Madchester!

This is the place

In the north-west of England. It’s ace, it’s the best

And the songs that we sing from the stands, from our bands

Set the whole planet shaking.

Our inventions are legends. There’s nowt we can’t make, so we make brilliant music

We make brilliant bands

We make goals that make souls leap from seats in the stands

And we make things from steel

And we make things from cotton

And we make people laugh, take the mick summat rotten

And we make you at home

And we make you feel welcome and we make summat happen

And we can’t seem to help it

Tony Walsh - Longfella

I’m super excited! I had a call from an old friend the other day – you know, one of those you speak with regularly on the phone however, they live just a bit to far away for a quick visit so, you feel a little guilty because you know you really should try and get to see more? Anyway, she rings me to say that she and another friend were supposed to be going away to Greece in a couple of weeks unfortunately, her friend has had to drop out because her mum is very ill and she was wondering if I would like to take her place – HELL YES!!!

So, two weeks on Tuesday I’ll be flying off to Kos on a last-minute holiday and now it can’t come soon enough. The only problem, and you know it’s one of those 21st century problems, is that the flight goes from Manchester which means a four-hour drive. I’ve fudged my off duty which means I’m going to go up a couple of nights before which in itself is really exciting! If you’ve been following this blog you will know that I have family in Manchester so when I go up there, I tend to stay with family which is lovely however, as someone that spent my formative years in the city I have a special place in my heart for Manchester.

Manchester is unique, it’s people and it’s culture are like nothing you’ll find anywhere else and I’m proud to be an adopted Mancunian but what makes it so special.

History

Before the Industrial Revolution took hold in Britain, Manchester was nothing more than a sleepy market town, but having embraced this new cultural revolution it has since has since become one the world’s leading and most innovative cities. It all began with the importation of cotton which was brought to Manchester from Liverpool via the Mersey and Irwell canal. This transformed the textile industry as well as Manchester which became known as “Cottonopolis”. The symbol of Manchester is the worker bee – why? Well it’s said that when the people came from the surrounding towns and villages in the early 19th century to work in what was then, huge cotton mills, the buildings were described as hives of activity with the people inside the worker bees – I LOVE this fact!

Music

It's official: Manchester is the music capital of Britain and a major contributor to the global music scene. The city has more music venues for every 100,000 people than anyone else in the UK. It has produced some of the most iconic bands in the world, from Herman's Hermits and the Hollies in the 1960s, through to The Bee Gees, The Smiths, The Verve, New Order, Simply Red, Thin Lizzy, 10cc, Take That, Joy Division, The 1976, James, The Stone Roses, Oasis to icons of today such as Tom Walker, Harry Styles of One direction and Aitch. No matter where you are in the world you will have at one point listened to some of the music from Manchester! Ever been “Rick Rolled”? Yep, that’s right, those unexpected Rick Astley tones – straight from Newton-le-Willows, a small town in Greater Manchester.

Diversity

Manchester was one of the first cities globally to embrace the LGBT community. In the heart of the city you will find the Gay Village – nope, not an insult, that’s what it’s proudly called by gay and heterosexual Mancunians alike! It’s one of my favourite places in the city, it’s vibrant, lively, noisy and above all happy! This weekend the Gay Village will proudly host Manchester Pride, one of the biggest Pride events in the world which is embraced by the entire population of Manchester. This year it will have a certain poignancy, leading the musical contribution is Ariana Grande, it will be the first time she has been back to Manchester since the terrorist atrocity at the close of her concert on the 22nd of May 2017, (Previous Post with the Story). I have so much respect for this young woman, the bravery she has shown and the care of the fans that survived is simply legendary, no wonder she is officially recognised as an honorary Mancunian and rightly so!

Resilience

The terrorist attack in 2017 which took the lives of 22 mostly young people and children is just one of many disasters that has befallen Manchester, the Peterloo Massacre, which incidentally is currently being remembered 200 years on. The IRA bombing in 1996 shocked the country, it was the largest bomb detonated in the UK since the second world war and it devastated the shopping and commercial heart of the city. Thankfully, whilst there were some wounded casualties, there was no loss of life. After all these distressing events, Manchester has bounced back every time – and it’s bounced back all the stronger for it!

Culture

All these things have added to the colour and culture of the city. I’m not going to try and define the culture, I’m not that eloquent however, there is a man that can! Tony Walsh, otherwise known as Longfella, is an inspirational poet who hails from the city. His poem, This is the Place, served as a beacon of hope and love at the vigil which followed terrorist attack in in 2017. I can’t watch the video linked below without crying and I’ve watched and listened to it dozens of times.

Manchester - It's ACE

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