At Mad Up North, the panel Saving the Bez ‘til Last delivered exactly what it promised, something different. Taking the stage, James Cross, founder of Meanwhile, was joined by journalist and musician John Robb and the one and only Bez from the Happy Mondays.
Together, they took the audience on a whirlwind tour of the Madchester era, unpacking its influence on Manchester’s cultural identity and making the case that the city doesn’t need to compete for the ‘Second City’ title, London and Birmingham can fight that one out among themselves.
The DNA of Manchester: Difference
Manchester has long prided itself on doing things differently. From its days as an industrial powerhouse to its reinvention as a cultural hub, the city’s identity has been forged by a spirit of innovation and defiance. James Cross set the tone for the session by highlighting how Meanwhile and its approach to storytelling were rooted in this ethos: “Being different is what we’re all about.”
This led into a discussion of Madchester, the legendary late 80s and early 90s movement that saw the rise of bands like the Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, and the cultural institution that was the Hacienda nightclub. For many, this era didn’t just produce great music; it fundamentally reshaped Manchester’s brand.
Bez and the power of the unexpected
If ever there was an embodiment of Madchester’s raw, instinctive energy, it’s Bez. He recounted the now-mythic tale of how he first stepped onto the Hacienda stage with the Happy Mondays, not as a planned career move, but as a spur-of-the-moment act of camaraderie.
“Sean [Ryder] threw down to me and said, ‘Bez, I’ve taken some really strong acid, you’re going to have to come on stage with me,’” he recalled. “I told him to f*** off, but he said, ‘If you don’t, you’re a soft lad.’ So I grabbed a pair of maracas and jumped up.
That unplanned moment, an explosion of movement and chaos, would become a signature of the Happy Mondays and an example of why the best cultural moments are often the most spontaneous. John Robb pointed out that the great thing about Madchester wasn’t that it was manufactured, it was instinctual, real, and created by people who simply did. “A lot of branding is made up,” Robb observed, “but the best brands are real. And Bez is real.”
Did Madchester make Manchester?
The panel reflected on whether the Madchester era was responsible for shaping the Manchester of today. Robb acknowledged that while it played a role, Manchester’s culture is layered, constantly evolving, and never stops.
“All the best culture comes off the streets,” he said. “It doesn’t come from the music business, it comes from places like Salford, Wigan, the overlooked towns.”
Bez reminisced about pre-Madchester Manchester, recalling a city that was rundown and unrecognisable compared to today. “Sometimes I pull up at a street corner and I don’t even recognize where I am anymore.”
Yet, as Robb pointed out, change isn’t new to Manchester. The city has always had an independent streak, a refusal to follow trends dictated by London.
“Tony Wilson used to say, ‘I forbid you to move to London,’” Robb said. “And when people did, he wouldn’t speak to them for years.”
The Manchester mindset: evolution, not nostalgia
With a panel full of Madchester icons, the conversation inevitably turned to nostalgia. Was Manchester stuck in its past? Did its legendary music scene hold it back?
Robb dismissed the idea that celebrating the past is a bad thing. “Romanticising isn’t a problem, life would be dull without it. But Manchester isn’t just about the past. There’s still loads going on now.” He pointed out that Manchester remains one of the best cities in the UK for emerging bands because, unlike London, it’s still relatively affordable for artists. “You can live between the cracks here and do crazy sh*t, and that’s important.”
Bez took a more reflective stance, noting that the decline of the traditional music industry and the rise of digital platforms had made it harder for bands to break through in the same way the Mondays did.
“If we were coming up today, we wouldn’t have made it,” he said. “Back then, we didn’t even know what 1-2-3-4 time was. Imagine a band like us trying to get signed now, it just wouldn’t happen.”
