This time we highlight two new titles about Manchester’s music/club scene. Sacha Lord’s Tales from the Dancefloor tells of his 3 decades of involvement with the Manchester music scene from the Hacienda through to Parklife. Paul Hanley’s Sixteen Again How Pete Shelley and Buzzcocks changed Manchester Music (and me) is a fan’s tale reflecting on the group’s importance to Manchester’s renaissance.
Moving on to history Brian Groom’s Made in Manchester tells the story of the city from Roman times. If you are interested in complete histories of the city others to try are those by Alan Kidd and Stuart Hylton. Also new is Len Grant’s Healing: 150 years of the Ardwick and Ancoats Dispensary. This building on Old Mill Street, Ancoats will be familiar with those who know the area. It has recently been redeveloped into apartments as with many old buildings in the city.
Transport is another favourite topic for authors and readers alike. For those of you who remember Manchester’s orange buses (1970s onwards) you might be interested in Greater Manchester Transport: a Darker Shade of Orange by Jim Collins.
Finally, not forgetting fiction, Tib Street Ballroom by Keira Willis is a 1980s crime novel set in the area.