And so, it's saturday, so I go to the Guardian website to discover that bloggers Fuc51 have spread word of their campaign to the national media. For the uninitiated, they are a bunch of Manchester bloggers sick of the Manchester revival industry. Apparently the article explains that Ian Brown doing the Parlife Event at Platt Fields' park was the last straw for them.
For my own take, I'm sort of sandwiched somewhere between the "kids" and the old bunch of Peter Hook, Ian Brown, Mani, and other usual suspects living on past memories of this incredible music city. I'm sick of hearing about Manchester heritage stuff in the national media, about The Smiths, Joy Division, Factory Records, etc. And that's despite the fact I was there for part of it. The late 80s was part of my youth, but I feel strongly that it's important for the old guard to step aside and not keep forever going on about the past, and encouraging bands like Delphic, who sound like a pale imitation of New Order, for example.
I'd love to see bands that sound nothing like Manchester has produced before, but I think a lot of this is driven by Southern, London media expectations of what this city is about, as much as it is by the original players themselves wanting to relive they old days. Bands like May68 point where Manchester is going, and that's a very healthy thing. Whatever happens, we don't want to end up like Liverpool, it took them years of harping on about the Beatles before excellent bands like The Zutons and The Coral finally (amazing 80s stuff like Echo & Frankie not withstanding) were able to step out of the shadow of the city's heritage.
