DID you know that Bolton not only played a part in bringing together one of the founding fathers of the British punk scene but also the creation of an iconic album cover bearing its name?

It has been well documented that 41 years ago at the former Bolton Institute of Technology Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto joined together to create the Buzzcocks.

Perhaps less well known is the fact that a year later an aspiring design student was commandeering a photocopier in one of the town's office buildings to help create a record cover for the band.

Decades later Malcolm Garrett and Linder Sterling's sleeve for Orgasm Addict is now treated as a work of art in its own right and is inspiring a new series of events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the single's release.

In the summer of 1977 Malcolm was a 21-years-old at Manchester Polytechnic and working a summer holiday job at the offices of Chloride when he was asked to help create the single cover.

He said: "It is very exciting and little bit sobering to realise we have 40 years of heritage which stared in Bolton and here we are celebrating that.

"Chloride contacted the Poly because their designer who working in the drawing office had a slipped disk and they needed a stand in. I had access to some professional design tools including a photocopier and that helped me produce artwork for Orgasm Addict.

"That iconic thing was partly produced in Bolton but not a lot of people know that."

Linder, a fellow Poly student, introduced Malcolm to Howard and then manager Richard Boon earlier that year and the duo started producing posters and flyers for Buzzcocks gigs.

Orgasm Addict, released in November 1977 , combined Linder's montage featuring a naked torso with colour and graphics by Malcolm.

He went on to create many more iconic pieces for the band's singles and albums – including Fizzing at the terminals and Love You More – and when the band reformed in 1989, as well as creating designs for many other musicians including Duran Duran and Boy George.

In the meantime the cover has come to symbolise the fresh feel of the scene at the time and has gone on to feature in a post-modernism exhibition at the V&A.

Malcolm adds: "We didn't want it to look like the rest of the punk bands, they were from London, we were from the north and Manchester. We wanted to have our own look.

"It was fresh, exciting, vibrant and personal."

DM17, Manchester’s festival of design and creativity, will be hosting a “four-track EP of events” on the theme celebrating the 40th anniversary.

Running from October 11 to 22, it will feature an exhibition of Malcolm's for the Buzzcocks from 1977 to 2017 at PLANT NOMA, the pop-up studio at Manchester's Sadler’s Yard.

Orgasm Addict Reframed will see Buzzcocks fans and leading designers from across the world offer their versions of the controversial Orgasm Addict sleeve, with results on show across venues across Manchester.

The band will also play the O2 Manchester Ritz on October 19, with support from all-female Manchester punk band PINS.

The final event is an exhibition about Buzzcocks 1976–1977 at the University of Bolton.

for more information visit designmcr.com.