The Guardian invited readers to put questions to the Durutti Column, the long-running Manchester band fronted by guitarist Vini Reilly, as they release their first album in 16 years. Alongside drummer Bruce Mitchell and producer Keir Stewart, Reilly reflects on the band's origins on Factory Records, its associations with Joy Division and the wider Manchester music scene, and the personal struggles that shaped his life and music, including a period of severe depression as a teenager. The piece matters as a rare, candid glimpse into the story behind one of the era's most quietly influential and unclassifiable acts.

The interview covers colourful anecdotes, including the myth that Joy Division helped glue sandpaper sheets onto the cover of the band's debut album The Return of the Durutti Column (Reilly says he witnessed but didn't take part, while Mitchell recalls Joy Division being paid for the tedious job). Reilly also discusses his troubled youth in Manchester, including a period when he ran away wanting to end his life, and his father's death during his O-levels. Other topics include a Blood Orange collaboration built from a sampled Durutti Column track, and the band's surprisingly broad and eclectic fanbase, said to include Stewart Lee, Chris Morris, Max Richter, Richard Ayoade, John Frusciante and Chris Martin, among others.