Chemicals, canals and concert history at island
BRITAIN’S industrial heritage is apparent across the North West. From the world’s first passenger railway line, to a labyrinthine network of canals, St Helens’ former glass factories, Birkenhead’s shipbuilding or the Liverpool docks, industry has shaped how the region looks.
And among one of the most distinctive locations is the man-made Spike Island in Widnes.
It was created when part of the town was cut off by the extension of a canal and Spike Island became the centre of Britain’s chemical trade during the industrial revolution and brought thousands of workers to Widnes.
Now, it’s most closely associated with a 1990 gig by The Stone Roses, which NME said was to be “the defining moment of a generation”.
Spike Island was created by an extension to the Sankey Canal.
The world’s first modern canal and England’s first of the industrial revolution, the canal opened in 1757 and originally followed the Sankey Brook from the Mersey to Parr, passing through Warrington.
It was extended to the River Mersey at Widnes in 1833. This split secTheir crowning moment was at Spike Island in 1990, when almost 30,000 people flocked to Widnes.
The band and its management had considered a number of locations for the sizeable outdoor gig, including speedway tracks and caravan parks.
However, they plumped for the Cheshire former industrial hub.
Ian Brown told NME in 2010: “We wanted to do something outside the rock’n’roll norm and do it in a venue which had never been used for that sort of thing before.
“This was back in the days of raves, remember. We started out doing warehouse parties and we still had that mentality where we wanted to play different venues. We wanted to play places that weren’t on the circuit.”
Andy Fyfe wrote for NME: “Spike Island was to be the Roses’ defining statement, a celebration of not only their own success, but of an entire youth culture.”
He added: “It had been hyped up for months before; endlessly emphasised that this was the defining moment of a generation – when rock meets rave, the point at which the music world was going to explode in one big group hug.”
The run-up to the gig was somewhat calamitous. The band were facing a criminal damage case after a fall-out with their former label boss over the Sally Cinnamon music video.
They hadn’t played live for six months either, and a warm-up tour of Scandinavia was said to be disappointing.
Yet, fans came to Spike Island in their droves for the gig on May 27.
The band recall difficulties with facilities, including security staff allegedly taking food and drink off punters, overcharging for refreshments, an underwhelming PA system and toilet issues.
To make matters worse, the island itself was at risk of flooding, as a rising tide threatened to burst onto land.
After support from DJs Dave Haslam, Paul Oakenfold and Frankie Bones, the Roses took the stage at 9pm and opened with their hit I Wanna Be Adored. Red smoke filled the Cheshire air.
Though the 90-minute concert became iconic, the quality of performance remains contentious.
NME’s Andy Fyfe said that the band played “abysmally” and “had no funk to them at all”.
Author Jon Ronson saw it differently. He told NME: “Even though the sound was blowing all over the place, it was impossible not to be moved by it.
“When Brown came out brandishing an inflatable globe (during the show), it was everything it was supposed to be – the world in their hands.
“When you saw it, you absolutely felt like you were a part of something, at the centre of that place and time.”
Modern-day Spike Island is a far cry from its industrial past. It is maintained as parkland by Halton Council and the cycling route known as the Trans-Pennine Trail passes through.
The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, located next to the island, tells the story of the area’s industrial past while its observatory has a panoramic view of Widnes and the Mersey.