Manchester’s music fanatics can now share their ultimate gig experiences of yesteryear online thanks to a ground-breaking new music website.
ManchesterMusicMap.co.uk, which launched two weeks ago, is the first of its kind in Manchester and allows users to upload videos of classic Manchester gigs from the era of 1976 to 1996.
Funded by The University of Manchester’s UMI3 Social Enterprise Competition, the online acoustic atlas is the brainchild of current masters student Kate Campbell-Payne, 37.
“Manchester music is one of those things that you hear throughout your life, no matter how old you are,” said Miss Campbell-Payne, who studies Arts Management Policy and Practice.
“It has been integral to British pop music and I don’t think you could have the Indie scene that we have today without those bands and this place, I also believe that this music couldn’t have been created in any other place at any other time.”
The late ‘70s through to the early ‘90s was a period that saw Manchester factories close down, but young men open up, channelling their experiences musically.
From this, Manchester’s rich musical heritage was born and the online music map stitches together performances and historic moments from the likes of The Smiths, Joy Division, The Stone Roses and Oasis, into one easy-to-navigate tapestry.
Browsers can also relive the glory days of legendary nightclub, The Hacienda, however the online footage has so far only been curated by Miss Campbell-Payne and Steve Flower, her partner in the venture.
This is something Miss Campbell-Payne wants to change.
“I think going to the Hacienda every Friday night must’ve been like a religious experience and I’d like to capture that and talk to people who had those experiences and see what their story is,” she said.
The Hacienda closed in 1997, with the site since being converted into apartments and one of the Manchester Music Map’s main objectives is to re-capture former glories of such venues.
“Some venues are getting shut down or demolished so we want to show where these gigs happened before these buildings go,” Miss Campbell-Payne added.
MAPPED OUT: Central Sound Studios where Joy Division recorded several sessions is shown on the online tool
Plans to develop the website further include mapping every record shop in the city, mapping current venues like Band on the Wall and The Ritz, and encouraging users to upload their own videos.
Mapping current venues would give music lovers the unique chance to re-live venue history before attending a gig at that very location, in the same day.
Such features not to mention the music behind them, leaves Miss Campbell-Payne, who says The Charlatans are her favourite Manchester band, in no doubt of the website’s appeal.
“People keep re-discovering this music, so I don’t think we’ll ever get a point where people are sick of it, there seems to be a constant flow from people all over the world who are interested,” she said.
To see the interactive map, visit http://manchestermusicmap.co.uk/
Picture courtesy of Will Fresch, with thanks.
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