Jun 3: Cities and Music #4: Manchester

Another city which has attracted attention for its musical legacy, particularly in recent decades is Manchester.

In October 2025, the Geographical magazine had a piece on Oasis and their connections with the city. 

This is an obvious connection, but the city has given rise to a great many bands and also record labels such as Factory records.

Bands to emerge from Manchester include:

New Order 

Oasis

The Smiths

Joy Division

The Stone Roses

Happy Mondays

Image: Street Art near Canal Street, Manchester - Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license

Image: Peterloo Memorial detail: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license.

I have travelled over to Manchester numerous times for some memorable concerts, including Peter Gabriel in the round with the Blind Boys of Alabama, and Pink Floyd at Maine Road (more on that in a separate post).

There were also some early gigs at Manchester Apollo - including the first time I saw the Pat Metheny Group on the First Circle tour.

Elbow have a studio in Salford, and Guy Garvey has a tattoo of a bee...