Meet the Macclesfield man behind new Joy Division tour of the town
By Alex Greensmith
7th Apr 2024 | Local News
A Macclesfield resident has started a Joy Division-themed tour of Macclesfield.
Trevor Stokes is a Macclesfield dad, who has lived here since he was three.
He has forged a long career in the fashion industry, and recently launched a successful new side gig of showing music fans Joy Division's many connections to Macclesfield.
Joy Division, which had two members from Macclesfield, were a late 1970s post-punk band fronted by Macclesfield resident Ian Curtis,
Curtis lived in three homes in the town. The world-famous musician went to Hurdsfield Primary School before going onto King's School Macclesfield.
It is these places, and more, that are the feature of a new Joy Division tour, led by the local Joy Division superfan.
Trevor bleeds Macclesfield. His passion for the town is only matched by his passion for Joy Division.
But Trevor isn't just a fan, as his paths crossed with Ian Curtis throughout life.
Macclesfield Nub News met with Trevor for a tour, to find out more.
"This is my passion," said Trevor.
"What I like about doing them is showing people from out of town Macclesfield, getting them to interact with the town, as well as keeping the story of Ian and Joy Division alive and relevant."
"The people are what make the tour, whether it is the local people who say 'hello' and give their opinion on Ian or the band, to the people from all over the world that come to Macclesfield.
"Every single person that has been on my tour that is from out of town, always go away and say 'what an amazing place Macclesfield is'.
"As someone who lives here every day, doing this tour has really opened up the value of Macclesfield from an outsider's point of view."
As a tour guide, Trevor is personable, engaging and knowledgable. This was evidenced by Trevor - whilst meeting Macclesfield Nub News - answering a question about where Ian's wedding reception was in seconds flat. (The answer is The Bulls Head pub, where Fina is now, on Market Place).
Trevor knows what pubs Ian used to frequent - namely The Brewers Arms, The Nags Head, The Castle and The Prince Albert - to the name of his pet dog. Doing this tour has even seen people from Ian's past reach out to Trevor.
Trevor describes his tour as '2-3 hours of enjoyment', with 12 pitstops of places in Ian's life.
The length varies, as some tour guests want to go and drink in the Henbury pub Ian went in before he got married, or just to hang out with Trevor afterwards.
Attendees will head to Ian's places of work, locations used in the 2007 Joy Division movie Control, and more surprises along the way.
Trevor will add interactive elements, like reading a poem an 11-year-old Curtis wrote in Hurdsfield, to showing pictures from his life that have not been seen online.
The tour culminates at Chestergate bar proper sound, home to Macclesfield's first Ian Curtis mural, and Joy Division artwork or records which you can buy.
"There's some revelations, with things they maybe didn't know about Joy Division and Ian," told Trevor.
"And they are going to be a part of the story, as the story keeps on going."
Trevor and Ian had 12 years between them in age, but as Trevor's grandfather lived near Ian, the young Trevor met Ian and the musician left an impression on him.
"My granddad lived around the corner from Ian, so when I was a boy I used to see Ian quite often.
"People would say, does that mean I was a friend of his? I wasn't a friend of his, I was too young."
Ian would tease Trevor and give him the nickname 'Terry', knowing that it would wind the young Trevor up.
When asked about whether giving these tours around Macclesfield gives him pride, Trevor had this to say: "I think that is something really deep-seated, about the fundamental values of this great town, the history of it and the great people within it."
"Sharing that with people gives me enormous pride, and pleasure to share this great area that we live in, and spread the story within the town's history which is so important to me.
"Showing my town to someone from Florida, someone from Chile, someone from Italy, that is something I take immense pride in."
Just this past weekend Trevor has welcomed guests from Brazil and Hungary to his tour.
Trevor is keen to stress that that the tour is done with sensitivity, and pays homage to Joy Division's legacy.
Trevor's tour is respectful, likely due to the fact that he considers Ian as one of his personal heroes.
During the visit to Ian's headstone at Macclesfield Crematorium, Trevor will leave his guest alone for five minutes, so they can pay their respects.
During these five minutes, Trevor will go and visit the headstone of his late grandfather, who used to go drinking at The Prince Albert pub with Ian.
Trevor is even keen to highlight the happiness in Ian's short life. During the tour, he stresses that while he did end his life at his Barton Street home, it is also a place full of happy memories. 77 Barton Street is where he went to after his wedding day, and brought his daughter Natalie home to for the first time.
When asked about what else he likes about doing the tour, Trevor said: "Interacting about the music and swapping opinions on the music and lyrics."
"If you get to do a hobby and a passion as a living, it brings you a lot of pleasure and enjoyment."
"I would encourage anyone that is interested in music, never mind Joy Division, to come along and share the history of this town, because the story of Ian is the history of Macclesfield."
Trevor, who grew up on the Moss estate, and until recently had a house just around the corner from Barton Street, is a former pupil of Ryles Park and Ash Grove schools. He was a youth footballer for Macclesfield Town FC.
By coincidence, Trevor was married in the same church as Ian.
When pressed for a favourite Joy Division track, Trevor couldn't pick just one.
Ceremony, which was which was written by Joy Division, but not officially released until it became the first single by New Order, was the first he mentioned. But if that doesn't count, Trevor opted for Atmosphere.
In the long-term, Trevor would like to organise a day held every year, where Macclesfield comes together to celebrate the town's Joy Division legacy.
Should you wish to book Trevor for a Joy Division tour of Macclesfield, please contact him on Facebook. £4 from each ticket sale goes to charity.
Don't know Joy Division? You can listen to their single She's Lost Control, by clicking the play button above. A video detailing Trevor's tour can also be viewed at the top of this article.
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