Manchester’s guitar band tradition didn’t end with Oasis. The Courteeners from Whitefield in Bury and Blossoms from Stockport have, between them, maintained the tradition of guitar-led Manchester anthems through the 2010s – both building genuinely large local followings before achieving national recognition, both making music that sounds specifically northern in the way that distinguishes Manchester bands from their London contemporaries.
The Courteeners
The Courteeners formed in Whitefield in 2006 around Liam Fray and have built a devoted Manchester following that fills Heaton Park for outdoor summer shows. Their music – melodic indie with big choruses and lyrics that reflect working-class Manchester life – isn’t fashionable in the way the music press likes but it’s real: there are people in Manchester for whom Not Nineteen Forever is as meaningful as any Oasis song. Heaton Park shows sell out in minutes; the loyalty is genuine rather than nostalgic.
Blossoms
Blossoms formed in Stockport in 2012 and have become one of the more consistently successful guitar bands of their generation. Their music combines the 1980s Manchester influences (New Order, The Smiths) with a more direct pop sensibility. The Stockport connection is important to them – their songs reference specific local geography and the band have remained in the area rather than the predictable London migration. Stockport’s Pyramid venue hosts one of their annual homecoming shows.
The Heaton Park Shows
Heaton Park in north Manchester has become the outdoor venue for Manchester bands playing at the scale between arena and festival. The Courteeners’ annual shows there draw 25,000+ people to north Manchester – a significant event for an area that doesn’t otherwise get much music investment. The park setting, the Manchester skyline in the background, and the specific demographic of the crowd make these shows feel different from an arena show in the way that the Spike Island mythology describes.
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