Madchester
Home
long time coming
The Smiths
Madchester
Long live the Hacienda
Ecstacy and the Rave scene.
Bands still carrying the torch
Oasis.
Todays musical city
Useful References
Madchester.

"Madchester - what a name!

Best name ever for a scene, wasn't it?" Clint Boon, Inspiral Carpets.

 

Madchester was a massive youth movement in the late 1980's, and the most exciting musical movement since the two-tone explosion 10 years previosly. It was about having money to burn and the willingness to try anything once.

 

"it was about staying out so late, you got up before you fell asleep."

Richard Luck.

 

The Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, James and the Inspiral Carpets were the bands of the times.

 

Young people at the time were living life for saturday nights and aspiring to be the one of the cities original 24hour party people.


The Happy Mondays.
 
The music of the Monday's epitomised what is was to be from Manchester, through the rough edge they had to their music and the way in which lead singer Shaun Ryder approached song writing - his songs resembled a series of scowls and snarls rather than poetic music. They were working class lads who fitted easily into the working class ethos of the city.

Two of the bands members were known drug dealers and rumour has it the only reason for starting a band in the first place was because they'd run out of options to make money to get high. Any time spent away from performing and recording was invariably spent in the Hacienda selling drugs.
Tony Wilson signed the band to his Factory label in the mid 1980's realising Ryder's songwriting ability early on.
Few debut records could lay claim to have had the impact (or length of title) of the Happy Mondays' 'Squirrel And G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out).'
 
Martin Hannett, famous for his work with a number of Manchester bands including Joy Division, produced the follow-up Bummed, with  Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches following later the Mondays success soared and earnt them fans throughout the country.
The erratic behaviour of the band through history has definatly been down to the copious amount of drugs taken both at home and away and although a comeback was never written off, perhaps rehab would be a better idea for some of the bands members.
 
Ryder and Bez, eventually re-emerged in 1995 as part of a new coalition, Black Grape.
Following the break-up of Black Grape, Ryder re-formed the Happy Mondays for several live dates and a new recording of the Thin Lizzy classic, "The Boys Are Back In Town".


The Stone Roses.

 

By the late 1990's the stone roses had accomplished little but a dedicated following, they managed to sell out Alexandra Palace but still remained an unknown band. Only after appearing on Top of the Pops with the Happy Mondays did the nation realise what genius this band posessed.

Their classic 60s guitar sound fused with the spirit, rhythm and sensibilities of late-80s Mancunian club culture, helped the band lead an indie-dance crossover that was to define a new era in British pop music.

By late '89 they were everywhere and the media were dishing out a definition: Manchester mutated into Madchester, and the so-called 'baggy' phenomenon of bands crossing the indie-dance divide was born.

Their album 'Stone Roses' was definalty the bands best work and according to some put them on top of all other Madchester bands, a term Brown wasn't too fond of,

"We didnt want to be associated with Madchester because it was a moneymaking thing and we didn't believe in it."

 

Spike Island.

 

The pinnacle of this progression came in a sun-drenched field outside of Widnes in June 1990. Here, Spike Island, 30,000 flare-wearing followers gathered to see the band. In keeping with the new times, it was DJ's not bands who entertained the devotees throughout the day. And as night fell, the band took to the stage to the opening chords of I Wanna be Adored. Playing (out of key) to over 30,000 people from around Europe in the summer of 1990, even a young liam Gallagher was in the crowd that day. The Roses truly had made it and are still one of the best known, popular bands from the era whether they want to be associated with it or not.