Manchester Music Makes the Scene
Touring the Hot Spots that Made Music in Manchester, England Famous
The films Control and 24 Hour Party People put Manchester's music scene in the spotlight. Joy Division, Sex Pistols, Oasis, Morrissey & the Smiths made their marks here.
For more than three decades, the Manchester music scene has been at the forefront of British pop culture. Two cult films, Control (2007) and 24-Hour Party People (2002), put the glory days of its punk rock bands in the spotlight.
Joy Division, New Order, the Sex Pistols, Happy Mondays, Oasis, Morrissey and the Smiths, Tony Wilson, Factory Records and the Hacienda Club are just a few of the names that have made music in Manchester famous. Many of their old haunts feature on a Manchester Music Tour with Blue Badge guide Jean Bailo.
Here are some of the highlights:
Manchester Free Trade Hall. The Free Trade Hall is a city landmark with a long musical history. When Bob Dylan played here in 1966, he switched from folk to electric guitar for the first time, prompting the famous "Judas!" cry from a member of the audience.
A decade later, the Sex Pistols kicked off the punk rock scene with a concert here. There were less than 50 people in the audience, but they included the founders of the Buzzcocks and Joy Division, Morrissey and the Smiths. Most influential of all was Tony Wilson, who founded the Factory Records label to record Manchester's top indie bands.
Manchester Central. Opposite the Free Trade Hall, this former railway station was converted the GMEX centre for conventions and musical events. In 1986 it hosted a big punk rock festival to celebrate 10 years of punk music, featuring top Factory Records bands. The building has now reverted to its original name.
The Hacienda. Behind Great Bridgewater Street, the Manchester canal runs along the back of a luxury apartment block. This was the former site of the Hacienda, the legendary nightclub opened by Tony Wilson in 1982 to promote the Manchester music scene. It closed in 1997 and was demolished the following year.
A timeline stretches along the wall, noting the highlights of the Hacienda's history and the many famous bands who played there, from New Order, Boy George and Simple Minds in its opening year, to Madonna and the Pogues, to the Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays and other Madchester bands of the late 1980s and early '90s.
The Boardwalk. The Happy Mondays were among the Manchester bands who played at this former club and rehearsal space on Little Peter Street. It is most famous as the place where Oasis first rehearsed and played live.
The Ritz. Morrissey and the Smiths played early gigs at this 1920s dance hall. The Happy Mondays, Primal Scream and the Doves also performed here. Further along Whitworth Street is the Cornerhouse, Manchester's first rock 'n roll cafe. Badly Drawn Boy wrote the soundtrack to About a Boy here.
Piccadilly Gardens. The statue of Sir Robert Peel, creator of Britain's police force, features on the cover of the Buzzcock's Spiral Scratch LP.
Oldham Street. Running through the heart of the Northern Quarter, Oldham Street is a hotspot for Manchester music and nightlife. It is lined with record shops and pubs and cafes that are live music venues.
Affleck's Palace. The Tib Street side of this funky shopping place in the Northern Quarter is adorned with mosaic murals by Mark Kennedy highlighting key moments and figures in Manchester's music scene.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
