £19.50 are available for purchase here.
Get the latest What's On news - from food and drink to music and nightlife - straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.
