Good Cop Bad War Neil Woods and Friends

Former undercover cop turned turned drug regulation advocate Neil Woods, makes a rare appearance at the Salutation Manchester with musical pals Dark FIdelity HiFi and Thought Universe.

Neil - writer of seminal books - Good Cop Bad War (now in film treatment) and Drug Wars is a former UK police officer and undercover drugs operative. Now he’s an active member of the international drug policy reform movement.

He worked undercover between 1993 and 2007 befriending and gaining the trust of some of the most violent, unpredictable criminals in Britain.

With the insight that can only come from having fought on its front lines, Neil came to see the true futility of the War on Drugs - that it demonises those who need help, and empowers the very worst elements in society.

Neil is a board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) in the USA, and in the U.K. (LEAP UK).

LEAP is a growing international organisation that advocates an evidence based drug policy and related criminal justice reforms. The group is made up entirely of serving and former police and other law enforcement.

The mission at LEAP (Law Enforcement Action Partnership) is to reduce the multitude of harmful consequences resulting from our current drug policies and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime and addiction. We’re advocates for evidence based policies with a public health focus for drugs and mental health.

Former and serving police and enforcement officers campaigning against the futility of fighting a war that can't be won. the emergence of Narco States, and the eco cost of the drugs trade.

Tunes will be played throughout the evening by special guest Mr Jason Rushton. Master of the tasteful set. We are delighted to welcome Jason to PDT. Atherton based Snug Selector main man Jason specialises in playing chilled top tunes creating good vibes to warm a room in a way that only a devoted lover of music can.
This gig has special poignancy for us as we still in shock at the passing of our friend Lee.

Dr. Mark Iain Pilkington is a composer and performer of electroacoustic music. His practice encapsulates both sound and image to extend spatial imaginings between real and virtual space. The coupling of sound and image are applied to electroacoustic composition, installation, and screen-based works. Forging immaterial and creative labor through a network of interwoven and augmented territories, his work increasingly queries the way operations carry great critical and creative potential. Seeking new modes of critical engagement that incorporate multiple narratives through non-digital and digital aesthetic informs the direction of his pedagogy. His theoretical research focuses on the relationship between artistic genres and their respective aesthetic theories with reference to electroacoustic music, sound synthesis, visual music, coding, philosophy, and film. His practice especially focuses on audio-visual composition using real and virtual entities to explore time and space. His work has been performed, exhibited and screened at conferences and festivals globally. ICMC, ARS Electronica, ZKM | Karlsruhe, MANTIS festival and the Open Circuit Festival. Interdisciplinary work is carried out collaboratively with artists and composers.

Director of Thought Universe Music releasing and promoting music recorded at Thought Universe EMS, Manchester. Thought Universe is also the name of Mark’s solo beat based electronic music.

His drawings and paintings provide material for his electronic sound compositions.

Jury statement on award winners Giga-Hertz Production Prize 2020

Teaching and Education:

He currently teaches piano and music technology in secondary schools in Manchester, UK.

P/T Lecturer in Electroacoustic Composition at the University of Manchester – 2017-2018

Senior Associate Lecturer in Music at Lancaster University – 2012-2014

Futureworks Senior lecturer in Music Production 2004 – 2012

PhD ‘Portfolio of Original Compositions’ in Electroacoustic Composition, under the supervision of Professor David Berezan and Professor Ricardo Climent at NOVARS Research Centre, University of Manchester UK 2013.

MA in Electroacoustic Composition, University of Huddersfield, UK 2004.

Psychedelic DiscoTech Artist in Residence 2022- 2023. Morgans Bar. Relax and Enjoy.

Extinction Rebellion Band -old blokes singing rebel songs

Chorus of Others as above, but with added menace.

This event will be filmed and recorded by Manchester University Film people and others.

Tickets on the door and skiddle. (if I can be arsed going through the algorithms etc)

All welcome, bienvenu, croeso.