Madchester Music: 3 Characteristics of Madchester Music

Madchester was an indie rock, dance, and rave scene that sprang up in Manchester, England, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Madchester bands like Inspiral Carpets, James, the Stone Roses, the Charlatans, 808 State, Happy Mondays, and the Mock Turtles came to dominate the British indie music scene. They did this by merging the rock sounds of 1980s groups like Joy Division, the Smiths, Morrissey, and the Fall with the acid house music of London and other European capitals.

The cultural hubs of the Madchester scene were Factory Records and the Haçienda nightclub, both located in Manchester. The actual music would press deep into England and beyond.

The Madchester scene served as a clear bridge between the English indie rock that preceded it and the chart-topping Britpop and electronica that would follow it.

• Rock roots: Although Madchester was a dance music scene, many of its influences came from rock 'n' roll. Bands like the Smiths, the Fall, and Joy Division helped provide a sonic template for the Madchester sound, along with techno music from America and various European capitals.
• Impact of New Order: New Order, the electro-pop band that arose from the ashes of Joy Division, helped pave the path from rock to electronic music. Although led by guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook, the group was just as famous for its heavy use of keyboards and dance grooves. They became the flagship band of Factory Records, a Manchester-based label.
• Factory Records grows: Thanks to the financial windfall provided by New Order, Factory Records and its owner Tony Wilson were able to sign and support many other Manchester dance acts. These included the Happy Mondays, Northside, and James.
• The Haçienda becomes a hub: Manchester's Haçienda nightclub started out hosting gigs by alternative rock acts like the Smiths, but by 1986, it had embraced acid house and other dance genres. It continued to welcome an eclectic mix of acts—from dance groups like Sub Sub and the Chemical Brothers to rock bands like Oasis and the Stone Roses.
• The Second Summer of Love: The late 1980s—and the summer of 1988 in particular—were sometimes described as a "second summer of love" in Manchester. Youth converged in nightclubs, embraced psychedelia and club drugs, and spent endless nights immersed in live music and dancing.
• Styles diverge: By the early ’90s, the sounds that defined the Madchester scene—indie rock and acid house music—began to diverge into separate scenes. English rockers like Oasis, Blur, the Farm, James, and the Soup Dragons followed a path forged by the Beatles and '60s psychedelic bands. The acid house and electronic music scenes migrated toward London and would eventually birth stars of their own, such as the Prodigy and Fatboy Slim. Some groups like Bridewell Taxis and Flowered Up tried to merge both rock and dance into a single band, but they did not achieve the same level of commercial prominence.

The Madchester scene was equally rooted in music and youth culture, which included everything from distinctive fashion to drug use.

1. 1. Coexistence of rock and dance music: The top Madchester acts merged rock music with danceable grooves. Factory Records and the Haçienda nightclub sought bands with rock instrumentation that could keep audiences dancing throughout the set. New Order and Happy Mondays easily fit this bill. Other groups like the Stone Roses (which hewed toward the rock end of the spectrum) and 808 State (an electronic act) stayed more faithful to single genres.
2. 2. The “baggy” style: Young participants in the Madchester scene were known for a signature sartorial style known as "baggy," which highlighted t-shirts, baggy jeans, and tye-dye colors.
3. 3. MDMA: Club drugs like MDMA (ecstasy) helped propel Manchester youth through all-night dance sessions. This is documented in the biographical film 24 Hour Party People, released in 2002 and set in the heyday of Manchester's Factory Records.

The Madchester scene spawned many of Britain's most prominent pop artists of the late twentieth century.

1. 1. The Stone Roses: Led by Manchester locals John Squire and Ian Brown, the Stone Roses built up a live reputation for much of the 1980s before finally releasing their self-titled debut album in 1989. The record received great acclaim thanks to songs like "I Wanna Be Adored."
2. 2. Happy Mondays: Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, Gary Whelan, Mark Day, Mark "Bez" Berry, and Paul Davis formed Happy Mondays in the Manchester borough of Salford in 1980. They were known for records produced by New Order's Bernard Sumner and the Velvet Underground's John Cale. They also strongly lurched toward pure house music with 1990's Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, produced by famed English DJs Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osbourne.
3. 3. 808 State: The group 808 State represented the more purely electronic side of the Madchester music scene. Band members Gerald Simpson, Martin Price, and Graham Massey became known for their innovative sets of acid house music. Simpson would later enjoy success as a solo artist, recording as A Guy Called Gerald.
4. 4. Inspiral Carpets: Known as one of the more psychedelic bands of the Madchester scene, the Inspiral Carpets made little traction outside of England, but they thrived locally thanks to records like Revenge of the Goldfish. They are also known for a famous roadie—future Oasis leader Noel Gallagher.
5. 5. James: Led by Jim Glennie, Paul Gilbertson, and Tim Booth, James enjoyed a major Madchester hit with "Sit Down" and later topped alternative rock charts with "Laid."
6. 6. The Charlatans: Thanks to hits like "The Only One I Know," the Charlatans became one of the more popular Madchester bands. Three of their records reached the top of the British charts, and they remain heavily featured on Madchester streaming playlists.

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