Section 25's Larry Cassidy Dies at 56

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Mar 1, 2010

Larry Cassidy, the front-man of Factory Records' post-punk band Section 25, has died. He was 56.

The cause of Cassidy's death has yet to be confirmed, but according to a brief post on Section 25's website, the Blackpool, UK resident passed away on Saturday (February 27).

Though Section 25 found little commercial success in North America, the group played a key role in Manchester's burgeoning music scene of the early '80s. After signing to the seminal Factory Records in 1979, the band went on to work with Joy Division's Ian Curtis and manager Rob Gretton, who both produced Section 25's first 1980 single, "Girls Don't Count," as well as famed Joy Division/New Order producer Martin Hannett and visual artist Peter Saville.

While Section 25's earlier work definitely fell under the post-punk umbrella, the group soon shifted focus to a more synth pop-oriented sound by their third album, 1984's stellar From the Hip, which was produced by New Order's Bernard Sumner and held the band's most renowned single, "Looking From a Hilltop." Joining the band on From the Hip was Cassidy's wife Jenny, who succumbed to cancer in 2004.

Section 25 broke up in 1986, but reformed in May 2006 and eventually released the new studio album Part-Primitiv on LTM in April 2007. This was followed by Nature + Degree in 2009.

At the time of Cassidy's death, the band were currently working on a remix project entitled Retrofit and, according to the Section 25 website, were "about 75% through recording and mixing" the album. The record was to be released by LTM in May and coincide with a series of live dates.

NME points to several emerging online tributes to Cassidy and his work, including a statement from New Order's Peter Hook, who says, "I am so deeply shocked to hear about Larry, and very upset."

Cassidy's brother and Section 25 drummer Vin also released a statement, saying, "My brother Larry wasn't always the easiest person to be in a band with, but he was the best."

Cassidy is survived by his partner Lesley and two children.

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