From Mods to Mancunian Madchester: A Stroll Through Manchester’s Music Scene
Manchester Music Scene Through The Decades: B-Side Casuals
Ah, Manchester. The city that gave us rain, red bricks, and more rock ’n’ roll revolutions than a record on repeat. If London is the flashy big sibling, Manchester’s the cooler one in the corner booth — pint in hand, collar popped, headphones on.
Let’s take a stroll (Doc Martens optional) through Manchester’s music scene from the 1960s to today, decade by decade. Spoiler: it's a mad ride. If you like the sound of Manchester - check out our Spotify Playlist on Manchester Through The Decades - 4 hours of Manchester Classics spanning over 6 decates from the 60’s - present day)
1960s: The Mod Awakening
Peter Francis
Before baggy jeans and bucket hats, Manchester was bopping to beat music in sharp suits. The 1960s saw bands like The Hollies making waves with harmonies slicker than a Brylcreemed quiff. These were the early days — smoky clubs, scooters lined up outside, and that unmistakable buzz that something was happening.
Every northern soul with a Vespa had a 45" single and a dream. Manchester was watching the Merseybeat from across the M62 and thinking, “Alright, we’ll have a go.”
1960s: The Mod Awakening
Back when The Hollies ruled the airwaves and scooters ruled the streets. Polished pop and British beat made Manchester a proper hit factory.
Top 10 Manchester Tracks – 1960s - Listen to the full Playlist
The Hollies – Bus Stop
Freddie and the Dreamers – I'm Telling You Now
Herman’s Hermits – I'm Into Something Good
Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders – The Game of Love
The Hollies – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
The Dakotas – Do You Want to Know a Secret?
The Mindbenders – A Groovy Kind of Love
The Hollies – Look Through Any Window
Freddie and the Dreamers – You Were Made For Me
Herman’s Hermits – No Milk Today
1970s: Punk, Pints & Power Chords
The '70s were grim. Power cuts, strikes, and not much to smile about — unless you were in a dingy club watching the birth of British punk.
Buzzcocks were leading the DIY charge, proving you didn’t need a major label when you had major attitude. And over at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, two gigs by the Sex Pistols ignited a flame in the city that would change music forever. Among the wide-eyed crowd? A few lads who’d go on to form Joy Division.
Meanwhile, Tony Wilson was laying the groundwork for something seismic...
1970s: Punk with a Northern Snarl
Out with the love-ins, in with the DIY rage. Manchester’s punk and post-punk set the tone for the underground for decades.
Top 10 Manchester Tracks – 1970s - Listen to the full Playlist
Joy Division – Transmission
Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)
Magazine – Shot by Both Sides
The Fall – Repetition
Slaughter and the Dogs – Cranked Up Really High
John Cooper Clarke – Beasley Street
Warsaw (Joy Division) – Leaders of Men
The Nosebleeds – Ain’t Bin to No Music School
The Drones – Bone Idol
The Smirks – OK UK
1980s: Factory Floor to Dancefloor
Ah, the golden age. Grey skies, gloomy architecture, but the sounds? Glorious.
Joy Division turned into New Order, blending post-punk angst with electronic pulses. Enter Factory Records, The Hacienda, and a soundtrack of synths, snares, and side-eyes.
This was Manchester as a movement — not just music, but art, attitude, and Adidas. The city had its own mythology now, scrawled on peeling gig posters and whispered in smoky green rooms.
And we haven’t even mentioned The Smiths. Morrissey’s morose witticisms and Johnny Marr’s jangly riffs made being miserable something beautiful.
1980s: Synths, Gloom & Groove
A city reborn in reverb and revolution — where moody introspection met club culture head-on. The Factory Records era defined a generation.
Top 10 Manchester Tracks – 1980s - Listen to the full Playlist
New Order – Blue Monday
The Smiths – This Charming Man
A Certain Ratio – Shack Up
Happy Mondays – 24 Hour Party People
The Chameleons – Swamp Thing
The Fall – Cruiser’s Creek
James – Hymn from a Village
Durutti Column – Sketch for Summer
Section 25 – Looking from a Hilltop
The Smiths – There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
1990s: Madchester Mayhem
The Madchester Scene
Now we’re talking. The decade of swagger. Baggy jeans, bucket hats, and bangers.
The Stone Roses painted it technicolour. Happy Mondays made it groovy. Oasis made it stadium-sized. If the '80s were an underground rave, the '90s were the afterparty with Liam Gallagher on the table shouting "Come 'ead!"
The whole scene felt like it was dancing on a Friday night and waking up in a kebab shop on Tuesday. Madchester wasn’t just a genre — it was a vibe, a fashion statement, a cultural flipping earthquake.
1990s: The Madchester Boom
You couldn’t throw a pint without hitting a future legend. Grit, glamour, and Gallagher-sized egos defined the era.
Top 10 Manchester Tracks – 1990s - Listen to the full Playlist
Oasis – Supersonic
The Stone Roses – Fools Gold
Happy Mondays – Step On
The Charlatans – The Only One I Know
Inspiral Carpets – Saturn 5
James – Sit Down
Black Grape – Reverend Black Grape
Oasis – Don’t Look Back in Anger
Doves – The Cedar Room
Sub Sub – Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)
2000s: Indie Resurgence & Rainy Renaissance
The Courteeners
As Britpop faded, Manchester kept the music coming. Elbow swooped in with cinematic anthems, Doves delivered moody masterpieces, and The Courteeners gave lads in skinny jeans a reason to sing (loudly) again.
While the world went digital, Manchester still felt analog. Gigs in basements, records spinning in shops like Piccadilly Records, and a loyal love for bands who kept it real.
2000s: Indie Introspection
Post-baggy, post-Britpop — but still packed with charm. Bands like Elbow and The Courteeners brought fresh soul to the scene.
Top 10 Manchester Tracks – 2000s - Listen to the full Playlist
Elbow – One Day Like This
The Courteeners – Not Nineteen Forever
Doves – There Goes the Fear
Badly Drawn Boy – Silent Sigh
I Am Kloot – Proof
The Ting Tings – That's Not My Name
Elbow – Grounds for Divorce
Mr. Scruff – Get a Move On
Liam Frost – The Mourners of St. Paul’s
Everything Everything – Photoshop Handsome
2010s–Present: Genre-Jumping, Future-Facing
Bugzy Malone
Manchester today? Still thriving, still buzzing. Except now it's genre-fluid and fiercely independent. You’ve got hip hop coming out of Levelz and Children of Zeus, punk powerhouses like Witch Fever, and everything from grime to jazz playing in warehouses turned venues.
Platforms like Band on the Wall, YES, and The White Hotel continue to nurture the next wave. It's not about chasing trends — it's about creating culture.
And the best part? Manchester doesn't care if you like it or not. It's doing its thing. Always has. Always will.
2010s–Present: New Faces, Old Swagger
Trap, jazz, psych, punk, indie — today’s scene is pure fusion, but always undeniably Mancunian.
Top 10 Manchester Tracks – 2010s–Now - Listen to the full Playlist
The 1975 – Love It If We Made It
Aitch – Taste (Make It Shake)
Bugzy Malone – M.E.N.
Children of Zeus – Hard Work
Pale Waves – Television Romance
Witch Fever – Congregation
Everything Everything – Distant Past
IAMDDB – Shade
Afflecks Palace – Forever Young
Dirty Laces – You
Manchester, Always in Tune
From the moody melancholia of Joy Division to the cocky charm of Oasis, Manchester's music scene is a timeline of grit, grace, and greatness. This city doesn’t just make music — it breathes it. You can hear it in the drizzle, feel it in the bricks, and see it in the eyes of a 16-year-old with a second-hand guitar and something to say.
So next time you’re in town, follow the echo of an amp through a back alley. Chances are, you’ll find tomorrow’s headline act playing to ten people and a bouncer.
And that’s just how Manchester likes it.
