The Marvelous Madness of ‘Madchester’

Once in a lifetime something happens in music that moves you and changes you for ever but you never really know when that moment has arrived until it’s gone and you remember it and realise that IT was the moment – if only you’d known then. Still, it was a ball when it happened anyway.

I saw a movie the other day I hadn’t even heard of on Sky Premier. It is called ‘Spike Island’ and, if you’ve never heard of it I recommend it. It is a glorious movie about youth in Manchester, England in 1990. Five teenagers trying to get to a Stone Roses gig on Spike Island near Widnes which is actually nearer Liverpool than it is Manchester but, given the real hatred and rivalry between these two cities, the location of Manchester band The Stone Roses gig nearer to Liverpool merely adds to the great times the movie supplies.

I suspect I hadn’t heard of it as it’s a quintessentially ‘northern movie’ about ‘the north of England’ and, as I am reluctantly in the south, publicity for it when it was released in 2013 was probably in short supply anywhere within Greater London which has always considered itself, quite wrongly, as more important than anywhere else.

‘Madchester’ it was called when it all kicked off. The Smiths, New Order (formerly Joy Division) and The Fall just about predated ‘Madchester’ kicking off but, as Manchester bands, were clearly a seminal influence on it all. If you’ve never heard any of them just Youtube eh? – and learn what real music is all about.

I was in awe and bemused.

“Hello Norman! It’s 1989 and you aren’t a teenager – you know mate? You’re in your 30’s our kid. You’re already into ‘old fartdom’ in the eyes of teenagers. What the fuck are you doing ‘getting into’ Madchester? Grow up man!”

Now The Stone Roses were actually formed in 84 but, until ‘Madchester’ who knew? Well, I didn’t but I was trapped in the bloody south of England missing out.

‘God botherers’ waved placards at Roses gigs stating ‘The Stone Roses are evil’ and so forth – almost entirely due to ‘I Am The Resurrection’

(Now I fully realise that asking you to pause your perusal of this contribution for over 8 minutes may be asking a lot of you but, if you have even a modicum of musical taste you will find it 8 minutes or so very well spent)

Anyway, having enjoyed the evil Stone Roses as I’m sure you have, ‘Madchester’ spewed forth some quite extraordinary bands and music. Inspiral Carpets were actually from my home town of Oldham but wisely allowed themselves to be included in ‘Madchester’. Mock Turtles, James, Happy Mondays, 808 State, and A Guy Called Gerald to name only a few.

There was I, an old fart in my 30’s finally being influenced beyond belief by music that mattered. I’d followed Bowie religiously for a while, revelled in punk with The Sex Pistols et al, avoided The New Romantics of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet like the plague and entirely failed to realise that, unlike pretty much all teenagers, I had failed to ‘find my musical niche’. I’d merely flirted with numerous niches (OI! BEHAVE!!) but had never been prepared to leave myself in anyone’s niche long enough for it to be really mine – excuse me? I said BEHAVE you dirty minded buggers 😉

As Manchester’s youth – not to mention most of the youth of the north of England rocked away to The Stone Roses and The Happy Monday’s this 30 odd year old fart rocked away right with them.

The south of England looked on bemused. They thought music and the north equalled The Beatles and, unless it came from Liverpool, not much else.

Of course, like all musical ‘happenings’ time eroded the truth of ‘Madchester’ and, not unlike punk, it sort of faded away into a happy memory but, also like punk, it left a legacy. Where punk left Siouxsie and The Banshees and The Stranglers, ‘Madchester’ left the ‘Madchester sound’ albeit not always from Manchester.

The Farm from Liverpool, The Soup Dragons from Glasgow, Ocean Colour Scene from Birmingham and Blur from Colchester of all places.

It also gave us Oasis who, of course, are from Manchester and perhaps most entitled to claim they have kept the ‘Madchester’ flame alight – well, until they split up a while back anyway.

So, America, in your youth – your teenage years of awakening, you discovered Elvis. Perhaps, if younger, it was Jim Morrison. Maybe, if younger still it was a British artist like Bowie. Whoever it was that, musically, influenced you enough that it changed you and your perspective of life irrevocably it happened in your teens didn’t it?

It happened in my 30’s. Maybe I was always destined to be a ‘late developer’ in some areas eh?

You know what I mean?

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %