The Manchester Music Scene: Our Guide to its Past and Present

Joy Division. The Smiths. The Fall. New Order. Happy Mondays. The Stone Roses. Oasis. The names read like a roll call of the most influential bands of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. And they all came from Manchester, emerging from punk and gestating in the ecosystem around the Factory Records label and its Haçienda night club to evolve into the smiley-faced scene that would see the city rechristened “Madchester”. Let us take you on a tour of Manchester’s legendary musical heritage, and give you an entry ticket to a scene that is as passionate about music today as it ever was.

Although it produced top pop acts from the Hollies to Herman’s Hermits, the Manchester music scene lived in the giant shadows of London and Liverpool in the 1960s. But things were about to change.

The Big Bang that led to the city becoming Britain’s music epicentre was the Sex Pistols’ gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall on 4 June 1976. Organised by locals the Buzzcocks, the show was attended by a host of figures who would go on to play integral parts in creating the music that made Manchester famous. Among the tiny audience were Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records, Mark E. Smith of the Fall, Morrissey of the Smiths, producer Martin Hannett and members of Joy Division/New Order. Seemingly everyone who was there came away with a determination to make music.

One of the first signings to Factory Records was Joy Division, whose sparse, eerie post-punk drew inspiration from Manchester’s almost dystopian urban decline at the time. After two albums, their career was tragically curtailed by the suicide of singer Ian Curtis. His life is powerfully dramatised in the 2007 film Control.

Two other young men inspired to make music by their sense of isolation amid Thatcherism’s dour austerity were self-styled poet and outsider Steven Patrick Morrissey and guitar wunderkind Johnny Marr. With their singular mix of Marr’s chiming melodies and Morrissey’s miserablist but subtly humorous lyrics and arch, flamboyant persona, the Smiths would release four sublime albums, while creating a jangly template for “indie” in the ‘80s and beyond.

After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining Joy Division members carried on, rechristening themselves New Order. They gradually moved away from Joy Division’s dark sound, with influences from electronica and Italian disco to acid house being incorporated into songs built around Peter Hook’s melodic bass and Bernard “Barney” Sumner’s naive lyrics and reedy vocals. The pinnacle of their pop success was World in Motion, the official anthem of England’s campaign at the 1990 football World Cup.

New Order’s label Factory Records came to define the look of the ‘80s Manchester scene thanks to their striking artwork, much of it created by modernist-inspired graphic designer Peter Saville. Tony Wilson’s label also branched out into other endeavours, notably the Haçienda, a nightclub in Whitworth Street West. With a mix of live gigs – everyone from the Smiths to Madonna played there – and club nights, the spare, industrial venue became a catalyst for the nascent acid house and rave scenes, largely powered by a new street drug, MDMA, or ecstasy.

Alongside New Order, a host of indie guitar bands eagerly soaked up the new dance – and pharmaceutical – influences. At the forefront was another Factory band, Happy Mondays, who blended funk, house and psychedelia into their indie sound based around Shaun Ryder’s nasal vocals and street-jargon lyrics. DJ remixes of their songs fed their crossover into the rave and club scenes. Check out the 2002 movie 24 Hour Party People, with Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson, for a hilarious dramatisation of the whole chaotic Factory Records story.

Another "baggy" band, The Stone Roses merged influences spanning The Beatles to Hendrix with dance elements, and their eponymous debut album, with its Jackson Pollock-inspired cover, is a touchstone for the Manchester music scene called “Madchester”. James, Inspiral Carpets, the Charlatans and 808 State were other prominent protagonists of the movement.

Seeing the Stone Roses inspired two brash brothers, Noel and Liam Gallagher, to form their band, Oasis. Borrowing from the Beatles, Stones, Kinks and Small Faces, they would go on to become the immensely successful faces of the ‘90s Britpop scene, alongside Pulp from Sheffield and Blur from London.

Although the global spotlight has moved on, the current Manchester music scene still buzzes with creativity. It’s much more eclectic nowadays, spanning the spectrum from the rap of Aitch and Meekz and Pip Millett’s R&B to the doom-punk of Witch Fever or Space Afrika’s trip-hop. A common denominator is a DIY spirit and a sense of community in the face of obstacles like gentrification and rising living costs. Elbow are Manchester’s “elder statesmen” – Grounds for Divorce was inspired by The Temple bar at 100 Great Bridgewater Street. The tiny underground former public convenience is “the hole in the neighbourhood” down which singer Guy Garvey can’t help but fall. (Of course, the jukebox is great.)

Manchester is packed with iconic music sites, but many are easy to overlook. Our favourite guides are Manchester Music Tours, established by a Madchester veteran, the late Inspiral Carpets drummer Craig Gill, and now carried on by his wife. Their themed tours are packed with fascinating insider anecdotes, and they take you to photo spots like Joy Division’s Epping Walk Bridge or the Smiths’ Salford Lads Club and to legendary (former) venues including the Haçienda or the Boardwalk.

Some of the concert spaces from the ‘80s and ‘90s have closed, but they’ve been replaced by great venues where you’ll get a real taste of Manchester’s music scene during your stay. Here are a few of our favourites:
 

1. The Albert Hall is an experience in itself, even before its touring indie bands take the stage. The 1910 former Methodist church also hosted “people’s concerts” and political rallies – Winston Churchill once spoke there. Its later incarnations included a car showroom and nightclub, before it was beautifully renovated and reopened as a gig venue in 2013. (Its original organ is still in mint condition.)

• 27 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR

2. The Ritz began life as a dance hall in the 1920s, and the renovated listed building’s art deco features are still beautifully intact. The theatre’s sprung dance floor is legendary, and the iconic hall has hosted the Beatles, the Stone Roses, New Order and countless others – the Smiths played their first ever gig there.

• Whitworth Street West, Manchester M1 5NQ

3. Another Manchester icon, the Apollo began life as a cinema in 1938, and the 3,500-capacity art deco hall has hosted everyone from the Beatles onwards.

• Stockport Rd, Manchester M12 6AP

4. Band on the Wall owes its name to its days as a pub in the early 1900s when musicians would play on a tiny stage halfway up the back wall. It was a flashpoint in the post-punk era, hosting early gigs by Joy Division, the Fall and the Buzzcocks, and the vibrant refurbished hall now features a broad repertoire from indie to soul and jazz.

• 25 Swan Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 5JZ

5. Built in 1878 and once housing a home for the hearing-impaired, The Deaf Institute is a cosy setting for indie acts spread over three floors.

• 135 Grosvenor Street, Manchester M1 7HE

6. YES stretches over four floors, with up-and-coming bands in the basement and bigger names in the Pink Room.

• 38 Charles Street, Manchester M1 7DB

7. Nestled under the rail line, Gorilla is an industrial bar hosting mid-size bands.

• 54-56 Whitworth Street, Manchester M1 5WW

8. Soup is a restaurant and bar with a progressive booking policy for up-and-coming and touring bands.

• 31-33 Spear St, Manchester M1 1DF

9. An intimate pub dating from 1776, The Castle Hotel is a great spot to catch emerging acts. Gullivers, its sister venue across the road, also has two live spaces.

• 66 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LE

Great record shops are at the heart of any great music scene, and Manchester is no exception. Here are a few we love:

1. Eastern Bloc Records – The go-to vinyl store for DJs since 1985. Techno to jazz to reggae, and everything in between.

• 5A Stevenson Square, Manchester M1 1DN

2. Vinyl Exchange – Long-running paradise for rummagers, with rare and second-hand vinyl and CDs in pretty much every genre.

• 18 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JN

3. Piccadilly Records – Opened in 1978, and simply one of the world’s best independent record stores. Lots of the scene's greats picked up inspiration here.

• 53 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JR

4. Vinyl Revival – A must-visit if you’re seriously interested in the history of Manchester’s music – local bands from the ‘60s onwards are their speciality.

• 5 Hilton Street, Manchester M4 1LP

Ready to dive into Manchester's music scene?