Coming Soon: The Manchester Music Documentary

Marketing Manchester is excited to be working with Visit England to produce a music documentary and podcast series revealing the rich community of contemporary Manchester musicians and where visitors can go to enjoy live music experiences today. Led by Marketing Manchester’s Manchester Content Curator, Simon Donohue, the film reveals many of the extraordinary characters within the Manchester music community, while capturing the excitement of the many live music experiences available. In his own words, Simon reveals why it was important to tell the contemporary Manchester music story.

Whisper it, but 2019 marks the 30^th anniversary of the moment that many people around the world still associate with Manchester music.

It was the heady time when the Hacienda was the epicentre of a musical movement which cast stars of the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, both of whom found themselves on the same episode of Top of The Pops in November 1989.

References to what came to be known as Madchester can still be seen in artwork across the city, where black and yellow safety stripes are more likely to reference Ben Kelly’s design work for the Hacienda than a trip hazard.

You’ll still hear echoes of the Madchester sound in certain clubs today (42^nd Street anyone) but the reality is that Manchester music continued to evolve after the floppy fringes and flares disappeared.

Manchester music today is as exciting as it ever was.

The Manchester which so famously spawned Factory records has gone on to produce bigger, better and more exciting venues than previous generations could ever have hoped. An increasingly diverse cacophony of sounds now resonates through the city.

People have now visited Manchester in their millions to experience live music and other music-related experiences; the city has an amazing story to tell and it’s time to capitalise on the opportunities that presents.

Bridging the gap between the Manchester music of old and the incredible experiences available today is the theme of a new Manchester music documentary being produced by Marketing Manchester in partnership with Visit England.

By sharing the stories of some of the many extraordinary individuals engaged in the Manchester music community today, we hope to provide a flavour of the incredible music experiences that are available for modern visitors.

The legacy on which today’s incredible and unmissable Manchester music story stands shouldn't be underestimated. So many of the exciting new acts and talented individuals with careers in music today spoke to us during filming about going clubbing in the Hacienda, or listening to The Smiths for the first time.

Our documentary is not yet complete but we’re really excited to have been able to speak to a stellar cast of old and new talent, some people literally generations apart yet united in their passion for the Manchester music. We not only spoke to Shaun Ryder, Happy Mondays lead singer and kingpin of the Madchester sound, but also to his 20-something son Olli, himself a DJ and club promoter.

We’ve interviewed Parklife and Warehouse Project supremo Sacha, whose work as a promoter began back in 1994 at, you guessed it, the Hacienda.

We’ve also spoken to hotly tipped new teen band Valve, who took a break from their A levels to talk about being inspired by the Stone Roses and Smiths, and how excited they were to be performing alongside Blossoms and Courteeners at Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s Raise The Roof concert in support of the homeless.

We took the Manchester music tour with Rose Gill, widow of late Inspiral Carpets drummer Craig, and had the privilege of joining Rakhi Singh and the Manchester Collective during their preparations to perform at Manchester’s stunning Stoller Hall.

We joined Factory band A Certain Ratio during the celebrations for their 40^th year in the music business, and spent time with Working Men’s Club, learning how studying at BIMM in Manchester helped them to forge a career in music. We've also spen time with Lottery Winners, Blossoms, Prima and Children of Zeus.

This is such an exciting time for Manchester music and I cannot wait for people to experience the passion that exists in the city for themselves.

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