Manchester. It never rains……..

Manchester; It Never Rains……..

In the 40 years since punk rock was officially unleashed on an unsuspecting public, a plethora of books and commemorations have tended to lend the movement a London-centric bias. Undoubtedly the capital was the starting point of the U.K version of punk,with Sex Pistols inspiring bands from the surrounding suburbs to start their own groups,but Manchester would play a major part in extending their music and attitude to new ears. In 1975/1976 there were no ‘punk clubs’, or even a scene for the most part,just a few like minded individuals congregating around the King’s Road. That was certainly the case when two students from the Bolton Institute, inspired by a small write up in the NME, invited a young band to play at their college. The venue was eventually changed to the Lesser Free Trade Hall, the band was the Sex Pistols, and the rest is history.

Manchester would go on to be the city where the Sex Pistols made their first television appearance; a snarling, startling live rendition of Anarchy In The U.K. on a late night arts programme hosted by someone who would become a legendary figure in Manchester’s music scene.Tony Wilson was a reporter on a local television news programme Granada Reports by day, but by night, he presented ‘So It Goes’, a weekly programme which would become pivotal in showcasing new bands who would normally not be allowed anywhere near Whispering Bob and his Old Grey Whistle Test.(The clue was in the title surely?). As for the two youths who invited their Southern cousins up to the rainy city, they changed their names from Howard Trafford and Pete McNeish to Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley. They formed the Buzzcocks, and another achievement for the city was realised when they released the very first independent punk record, the Spiral Scratch e.p. Recorded in Indigo Sounds studios,Manchester and released on the bands own label New Hormones in January 1977.
As the movement gained momentum, partly due to the Lesser Free Trade Hall gigs, venues around the city started to put on punk nights once a week. The audience would be made up of the curious and the few people who were part of the burgeoning scene.
Manchester also had a different approach to the fashionistas of the London scene. No Situationist slogans spray painted onto to fine fabrics here. The fashion,if there was one,would usually be home made alterations to existing clothes in people’s wardrobes. A rip here, a hole there,old jackets, or school Blazers with razor blade and safety pin accessories. Just enough to get you noticed in a crowd,but also just enough to get some unwanted attention.
In the first throes of punk,non believers would take great delight in taking the piss out of anyone who dared to be different. But some took it it to the next level. Because punks dressed in a provocative manner,and the music they listened to was fast and aggressive,that was seen as a green light for many to harass and confront them. Going to gigs or even just walking down the street would be a dangerous undertaking for most punks. If the straights didn’t get you,then the Teds would; if they missed you then the skinheads could be around the next corner; or the Perry Boys; or the Grebos; and if you managed to escape all those alternative youth cultures, then the Police would make sure you felt the full force of their law. I grew up in a small town in the Peak District and the few of us that dared to be different would face some kind of hassle on a daily basis. The gigs themselves could also be violent affairs,fought in shabby,rundown buildings, usually in disreputable areas of the city.Despite all of this, punk flourished and attracted all the main players of the scene, building audiences as well as inspiring them to form their own bands:

Buzzcocks, Slaughter and the Dogs,John Cooper Clarke,The Fall,Magazine,The Distractions, The Drones,Fast Cars,Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds,Joy Division,Durutti Column,Frantic Elevators,The Motors,The Hoax,The Things,Armed Force,Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias,Jon The Postman, The Panik,The Enigma,The Critics,Manicured Noise,The Passage,The Still,Steroid Kiddies,Pure Product,Elti Fits,The Reporters,The Smirks,Crispy Ambulance,The Freshies,and many more.