Music & Protest by Manchester Histories

From the Stage to the Streets: Music and Resistance in Manchester

From brick-lined streets to sweat-soaked venues, Manchester has long echoed with more than just melody—it has roared with resistance. This publication explores how the city’s music scenes have not only responded to injustice but actively helped shape protest movements across generations.

Throughout its history, Manchester has produced bands and artists who didn’t just perform— they pushed back. Against racism, homophobia, political repression, and corporate exploitation, music became more than entertainment: it was an act of defiance. From the raw rebellion of punk to the charged lyrics of indie icons, we trace how sound became strategy.

Each article looks at key moments in which music played a vital role in protest—from the anti-racist marches of the late 1970s, to LGBTQ+ solidarity anthems, to fights for creative control in the heart of the music industry. Whether it was the Buzzcocks at the Northern Carnival Against the Nazis or The Stone Roses turning protest into performance art, the city’s music scene has never stood quietly.

This collection is not just a reflection on the past, but a reminder that music has agency. In Manchester, protest didn’t just happen in the streets—it happened through amplifiers, lyrics, and unity in sound.

Manchester Calling: How Punk Took on Racism and the Establishment.

Manchester’s streets were a desolate scene in the late 1970s. The once-thriving Victorian town, which had become wealthy due to the mass production of textiles, now looked like a throwaway industrial device that had been discarded with neglect.

However, a momentous event that would not only transform the city but also the landscape of contemporary music was on the horizon, one that would enable Manchester to regain its place in history and that spoke to the independence and inventiveness of its residents. That was the Punk phenomenon. One of the most legendary performances in rock history is the Sex Pistols’ Manchester debut at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. (Owen, 2015) The significance of the show has been examined in innumerable books, documentaries, and magazine articles. The real gig, during which the Pistols blew through a set that included Monkees’ “Stepping Stone” and Stooges’ “No Fun” covers, is generally cited as the origin of the Manchester punk movement.

In this article, we examine how Manchester’s punk scene was used as a platform for resistance. From historic events like the Northern Carnival Against the Nazis to band Buzzcocks’ defiant lyrics, we explore how punk resisted oppression, created resistant communities, and had a lasting legacy.

Noise as Revolution: What was it about?

Punk was intended to be the opposite of the conventional notion of a musician. Despite their lack of musical expertise, many punk bands managed to produce a sound that reflected the spirit of rebellion that young people were seeking during a period of significant social and political upheaval. “Unconventional and crude, punks often saw social norms as hypocritical obfuscations that concealed the cruelty of reality.” (Music as political protest and punk rock, no date).

The original intent of punk rock was to be overtly offensive and critical of outsiders. They scream and destroy their instruments to convey their violent and iratic tones. The conventional dynamic between the audience and the performers was abandoned. The audience no longer just watched and danced, they now played a significant role in the overall performance and ambiance. Fans supported their political beliefs outside of concerts and joined significant political movements that bands would sing about.

Punk not only confronted the rock establishment, but it confronted the establishment as a whole. It was undoubtedly the most politically specific challenge rock had to date to produce; a number of punk bands gained reputations for holding openly left-wing positions. (Simonelli, 2002, p. 127) They were typically anti-racist, anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian in their ideology. Furthermore, the punk subculture also challenged sexism. Young women became the heroines of the subculture as fans, musicians and female punks frequently preached about sexual politics in their music.

The Buzzcocks and the Northern Carnival Against the Nazis 1978

On the 15th of July 1978, a rally and concert held at Moss Side, Manchester, named as the Northern Carnival against the Nazis, was a turning point in the history of anti-racism, both in Manchester and beyond. The Carnival brought communities from the North West onto the streets to confront racist groups, such as the National Front, and was termed “the day it became cool to be anti-racist”. (Ward, no date) 15,000 took part in the rally, in which the people marched from the Strangeways prison to Alexandra Park, and a further 25,000 participated in a unity, music, and dance event.

The carnival, which was co-organized by Bernie Wilcox of Rock Against Racism and Geoff Brown of the Anti-Nazi League, emerged in response to the pressing need to combat the far-right National Front’s increasing influence in Britain. Fascist and racist ideologies started to spread throughout working-class communities as economic hardship increased. More than just a protest, the carnival served as a rallying cry and a show of solidarity against the polarising forces of nationalism and racism. It included explosive live performances by Steel Pulse, the top reggae band in the UK at the time, and pop-punk superstars Buzzcocks. China Street from Lancaster, who released a song titled “Rock Against Racism,” and Moss Side reggae band Exodus provided support.

Buzzcocks were one of the first punk group in the UK outside of London. Their reputation stems from a series of iconic pop-punk songs that were released in the late 1970s, and they are still regarded as the preferred punk group by many. (Blackburn, 2007) Their romantic and empathetic songs addressed matters that had a genuine impact on people’s lives, offering a counterpoint to the Clash’s political preaching and the Sex Pistols’ nihilism. The Buzzcocks were among the first to transform the raw energy of punk into political power. Although they were officially from just outside Manchester, their base was in the heart of the city, and their performances served as a focal point for disenfranchised youth. It was obvious to the punks at the carnival that opposing fascism was just as important as staging any kind of guitar-powered rebellion. Their declarations that racism, fascism, and hatred had no place in Manchester turned into anthems of solidarity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWm30kLeamo

Legacy of the Punk Era

Punk’s significance as a musical genre and cultural movement continues to interest sociologists and cultural analysts. Furthermore, punk is also of academic interest far beyond the UK, and its influences and ideas echo throughout modern music culture. Its significance and broader relevance once was, and still is, at the centre of many modern analysis of British youth culture, from the music press and political magazines to academia. (Wilkinson, Worley and Street, 2017, p. 409) Dismissed as a passing fad, punk has been surprisingly long lasting. Subsequent generations of fans and influencers have been drawn to it by its raw energy, DIY spirit, and anti-establishment politics. Punk has been revived in current culture, as seen in anything from catwalks to underground music scenes. (Guzzanti, 2024)

Manchester’s rebellious attitude persisted even after the initial surge of punk, which eventually burnt out and split off into additional musical genres. Realistically, there will always be a youth culture that is dissatisfied with how the adults of the world are managing affairs, and punk was the means by which the young people of the 1970s expressed their overall annoyance. Each city demonstrated to the other that their sentiments of alienation and disenfranchisement were shared with their peers worldwide by contributing their own flair to the others’ ideas. They constructed a stage on which to communicate their ideas and frustrations to peers and future generations of young people, and to create some amazing music and art in the process. (Christley, 2019)

The Roses’ Rebellion.

Formed in 1983, The Stone Roses became one of the largest bands to come out of Manchester during the height of Madchester, a zeitgeist of the period. The four-piece band fronted by Ian Brown and supported by John Squires, Gary Mountfield and Alan Ren were followed by controversy and protest throughout their entire careers. Coming at a time of struggle for many in Britain, they were the epitome of youthful rebellion despite a tumultuous time. With many of the band members dreaming of being professional musicians. The band’s willing to do anything to make this a reality led to issues for them late down the line, such as them being rash in their choice of who to sign a record deal, coming from a place of naivety,, they were willing to sign any contract that allowed them to be professional musicians. Something many new musicians fall into, Revolver Records did this to the Stone Roses with them signing an eight-album deal and creativity from the free-spirited band. With the front man Brown being said as a school boy that he had a ‘rebellious streak’ (Spence, 2012) since a young age that The Stone Roses had a protest in the identity.

With the Stone Roses already being associated with rebellion through previous actions and lyrics, with them being unapologetically themselves, the protest against subjects they opposed was as apparent in their lyric as it was in their actions. The previous acts that relate to the Stone Roses rebellion can be seen on their debut eponymous album’s cover, released in 1989, having lemons on it being a common feature of the cover, a fruit the band would become synonymous with. The lemon was inspired by the May 1968 Paris riots, as its citrus was used to counteract the tear gas and smoke that filled the Parisian air during their protest. The protests were brought on by a plethora of reasons, with it mainly being led by students and workers who felt discontent towards the political and economic landscape of late 1960s France. This, even though it is subtle, garnered some media attention towards the protest.

This was not void from their lyrics in the album, as well as in songs like ‘Bye Bye Bad Man,’ that further reference the citrus that the French protester went through the line of ‘Choke me […] In this citrus-sucking sunshine, through this, it’s clear to see that the Stone Roses had always been influenced by protest through the lyrics and the understanding of why to protest or what to protest. By spreading the hardships that need to be undertaken in order to avail in the Them sharing protest to their lyrics allows for the Paris protesters’ experiences to live through the words of a Mancunian band who shared the ideas that the protesters in France were aiming to share.

The pinnacle of The Stone Roses’ protest came in 1990 after the success of their debut album the record label Revolver wanted to capitalise on the Roses media success as decision making on how marketing and the belief that the label had too much control over the actions of the Stone Roses caused them to protest their label. Due to a long contract, as well as the Roses felt trapped by the label, feeling as if they were unable to have as much freedom as they would have desired. A tipping point came with the label’s re-release of one of Roese’s previous songs, ‘Sally Cinnamon’, along with

photo by JPAG (2011)

an accompanying music video without consulting the band first. This ignited the band’s desire to protest Revolver Records’ restriction on the freedom on the band inspiring them to take action against the label, something which many bands would typically be afraid to do, but not the eccentric Roses. On a trip towards a recording studio in North Wales, the band had the idea to stop in Wolverhampton, where the label’s owner’s house was. After a short stop at a local shop for paint, the band threw it all over Paul Birch’s, the owner of Revolver Records, house and car. He later claimed that the band caused over 15,000 pounds worth of damage to his property and cars. The events made the news, with the popularity of the band skyrocketing as they gained a reputation for being a rebellious band that is not afraid to protest what they disagree with.

The band claimed that the ‘bastard [Paul Birch] had it coming’ (Robb, 2012), a sign that the aftermath was not going to be pretty. However, it did come with some positives as the popularity of the Roses skyrocketed, with them gaining media attention and a reputation for protest and rebellion. The Roses were unable to use this popularity instantly, though, as they were unable to release new music because they were still under the label of Revolver. This was followed by a lawsuit from Birch for reparations for the damages the band did to him. This amounted to around 3,000 pounds each, a small price to pay for the media attention they were able to gain with Birch later claiming that the band likely gained a quarter of a million pounds in media around the event.

The Roses always followed the theme of protest throughout their career, and the pinnacle of their antics came with the paint incident, which helped solidify them in the mainstream and increase their notoriety. Change came through the band being ‘angry and aggressive’ (Spence,2012), their unconventional nature in getting change may not have had as big of an impact as Live Aid but the impact through their protest can be seen through their exposing of the exploitation of smaller bands from record labels.

Rock against Racism

The ‘ Rock against racism ‘ movement originally started in Birmingham 1976 by Eric Clapton at a concert when he mentioned that there were ‘’ too many foreigners ‘’ in Britain. After the second World War there had been an influx of migrants coming into Britain and by 1975 there were 3.147 million migrants in Britain in search of better work. The increase in immigration led to the surgence of Nazis Parties during the 60’s and 70’s as they perceived it as a major issue ( Warwick UniversityUniversity ). Furthermore the increase in racial tensions would merge with this issue increasing their support. However the Nazis party’s support would lead to the backlash from anti-nazis parties during the 1970’s such as the Anti-Nazis league that used concerts as protests against racism.

London Rock against Racism:

On April 3rd 1978 the rock against racism carnival in Victoria Park, London commenced under the organisation of Rock against racism and the Anti-Nazis league. 100,000 ( The Hackney Museum ) people marched from Trafalgar square to Victoria Park to protest against the growing Racist movements in Britain. Performing at the Festival were The Clash, Buzzcoks, Smash 69 and many other well known Reggae bands. Ken Worpole who joined the march stated there were ‘’Rastafarians, punks, teeny-boppers, anarchists and earnest Christians,’’(Hackney Museum) expressing the different collective or groups supporting the same whole idea yet were different from each other and proving the power of the Carnival. The festival was a success as it brought lots of attention from public figures such as politicians like Tony Benn, who was a cabinet minister. He believe Facism was a powerful form of politics and wanted to help the anti-nazis cause ( The Independent ) . This shows that the Government was starting to wake up to the growing nazis parties. In the 1980’s the several Councils put in Anti-Racist Education policies from movements such as the RAR. However there isn’t a correlation between this festival and the policy but there is no doubt it contributed towards it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhEdTTy1IM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y0YSIeGpzs

Manchester Rock against Racism:

The London carnival held on April 3rd led to the rise of other events organised by Rock against Racism and the Anti-Nazis party such as the Northern Carnival held in Alexandra Park, Manchester, July 15th 1978. 40,000 people attended the Carnival which showed the spread of the Anti-Racist movement in the North of England in big cities. Some of the bands such as Steel Pulse played in both carnivals and other local groups such as Exodus and China Street played in the concert. The march started from strange ways of prison ‘’ During the march, a number of reggae, punk, and steel bands played on the back of lorries, creating the carnival atmosphere ‘’ (British Culture Archive) showing the positive reaction to the protest. The event was a success as both different groups, the Punks and Reggae people merged together to fight for the same outcome to stop Racism. The event was peaceful but most likely because there were a handful of police, but it meant harmful conflict was evaded. However conflict would have sent a stronger message as it shows the need for change, but there wasn’t any large frontier resistance seen since 1977 in Levenshulme. On the other side the protest was very powerful and therefore there was no point in resistance from the North Frontier as it would’ve been a loss which proved the success of the Carnival.

Sounds of Solidarity: Music and Protest at the Stop the Clause March

On 20 February 1988, the streets of Manchester were filled with over 20,000 protesters marching in opposition to Clause 28 of the Local Government Act (The Guardian, 2018). Music played a crucial role in this protest, symbolising both the defiance and solidarity of those involved.

Clause 28 prohibited the “promotion” of homosexuality by local authorities and in schools. This legislation fuelled existing discrimination against the gay community, prompting widespread outrage and mobilisation. Many musicians attended the protest, including Tom Robinson, who performed his anthem Glad to Be Gay, adapted to reflect the political urgency of the moment. The cultural significance of music at this protest highlights the longstanding relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and music as a form of resistance.

A particularly poignant moment came when protesters joined together to sing We Are Family by Sister Sledge. This act was more than symbolic—it demonstrated collective unity and personal investment in the cause. Unlike traditional forms of protest that rely on speeches or representatives, communal singing allowed each voice to be heard, making the demonstration deeply personal and emotionally resonant.

Though legislative change was not immediate, this protest was instrumental in challenging public perceptions and political inaction. The eventual repeal of Section 28 in 2003 was influenced by such demonstrations, which underscored Manchester’s capacity to stand united in the face of injustice and served to educate many who had been unaware of the issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbNig5ZNgTE

Why Music is Important

Throughout History, music has been used as a form of protest covering an array of issues, including inter-music issues between record labels and bands, issues surrounding gender and sexuality, and the punk movement. Many of these protests saw Manchester as a setting for their protests and, in many cases, shaped the protest itself. Through the bands created in Manchester, from the Punk of the Buzzcocks’ involvement in the anti-far right movement to the Indie Stone Roses’ protest against their record label, bands from Manchester had a rebellious streak. Bands did not always work independently and solely focused on Manchester as protest often spread across the country. Seen through Rock against Racism that took and anti-racist lens through the music by hosting concerts nationwide targeting their aims. By music being used than more than just enjoyment and more as instrument for change, either through change they are able to make within the music industry to comments of society to political change music has been and will continue to be used as a tool for protest and change due to the potency to cause the change music is able to have.

Rock against Racism- Joshua

Manchester Calling: How Punk Took on Racism and the Establishment - Chloe Sounds of Solidarity: Music and Protest at the Stop the Clause March- Freddy The Roses’ Rebellion- Jacob

Bibliography:

Manchester Calling: How Punk Took on Racism and the Establishment

Owen, F. (2015) ‘Booze, blood and noise: the violent roots of Manchester punk,’ Medium, 28 May. https://medium.com/cuepoint/booze-blood-and-noise-the-violent-roots-of-manchester-punk-af8092bcaac3#:~:text=Widely%20regarded%20as%20 the%20genesis,was%20subsequently%20portrayed%20as%2C%20especially.

Music as political protest and punk rock — censorship and government regulation of music (no date). https://wordpress. clarku.edu/musc210-cgr/pussy-riot-and-the-censorship-of-political-activism-in-russia/music-as-political-protest-and-punkrock/.

Simonelli, D. (2002) ‘Anarchy, Pop and Violence: Punk Rock Subculture and the Rhetoric of Class, 1976-78,’ Contemporary British History, 16(2), pp. 121–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/713999447.

Ward, A. (no date) We are dynamite! Northern Carnival 1978 – Manchester Digital Music Archive. https://www.mdmarchive. co.uk/exhibition/we-are-dynamite!-northern-carnival-1978.

Blackburn, R. (2007) Buzzcocks – Manchester Digital Music Archive. https://www.mdmarchive.co.uk/tag/127/Buzzcocks.

Christley, E. (2019) ‘The Origins and Legacy of Punk Rock - Emma Christley - Medium,’ Medium, 30 March. https://emmachristleywrites.medium.com/the-origins-and-legacy-of-punk-rock-87bd75b6570d.

Wilkinson, D., Worley, M. and Street, J. (2017) ‘‘I wanna see some history’: recent writing on British punk,’ Contemporary European History, 26(2), pp. 397–411. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0960777316000357.

Guzzanti, F. (2024) The Renaissance Of Punk Rock: Resurgence And Relevance In Contemporary Culture | Rock & Art. https://www.rockandart.org/punk-rock-resurgence-contemporary-culture/.

The Roses’ Rebellion:

Spence, Simon, The Stone Roses: War and Peace (London: Viking, 2012)

Robb, John, The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop: The Reunion Edition (London: Ebury Press, 2012)

Sweeney, Joe, ‘Inside Story of Day The Stone Roses Attacked Wolverhampton Record Label with Paint’, BirminghamLive, 12 June 2020

Rock against Racism:

Thomas, Lee. ‘Eric Clapton’s Abhorrent Racist Outburst’, Far Out Magazine, 22 June 2024, https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/eric-clapton-racist-outburst/.

Hackney Museum, “Carnival Against the Nazis,” 1978, https://museum-collection.hackney.gov.uk/object-2014-385.

Geoff MincGeoff Martin, “Rock Against Racism: Remembering That Gig That Started It All,” The Independent, 30 April 2008, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/rock-against-racism-remembering-that-gig-that-started-itall-815054.html.

Blower, Thomas. Rock Against Racism Northern Carnival, 1978. British Culture Archive, 21 April 2021. https://britishculturearchive.co.uk/thomas-blower-rock-against-racism-alexandra-park-1978/.