Madchester Part Two

The Stone Roses. From left: Mani, Ian Brown, John Squire and Reni.

The music scene in Manchester immediately before the Madchester era had been dominated by indie bands such as The Smiths, New Order and The Fall. These bands were to become a major influence on the Madchester scene, but just as important was the Haçienda nightclub.

The Haçienda had been opened by Factory Records in 1982. For the first few years of its life it played predominantly indie music, but gradually began featuring more disco, hip-hop and electro (in this respect, the club enjoyed a relationship of mutual influence with its part-owners New Order).

In 1986, it became the first club outside the US to take house music seriously, with DJs Mike Pickering and Graeme Park hosting the Nude night on Fridays. This night quickly became legendary, and helped to turn around the reputation and fortunes of the Haçienda, which went from making a consistent loss to being full every night of the week by early 1987.

Other clubs in Manchester started the follow the Haçienda's lead: The Boardwalk in the city centre, the International (and later the International 2) in Longsight and the Osbourne Club in Miles Platting.

Another key factor in the build-up to Madchester towards the end of that year was the sudden arrival of the drug ecstasy in the city - legend has it that a friend of the Happy Mondays was a pioneer in bringing the drug into the country from Amsterdam. According to Haçienda DJ Dave Haslam: "Ecstasy use changed clubs forever; a night at the Haçienda went from being a great night out, to an intense, life changing experience"
During 1988 Acid House became popular throughout the UK, another influence on the club culture building in Manchester.