The city’s popular music roots in the jazz cafes and ‘blues’ parties of the 1950s and 60s spawned the cult Northern Soul scene, putting Manchester on the musical map even before the dawn of punk.

It was with the ‘do-it-yourself’ ethic of Punk that Tony Wilson began his infamous Factory empire, borrowing a few hundred pounds to record Joy Division’s first album. Later, as New Order, they returned the favour, investing money into an old yacht warehouse… the Haçienda was built.

Along with the Boardwalk, the Haçienda provided a stage for up-and-coming bands such as The Smiths and James, before the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses hit the headlines, and plain old Manchester became ‘Madchester’, the most talked about city on earth… until of course it became ‘Badchester’. The legendary Konspiracy Club was lost, and even the Haçienda’s doors closed. For a time it seemed that it was all over.