Manc Music in MOJO

MOJO Magazine has a special edition devoted to the Manchester music scene. I have been poring over it for days.
The magazine's features trace the development of the bands chronologically, beginning with the "ground zero" of Manchester music -- the Sex Pistol gigs on June 4 and July 20, 1976.
The audience for those 30-year-old gigs included people who would subsequently form Buzzcocks, Joy Division (Ian Curtis pictured), The Fall and The Smiths.
You could argue the audience eventually had a greater impact on alternative music than the band on stage!
I find it most interesting reading the recollections of the scene's unsung heroes, members of bands such as A Certain Ratio, the Drones and World of Twist.
I think I'll put together a Manchester playlist on the iPod for this weekend. It would provide a perfect soundtrack to my reading materials.