Joe Theobald, aka DJ Captain Wormhole, Looks at all things vinyl 

WHILE I was reading and watching stuff about Martin Hannett for last week’s column I gave 24 Hour Party People a re-watch.

There’s a line from Coogan as Tony Wilson where he refers to A Certain Ratio as being better dressed than Joy Division (while walking in to their dressing room, where they’re wearing uniforms reminiscent of the Hitler Youth).

This struck me as I’ve always thought of Joy Division as being a remarkably well turned out band, particularly Curtis, and particularly remarkable in light of their punk origins.

Dressing up to play music is a bit like losing weight to play darts. What’s the point? You might look better, but you might just look silly, and out of place, unprofessional even.

There’s a distinction here, between the well-dressed fashionista band/musician and acts that adopt a uniform, for example Dexys Midnight Runners, The Hives or Daft Punk.

Bowie wore a lot of crazy outfits and is infamous for his everchanging outrageous visual personas yet the man has gone down in history as a pivotal artist, whilst The Village People, who are known by many predominantly for their outfits, command none of the reverence reserved for Bowie.

Would Bowie have been a better artist if he wore less make up? Would the Wurzels still get booked for University summer balls if they bought their clothes from Top Man? Are The Village People’s careers victims of a major marketing blunder?

All are difficult questions to answer.

Fashion and music will always be closely connected, and I’ve not been averse to donning a black cape and tin foil hat when the occasion justifies such an ensemble. But when you’re head down in a club or you’re sat on a bus with your earphones plugged in or wasted in a field in Somerset surely you don’t care whether the producer was wearing ZX600s or if the bassist and drummer had matching ties; it’s all about the music, right?