Manchester Scene Stories

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Caoilfhionn Rose | The Durutti Column, Gondwana & Manchester

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with Manchester singer-songwriter Caoilfhionn Rose to talk about her musical journey, from growing up in a house full of music to recording with The Durutti Column and releasing three albums on Gondwana Records.

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Mark XTC: Haçienda, Jungle & Manchester Drum & Bass

Mark XTC joins me for a journey through Manchester’s jungle and drum & bass history — from Spin Inn Records and the Haçienda to Eastern Bloc, record-shop culture and the birth of a new sound in the early 1990s.

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FAST CARS – Manchester Punk, Joy Division & The Jam

Manchester power pop pioneers Fast Cars join me for a fascinating conversation about the late 1970s Manchester music scene, their encounters with Joy Division, working with Martin Hannett, supporting The Jam and their unexpected success in Japan.

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Mike Shaft: Manchester Soul, Piccadilly Radio & Sunset Stories

Mike Shaft joins Manchester Scene Stories to share a life in soul music — from Manchester’s nightclub dance floors to Piccadilly Radio and the story of Sunset Radio. Arriving from Grenada in 1968, Mike found his way into DJing through Northern Soul nights, cloakroom jobs and a chance behind the decks at Explosion. He remembers Rafters, Pips, Rufus and Placemate 7, alongside an unforgettable Loose Ends appearance at Legend that left hundreds outside.

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Christine Leveridge: Kiss AMC, Haçienda & Manchester Hip-Hop

Christine Leveridge joins me for a funny and brilliantly unfiltered journey through Manchester music, from Kiss AMC and the early hip-hop scene to the Haçienda, Hulme, rave culture and life around some of the city’s most important musicians. Christine recalls Kiss AMC signing to EMI, touring Europe and the memorable circumstances that eventually brought their time with the label to an end. She talks about making music with Anne-Marie, Chapter and the Verse and the wider circle of Manchester artists that surrounded them.

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Stanley Chow: The White Stripes, Night & Day and Manchester

Manchester artist and DJ Stanley Chow joins Manchester Scene Stories to talk about The White Stripes, his Grammy-nominated work, the creative community around Night & Day Café and his years behind the decks at venues including Planet K and Fab Café. Stanley begins with the remarkable story of how a fan poster changed his career. After hearing that The White Stripes were playing Manchester Apollo, he created his own poster inspired by the band and shared it on MySpace.

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Colin Thorpe: Voodoo Ray, Electro & Chapter and the Verse

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with musician and producer Colin Thorpe to talk about his journey through Manchester’s musical underground, from post-punk and early electro to Chapter and the Verse and one of the defining records of the Acid House era.

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Manchester Reggae, Blackburn Raves & Jungle | Dominic Sotgiu

Dominic Sotgiu joins Manchester Scene Stories to explore Manchester’s overlooked reggae history, the Blackburn warehouse parties, the beginnings of jungle and a lifetime spent discovering music.

Graham Massey & Alan Hempsall: Manchester Punk to Acid House

Graham Massey and Alan Hempsall join Manchester Scene Stories to look back on the friendships, bands and experimental music that shaped their lives—from 1970s Manchester to punk, electronics and acid house.

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Caulbearers, Blackburn Raves & Healing

Damien from Caulbearers joins Manchester Scene Stories for a conversation about Blackburn’s acid-house parties, Hulme’s creative community, meditation, psychedelics, political activism and the power of music to bring people together.

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Guy Williams: Flesh, Manumission & Ibiza

Guy Williams returns to Manchester Scene Stories for Part Two, going deeper into Flesh at The Haçienda, Manchester’s changing gay and queer club scene, the origins of Manumission and his journey from Manchester to Ibiza.

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Elton Jackson: Inside Manchester’s Acid House Years

Elton takes us back into the clubs, characters and chaos of Manchester’s Acid House era — from the Number 1 Club and The Haçienda to Most Excellent, Manto and the Paradise Factory.

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Paul Cons: Flesh, The Haçienda and Queer Manchester

Paul Cons joins *Manchester Scene Stories* to talk about the Haçienda, Flesh, Manchester’s gay club scene, New York, Paradise Garage and the changing face of the city’s nightlife through the 1980s and 1990s.

Seirén: Mushrooms, Music & Mexican Healing Ceremonies

Helea of Seirén joins Manchester Scene Stories to talk about performing music at healing ceremonies in Mexico, the psychedelic mushroom experience that inspired one of the band’s most striking videos, and her journey between Manchester and Mexico City. Helea has been making music for more than 20 years. While studying music at the University of Salford, she began putting together the project that would become Seirén, moving from performing songs alone towards the sound of a full band.

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Cozmo D of Newcleus: Jam On It, Brooklyn & Hip-Hop History

Cozmo D of Newcleus joins Manchester Scene Stories to look back at the roots of Jam-On Productions, the birth of Newcleus, the making of Jam-On’s Revenge and Jam On It, and the Brooklyn street culture that shaped his music.

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Rafe & Graham Clark: Temple, Big Hands and Absent Friends

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I’m joined by Rafe, founder of The Temple of Convenience and Big Hands, alongside musician Graham Clark, for a fascinating conversation about Manchester’s independent venues, creative communities and the friendships that shaped them. Rafe reflects on his journey creating some of Manchester’s most distinctive venues, beginning with The Temple of Convenience before opening Big Hands. He also shares the story of the Ladybarn pub, a hugely ambitious project that ultimately failed after difficult experiences with pub companies, robberies and the pressures of running an independent business. The conversation explores how The Temple and Big Hands became welcoming spaces where musicians, artists, writers and creative people naturally came together. Graham remembers performing intimate Sunday afternoon sessions at The Temple, while Rafe explains how those musical moments created exactly the atmosphere he had hoped to build.

Matt & Phred’s: The Early Years with Matt Nickson

Matt Nickson joins Manchester Scene Stories to look back at the origins of Matt & Phred’s, Manchester’s jazz scene, the Northern Quarter and the musicians, venues and characters that shaped the city’s live music culture.

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Mike Garry on Grief, Death, Love and Living Forever

Manchester poet Mike Garry joins Manchester Scene Stories for a deeply personal conversation about grief, death, family, faith, poetry and the people we carry with us after they are gone. Known for his work with New Order, Philip Glass and Orbital, Mike has spent much of his life writing about people, place, loss and memory. In this conversation, he explains why he does not necessarily see death as something purely negative and why humour, storytelling and celebration can sit alongside grief.

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Alan Hempsall: Crispy Ambulance, Joy Division & Manchester Punk

Crispy Ambulance singer Alan Hempsall joins Manchester Scene Stories to talk about the band’s origins, Manchester’s late-1970s underground, the Musicians Collective and an unforgettable night performing with Joy Division.

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Vox (formerly Mark Burgess) : The Chameleons' Script of the Bridge

Vox ( formerly Mark Burgess) ,joins Manchester Scene Stories to tell the story of The Chameleons, Script of the Bridge, Pips, the Ranch and the psychedelic Manchester that shaped one of Britain’s most enduring cult bands. In this wide-ranging interview, Vox explains the unlikely origin of Script of the Bridge’s title: an acid trip, a walk through the woods to Tandle Hill, and a friend staring at a motorway crossing and asking, “What’s the fucking script with this bridge?” That line, written into a notebook during the night, later inspired the album title and its famous artwork. We talk about The Chameleons’ early songs, including Monkeyland, Don’t Fall, Second Skin and Here Today, and the period when Vox was still discovering his voice as a singer and bassist. He reflects on influence, the search for an unmistakable vocal identity, and why the band never saw themselves as goth. Their sound drew instead from acid, punk, the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, David Bowie, T. Rex, Sparks, the Beatles and the Doors.

The Manchester Musicians Collective Story | Louise Alderman

Long before Madchester, Factory Records and the Haçienda became part of music history, another movement was quietly helping to shape Manchester's underground scene — The Manchester Musicians Collective.

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Kath McDermott: Flesh, Paradise Factory & Manchester Nights

Kath McDermott joins Manchester Scene Stories to talk about Manchester queer club culture, the Number One Club, Flesh, Manto, Paradise Factory, Homoelectric and her journey to BBC Radio 6 Music.

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King Bee Records: Manchester’s Legendary Record Shop

In this video I sit down with Neil Barker from King Bee Records in Chorlton to talk about Manchester record shop culture, vinyl collecting and the legendary music scenes connected to the shop over the last four decades. Neil started working at King Bee in 1990 at just 17 years old after insisting he wanted to work in a record shop rather than anywhere else. From there we dive deep into Manchester music history — from Piccadilly Records, Yanks, Power Cuts and Pandemonium Records through to The Ritz, Isadora’s, The Haçienda and the explosion of Manchester music in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

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Manchester Punk 1976/77: Electric Circus, Buzzcocks & Sex Pistols | Denise Shaw

Denise Shaw was there at the very beginning of Manchester punk. In this interview, Denise shares her remarkable story of discovering punk in the mid-1970s and becoming part of a scene that would change British music forever. From the Ranch and Pips to the Electric Circus, she witnessed first-hand the arrival of bands including the Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Slaughter and the Dogs, Chelsea and many others.

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Spencer Birtwistle: Intastella, The Fall, Reggae & Manchester

Spencer Birtwistle is best known as the drummer with Intastella and later The Fall, but his musical story goes much further back. In this Manchester Scene Stories interview, Spencer talks about growing up in a family of drummers, including his grandfather Wilson Bowers, a big band jazz drummer who was named Melody Maker Drummer of the Year in the 1940s. He remembers hearing drums in the family home, discovering music through old jukebox singles from his mum’s pub, and building an early love of records through glam rock, The Beatles, The Carpenters, T. Rex, The Sweet and more.

The Beatles, Sale Locarno & 1950s Manchester | Lorraine Birtwistle

In this video I sit down with Lorraine, mum of Spencer Birtwistle from Intastella, for a brilliant journey through Manchester, Stockport and Marple music memories from the late 1950s through to the 1990s. Lorraine begins with memories of rock and roll nights in Liberal and Conservative clubs, where young people danced to Bill Haley, Little Richard and the early sounds of the era. She talks about teddy boy fashion, pencil skirts, blouses, bleached fringes and the strict world young people grew up in at the time.

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Richard Searling: Northern Soul, Wigan Casino & Twisted Wheel

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with Northern Soul legend Richard Searling to explore one of the most important cultural movements to ever come out of the North of England. We start at the beginning — The Twisted Wheel in Manchester. Richard explains how the club evolved from a blues and R&B venue in the early 1960s into the birthplace of Northern Soul, with its legendary all-nighters, rare American records, and unforgettable live performances from artists like Junior Walker, Ben E. King and Billy Stewart.

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Kim Shady: David Bowie, ACR, The Haçienda & Manchester Chaos

In this long-awaited second interview, Manchester legend Kim Shady returns with another incredible collection of stories from decades spent at the heart of Manchester music, club and backstage culture. From lending gear to A Certain Ratio in the early 80s, to wild nights in Hulme with Andy Weatherall, Kim takes us through a lifetime of unforgettable moments connected to Manchester’s underground scene.

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Huggy: From Eastern Bloc to Back to Basics & The Orbit Leeds

Huggy was there at the heart of UK house music — from Eastern Bloc Records in Manchester to The Orbit and Back to Basics. In this interview, he shares what it was really like as house music exploded in the late 80s and 90s.

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Woody on Fat City, The Roadhouse & Manchester Club Culture

Woody sits down with me for a brilliant, wide-ranging conversation about growing up between Ireland and Eccles, discovering hip hop through graffiti culture, digging for records in Manchester, and becoming part of some of the city’s most loved underground club nights.

Pat Fahy on Acid House, Design & Manchester Culture

Pat Fahy opens up about growing up in care, discovering creativity, and finding freedom in Manchester’s acid house years. In this conversation, Pat talks about being in care from the age of two, having his own flat while still at school, and how art, design and music became a way forward. He shares how one early moment with a foster carer stayed with him for life, and how creativity gave him focus long before he ever stepped into college or club culture.

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Jon Dasilva: Bowie, Hot, The Haçienda & Acid House

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with legendary DJ Jon Dasilva for a wide-ranging conversation about the music, clubs and cultural shifts that shaped his journey — from being blown away by David Bowie as a kid, to becoming one of the defining DJs of the Haçienda era.

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Jane Winterbottom: The Night Planet Rock Changed Everything (1982)

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with Jane Winterbottom to explore the early Manchester electro and breakdance scene of the 1980s, and the moment Planet Rock by Africa Bambaataa changed everything. What unfolds is one of the most vivid accounts I’ve ever heard about how electro, breakdancing and early hip hop hit the UK in the early 1980s

Tammy Jayne : Take Me Back Rave Poet

I sat down with Tammy Jayne after hearing a poem that stopped me in my tracks. “Take Me Back” isn’t just about rave — it’s about release, connection, trauma, and why that era still means so much to people today. Tammy first came into my world after reading her powerful poem at the end of my interview with Jay Wearden. The poem, Take Me Back, instantly stood out to me because it captured something deeper than simple nostalgia. It wasn’t just about nights out, clubs and ecstasy — it was about release, connection, survival and what that era gave to so many people who were going through difficult times.

Pete Dalton: Manto, Paradise & Birth of Canal Street

From a French student dreaming in Paris cafés to co-creating two of Manchester’s most important LGBTQ+ spaces, this is the story of Pete Dalton, Manto and Paradise Factory – told in Pete’s own words.

Hewan Clarke on Pips, Berlin, The Reno & Manchester’s DJ Roots

Part 2 of my deep dive with Hewan Clarke — the first resident DJ at The Haçienda — joined again by Aniff Akinola, sharing incredible memories and insight into Manchester’s club and DJ culture. In this episode we go right back to the beginning, to Pips — the club where Hewan first put a needle on a record and realised he wanted to become a DJ.

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The Story of The Temple of Convenience & Big Hands Manchester

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with Rafe, the founder of two of Manchester’s most unique venues: The Temple of Convenience and Big Hands.

Lou Rhodes (Lamb) on Kiiōtō, Górecki & Manchester Roots

Lou Rhodes, best known as the voice of Lamb and the iconic track Górecki, sits down to talk about her new musical chapter with Kiiōtō — a project born from creativity, chance, and a return to pure musical expression.

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Hewan Clarke: The Hacienda Manchester Beginnings

Hewan Clarke, the first DJ at The Haçienda, tells the real story of the club’s opening alongside Aniff Akinola — from Tony Wilson’s vision to the chaotic first night that shaped Manchester’s nightlife culture. Part 1 of my deep dive with Hewan Clarke — the first ever DJ at The Haçienda — joined by Aniff Akinola, who provides quality control, memories, and context from the dancefloor to the DJ booth.

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Manchester Artist Danny Cawley: Music, Art & Culture

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with Manchester artist Danny Cawley for a conversation that moves between memories of the city’s past, the early graffiti scene, the Manchester club culture explosion, and the loss of our mutual friend Andy Burns, who sadly passed away this week. Danny and I both knew Andy through different circles in Manchester, and we begin by remembering him — a big Manchester City fan, a funny and unpredictable character who meant a lot to many people in the city. Danny talks about visiting Andy in hospital before he passed away and the kind of friend he was to people during difficult times.

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1960s Manchester: Oasis Club, EMI Records & George’s Story

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with George, a Salford lad who lived Manchester’s 1960s music scene first-hand — not just as a fan, but from the inside. This interview is part of my 1960s Manchester playlist, where people who were there share their memories of the city’s clubs, music and youth culture.

The Manchester Music Scene in the 1960s – George Borowski

What was the Manchester music scene really like in the 1960s? In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I’m joined by George Borowski – a legendary Manchester singer-songwriter whose career stretches back to the 1960s and who’s still creating, performing and inspiring people today. George’s story also features in Book 2 of Manchester Scene Stories, where the city’s musical history is told through the voices of the people who lived it.

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Kaz McBride: From North Manchester to Rock Photography

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with photographer Kaz McBride to explore her journey from a curious young girl in North Manchester to one of the city’s most respected music photographers. Kaz’s story begins long before the gigs and big names. As a child growing up near Cheetham Hill, she was fascinated by imagery and instinctively understood the power of photographs to preserve change and memory. After experiencing bullying at school, she discovered that art and portrait drawing could transform relationships and break down barriers. That early understanding — that imagery could be a positive force — became the foundation of her career.

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Redgey Redshaw: Corbieres, The Haçienda & The Smiths

Nick “Redgey” Redshaw is on Manchester Scene Stories – and if you love proper Manchester music history, this one’s a gem. Nick grew up in Salford and takes us right back to the late 70s / early 80s when punk hit like a shockwave. From Hope High School days and first guitars (and ridiculously loud amps), to rehearsals in cellars, band names that barely made sense, and the DIY energy that made you feel like you could do it yourself.

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Foot Patrol: The Haçienda | Manchester House Music Origins

In this Manchester Scene Stories interview, I sit down with legendary Moss Side dancers Foot Patrol – Samson and Zippa Tafari – to explore how they helped shape Manchester’s early house music culture and The Haçienda era.

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Johnny Roadhouse: The Sax Man Behind Manchester’s Music Shop

Johnny Roadhouse: The Sax Man Behind Manchester’s Music Shop In this interview, I’m joined by Helen Roadhouse, daughter of the late Johnny Roadhouse — a legendary Manchester character best known for the long-running music shop on Oxford Road, and for being a working musician long before most people knew his name.

Mick Rossi (Slaughter & The Dogs) on Punk, Violence & Escape

Mick Rossi is the guitarist in Slaughter & The Dogs, one of the most important bands to come out of Manchester’s original punk scene. In this wide-ranging conversation, Mick reflects on growing up in 1970s Manchester, discovering punk, surviving poverty and violence, and finding a way out through music.

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Pips Nightclub: Bowie, Punk & Finding Yourself in 70s Manchester

In this long-form interview, Debs looks back on her experiences at Pips Nightclub — one of Manchester’s most important and influential underground clubs of the 1970s and early 1980s.

Graham Clark & Graham Massey: 1970s Manchester & Beyond

Graham Massey and Graham Clark on 1970s Manchester, record shops, DIY culture, and the scenes that shaped the city before the headlines.

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Graham Clark: From Manchester’s Underground to Gong

Graham Clark's story travels through some of the most creative corners of Manchester’s music history — from early experiments in the late ’70s with Graham Massey, to the deep improvisational roots that shaped bands like Danny & The Dressmakers, Biting Tongues and later 808 State. His journey is a reminder that the city’s culture

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Bobbi & Paul K-Klass: House Music, The Haçienda & Rhythm Is a Mystery

In this episode I sit down with Bobbi and Paul from K-Klass to talk through their journey into house music and the moment Manchester changed everything.

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Phil’s Untold Story: Recording Oasis at the Pink Museum

In this conversation, Phil traces his early career — from assisting on projects with Colin Verncombe (Black) to fronting his own band Sugarloaf, and discovering his love for soul, funk, and eclectic sounds. But the story that still turns heads is his time at the Pink Museum in December 1993, when a new Manchester band walked through the doors: Oasis.

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Eddie Rhead on Hardcore Uproar, K-Klass & Mad Rave Journeys

Eddie Rhead is back for part two – and this time we’re going even deeper into Hardcore Uproar, K-Klass, Blackburn raves, Glasgow all-nighters and the wild journeys that came with the early house scene.

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Gonnie Rietveld on Quando Quango, Love Tempo & Factory Records

In this episode, I sit down with Gonnie Rietveld, founding member of Quando Quango, one of Factory Records’ most innovative and adventurous bands. From Rotterdam record shops to New York dancefloors, her story traces the early intersections of post-punk, electro, and house that helped shape Manchester’s dance culture.

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Duncan Prestbury: The Electric Circus, Punk, Jazz Defektors & Japan

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with Duncan Prestbury — a musician whose life has intersected with almost every major wave of Manchester’s underground culture. From punk and new wave to DIY indie labels, early jazz-dance, The Electric Circus, The Fall, Spherical Objects, Object Music, Dub Sex, and the global success of The Jazz Defektors Duncan’s story travels through some of the most important cultural movements Manchester ever produced

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Rikki Turner (Paris Angels) on Perfume, Madchester & Acid House

In this long-form conversation, I sit down with Rikki Turner, former frontman of Paris Angels, to talk about the band’s beginnings, the making of Perfume, and Manchester during one of its most intense and creative periods.

Carlotta: Haçienda Beginnings, Acid House & Life After Prison

Carlotta grew up in Didsbury and, thanks to a tight web of early connections around Factory Records and the Haçienda, found herself in exactly the right place at the right time as Acid House hit Manchester. In this conversation, she traces that journey from skiving school to the Midland pub, sneaking into the club before Hot nights, and riding the first wave of 1988 — bandanas, dungarees, new tempos, and a city that suddenly felt transformed.

MC Kwasi: From Youth Clubs to Mr. Scruff & Manchester Legends

Step into the story of MC Kwasi — one of Manchester’s most enduring voices. From youth clubs and sound systems to global tours with The Chameleons and long-running collaborations with Mr. Scruff, Kwasi’s journey charts the evolution of the city’s underground music scene from the 1980s to now.

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Sue Langford: Inside Manchester’s Iconic Boardwalk Years

Step inside Manchester’s legendary Boardwalk with Sue Langford — known to everyone as Sue Boardwalk. In this exclusive interview, Sue shares the inside story of one of the city’s most influential venues of the 1980s and ’90s — a space where Oasis, Happy Mondays, A Certain Ratio, James, and countless others got their start.

Karl Brockbank – Manchester’s Breakdance & Electro Roots

In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I sit down with Karl Brockbank, one of the early names from Manchester’s breakdance and electro scene. Karl came up in the early 1980s — long before the rave explosion — when crews were discovering body-popping, lino floors, and a new sound taking over from funk.

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Man Parrish: Hip Hop, BeBop & The Birth of Electro

Electro pioneer Man Parrish sits down with me for a wildly candid, funny, and revealing conversation about the birth of New York’s early-’80s electronic sound—and how his tracks helped give breakdancing and hip-hop their first synthesized soundtrack.

Jay Wearden Live: Hip Hop Roots, Thunderdome and Hippos

This is my second live, in front of an audience interview, this time with Jay Wearden, a DJ whose journey runs from early hip hop obsession to Manchester’s underground: Precinct 13, Konspiracy, Thunderdome and the legendary Hippos.

Guy Williams: From The Number 1 Club to Ibiza’s Flash Nights

Step inside the journey of Guy Williams — one of Manchester’s most respected DJs whose story stretches from the record-stuffed garage of his childhood home in Cheadle Hulme to the dancefloors of Ibiza.

Leroy & Vera: From The Reno to Dry 201 — Manchester Nightlife

Step inside Manchester’s nightlife history with Leroy and Vera — two people who lived through the city’s most influential venues, from the Reno to Dry Bar.

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