Annik Honoré (12 October 1957 – 3 July 2014) was a Belgian journalist and music promoter best known for her association with Ian Curtis, the former lead singer and lyricist of Joy Division.[1] She co-founded record labels Les Disques du Crépuscule and Factory Benelux.
Early life
Honoré was born in Mons, Belgium on 12 October 1957.[2] As a teenager she became interested in rock music, attending various concerts in London as well as other locations. She moved to London in 1979, taking a job as a secretary at the Belgian Embassy.[3][4]
In late 1979, Honoré and journalist Michel Duval began promoting musical events at the Raffinerie du Plan K venue in Brussels. Joy Division, and Cabaret Voltaire performed on the club's opening night on 16 October. A few months later, in 1980, Honoré and Duval founded Factory Benelux as a Continental offshoot of Factory Records as well as Les Disques du Crépuscule, an independent Belgian music label.[5][6] Honoré chose the name "Crépuscule."[7]
In the summer of 1984, she was the tour manager of Front 242 during their American tour.[8]
Relationship with Ian Curtis
According to Honoré, in a 2010 interview, her relationship with Ian Curtis, which ended with his death in 1980, was platonic.[3][4] Curtis' widow, Deborah Curtis, has characterised the relationship, which she claims began in August 1979, as an "affair".[9]
Honoré left the music business in 1985. From 1986 she worked as a civil servant, specifically as a secretary in the Research and Innovation department of the European Commission in Brussels.[11] She had two children, Bertrand and Sasha.[12][13] She died of cancer on 3 July 2014.[14][15][16][8][17]
References
^Hook, Peter (2013). Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN9780062222572.
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