In July 1986 Factory Records organised the Festival of the Tenth Summer. The Mancunian cultural extravaganza celebrated the 10 years since the seminal Sex Pistols gigs at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. The event culminated in an all day concert at the Manchester G-Mex Centre showcasing the cream of North west music, headlined by the Smiths and New Order. A year later Happy Mondays released their first album and the Inspiral Carpets were getting out there on flexi-disc. The Hacienda was transforming from it's truly northern Bernard Manning opening night, attended by a curious handful of like-minded folk to a venue heaving with very like-minded folk courtesy of a burgeoning new scene and new drug ecstasy.
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No Immunity 1987. Photo: Darren Jones
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Against this exciting musical backdrop in the autumn of '86 school band No Immunity started making music in the back room of a South Manchester semi. In a short space of time they progressed from playing high schools to the iconic International One venue in Manchester.
By early '88 the band was in it's final incarnation of Darren Jones (guitar), Tom Wainwright (guitar) and Jonathan Baz Barrett (drums) and new boy Carl Lawson, who took up the mantle of bass guitar.
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New arrival Carl, Strawberry Studios. February 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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At the same time Baz had started work at the famous Strawberry Studios in Stockport and it didn't take too long before the band were using the recording facilities surreptitiously during the quiet of night.
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The graveyard shift. John Pennington, Baz, Tom, Darren, Strawberry Studios. February 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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In February '88 during their first overnight sessions they recorded and mixed a song 'Mango'. The song would be staple part of the Rig live set and crop up on a b-side a few years later. This early version featured drummer Baz putting in an earnest vocal performance. This is from a cassette recording of an early monitor mix, but it buzzes with energy.
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Baz, Tom, John Pennington. Strawberry Studios. February 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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The song was picked up by
Turtle Breeder fanzine and in July '88 issue six hit the news stands and included a release of their first and only cassette compilation. The band found themselves in the esteemed company of the Inspiral Carpets, What?Noise and the Chameleons on the Turtle Breeder demo tape.
The band returned to Strawberry in May '88 for another session and the last with Tom on board. His head had been turned by the bright lights and beats of the emerging Hacienda dance scene and he disappeared to successfully make his name as a leading house DJ. But not before he helped put down an updated version of 'Blue Sox' (one of the first songs they'd written) and fill it full of classic guitar hooks.
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John Pennington, Baz, Tom. Strawberry Studios. May 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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Tom, Baz, Carl, Darren. French look de rigueur. Strawberry Studios. May 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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A final No Immunity demo was completed in Strawberry in August '88 with the band as a three-piece. At this point, the new outside musical influences were starting to take hold. Manchester bands such as the Happy Mondays were starting to make a noise and would lead the band away from their indie guitar based roots. So despite being an older song the left-field arrangement and groove based delivery of 'Come Upstairs' was a clear departure. Guitarist Darren picked up vocals duties on this one.
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Darren, Baz, Carl, John Pennington. Strawberry Studios. August 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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Engineer extraordinaire and What?Noise co-founder, Chris Nagle was on hand to remix a version of 'Blue Sox' which together with some of the tracks recorded earlier in the year made for an interesting demo tape. Or at least Mick Middles of the Manchester Evening News thought so.
Adam Rockingham (vocals) was the final piece of the Rig jigsaw.
He joined Darren, Baz and Carl in late '88 and Rig were perfectly formed.
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Adam, Baz, Darren. Strawberry Studios. December 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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The new look band returned to Strawberry for their final session of the year in December to record new new songs 'Thud' and 'B.R.O'. The two songs would eventually see the light of day on complication albums 18 months down the line.
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Carl. Strawberry Studios. December 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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Darren. Strawberry Studios. December 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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The band were beginning to hone their sound. Industrial, full of energy and noisy enthusiasm while keeping the dance edge. Simple one word song titles shed no light on their origin or meaning. It was certainly different and Rig were beginning to get themselves noticed.
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John Pennington, Carl, Baz. Strawberry Studios. December 1988. Photo: Darren Jones
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At the start of 1989 the fresh faced band had their first group pictures taken around Castlefield in Manchester in what would be a breakthrough year for music and the city.
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Rig. Castlefield, Manchester. February 1989 Photo:Gina
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The bands' expanding sound meant the first of several honorary members joined Rig in February '89. With new addition Dave Drennan supplementing on keyboards, they recorded a demo of a new song 'Hum' at the sunny Central College of Gorton. A final version of the song (and a dance remix) would make an appearance on their first single.
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Rig. Gorton College. February 1989 Photo: Darren Jones
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At this early stage in their career Rig hadn't completed the usual gigging apprenticeship before entering a recording studio. Instead their sound was developed and thrashed out in rehearsal rooms across Stockport and back-Manchester, generating ideas that would be committed to tape across late night recording sessions.
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Adam, Strawberry Studios. May 1989 Photo: Darren Jones
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This confidence in the studio was reflected in the uncompromising 'Dig' and 'Hum' recorded in May '89, again at Strawberry Studios and with young house engineer John Pennington again at the helm. John by this point was well and truly part of the extended Rig family.
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Baz, John. Strawberry Studios. May 1989. Photo: Darren Jones
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Although they didn't know it at the time, they had their first single in the bag.
All they had to do now was make this monster work live on stage.
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Darren. Strawberry Studios. May 1989. Photo: Darren Jones
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