Joy Division’s Ian Curtis Mural in Manchester Destroyed by Rap Artists Album Advertisement

Publish Date: Friday, 19 August 2022, 9:56AM

Absolutely disgusted to hear the @akse_P19 Ian Curtis mural in Manchester has been painted over. It isn’t important what has replaced it but simply that it has been replaced. This should have been a tribute to a legend for as long as that building remained. Angry ain’t close. pic.twitter.com/BozuDrziPB
— ᴍᴀɴᴄʜᴇꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ™️ (@MANCHESTERMUS10) August 16, 2022

Manchester rapper Aitch has apologised after an advertisement promoting his new album was painted over top a beloved mural of a late hometown hero, Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis.

The advertisement went up on August 16, ahead of the rapper’s album release this Friday. Aitch tweeted a statement following a social media uproar, promising to “fix” the mural.

It’s come to light that the iconic Ian Curtis mural on Port Street has been painted over with my album artwork. This is the first time I’ve heard of this, me and my team are getting this fixed pronto. No way on earth would I want to disrespect a local hero like Ian.

MCR ❤️🐝
— Aitch (@OfficialAitch) August 16, 2022

The rapper also claimed he wasn’t consulted about the location of this advertisement.

Curtis’ bandmate Peter Hook responded to Aitch with this tweet: “Thank you @OfficialAitch great gesture.”

The Ian Curtis mural debuted in October 2020. It was painted by the graffiti artist Akse P19. It was painted as a mental health awareness initiative with support from Manchester City Council. “[The mural] had become a cultural landmark and meant so much to people from Manchester and beyond,” Akse shared on his official social channels. “It doesn’t take much common sense to understand that this mural should have remained for what it represented and stood for.”

This article was first published on pitchfork.com

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