Pandora is one of those songs that sticks in the psyche, that's instantly memorable even though you've never heard it before. Like all of Chris Flynn's three preview acoustic tracks that are lined up for an album next year, it's evocative of proper Salford… "down the lanes where our memories rust".
There's magic and romance in the old canals, and there's angst in the towerblocks where "dead end streets point to the sky". The characters and their vibe straddle the verses of Chris Flynn's tunes, sometimes inwardly screaming, sometimes turning up the volume of enchantment in the Dirty Old Town…
"I've spent most of my life in Salford and most of the music has a backdrop of Salford, so the characters have a Salford flavour" says Chris "The old canal in the song Pandora relates directly to Dirty Old Town; that's a comment on the changing face of Salford as well as looking back to the past, and perhaps an ex lover."
Pandora is the name of the first woman in Greek mythology who, via her Box, unleashed all the evils of the world, as well as hope. The video of the tune sees the Salford version played by Maxine Peake filmed, not by a canal, but at the Eagle Inn…
"It was essential that we came away from a bloke playing a guitar by the canal, we wanted a narrative" explains Chris "We were lucky enough to get Maxine to play Pandora, which was great because I just got to stare across the pub and look into her eyes for about four hours which was quite magical really.
"We played her the song, she loved where we were coming from with it and agreed to be part of it" he adds "It was an honour really."
Meanwhile, another Salford woman is immortalised in the Chris Flynn song, Anita – "the wrong one" who gets the hell out of the city looking for a better way "where no-one knows her name"…
"I often walk around Salford and one day I saw some graffiti on the subway wall near the Precinct and it was just this name, Anita Hepburn" Chris recalls "It's one of those names and I thought `Who is this character? What could she have done?' That was the starting point for that song."
Each of the three preview acoustic songs tells a story and leaves the listener wanting more. Next Saturday, 30th November, there's a whole run through of Chris Flynn's album, complete with musicians who will beef up the acoustic sound. The gig also celebrates the radio release of Pandora and will air the video starring Maxine Peake. It should be a top night, starring a top, top singer songwriter…
Chris Flynn and guests
Saturday 30th November 8pm
Castle Hotel, Oldham Street, Manchester
To hear the acoustic songs of Chris Flynn - click here
For ticket details click here
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