Why Manchester Attracts Creativity

Northern lights

It’s not a coincidence that so many ground-breaking inventions, discoveries and movements happened in the very heart of this city. Birthing the industrial revolution would have been enough to put us on the map, but Manchester’s creative spark carried on pushing boundaries. 

Manchester gave the world the computer, railway lines, atomic theory,  the contraceptive pill, acid house, vegetarianism and more recently Graphine, which is set to disrupt and innovate our way of life as much as the industry revolution once did. And let’s not forget our universities and renowned professors who made them their home. The atom was split and the first law of thermodynamics was created here, it also happens to be the place that opened the first public library in the English-speaking world. 

When it comes to music, Manchester has always made waves. This is a place of rich musical heritage. From the Hollies, Freddie and the Dreamers and 10cc to Madchester, Oasis, the Smiths and Elbow. This city has consistently churned out unique and unforgettable music. 

Many Mancunians are currently huddling together in back street pubs worrying that with such an iconic musical history, current musicians are bowing out to the pressure. A lot of us are asking, can this musical generation live up to 60 years of stellar songs and bands? 

But talk to any manc music nut worth their salt and they will tell you that this city’s music scene is still flourishing, pushing boundaries and diversifying. Guitar riffs and honeyed melodies still dance across our streets and out of our pubs because music flows out of our veins. Modern Mancunian music is still breaking rules, playing with new sounds and even straying from its Indie Rock roots. In fact, it’s much more underground than before, which makes it all the more exciting. 

Worker bees

What makes Manchester so unique is that it’s more than creative. There are lots of creative and inspiring cities in the world. Manchester is different because it’s unrelenting in its pursuit of what is needs to be done, what needs to change, what is right. 

It is that gut wrenching drive that has helped us to create world changing inventions and movements. Take our iconic and fearless figures such as Emmeline Pankhurst, the suffragette who was willing to chain herself to gates so women were no longer seen as second-class citizens. Emmeline, with the help of other activists, helped women in the UK get the vote, have a voice and be seen as equals to men. The suffragette movement in turn inspired other global female rights movements and continues to influence even our very own to this day. 

Manchester’s history has always been radical in nature. This city understands the power of collective action to protect individual rights and so is also the place where factory and mill workers bitterly fought for their own. It makes sense really, if the industrial revolution started here, important worker rights were bound to be created here. But it’s not just about geography, it’s also because of our fearless spirit and our deep-rooted sense of justice. 

At the time, the industrial revolution was in full flow across the UK, but the people working in factories and mines were being worked to the bone. Manchester and the north had the largest amount of mills, mines and factories. So we set up unions to fight for the people that ensured our industries churned out anything at all.

The first trade union was created in Manchester, which at the time was illegal. Manchester was also the city that drew attention to overworking children, which led to controlling their working hours and eventually banning child labour completely. Our northern home also helped create the first concept of a weekend. 

Rainbow rights

In 1988, Manchester rose up again, this time for the rights of its flourishing LGBT community. The city saw tens of thousands of people (both gay and straight) flooding into our close-knit streets to fight against Clause 28. A law Margaret Thatcher put in a place to prevent local councils from ‘promoting’ homosexuality. 

So what did Manchester do? It decided it would take to the streets and refuse to accept it, during a time of widespread homosexual hostility in the UK. Even Manchester City Council got on board. The clause was eventually revoked in 2009 by David Cameron, along with an official apology. It took the rest of the UK 20 years to catch up to what Manchester already knew to be right. 

Why is Manchester often ahead of the curve?  

Fighting against inequality is in our DNA, because in that fight we become a collective. Just like our worker bee emblem, we work hard together to improve the city and our own lives, and in turn create things that the rest of the world can use too.  

Our city champions freedom to be and think, and in that space we allow the most innovative among us to play and dance with ideas that change the fabric of our time. This city is a place that breathes out music, art and science. It challenges norms while laughing along the way. It is an unforgettable, inspiring place, that will always attract creative rule breakers and people that break the mould. 

Want to read more about why we love where we work so much? Check out our blog for more Manchester inspired articles. You’ll also find other stuff we care about like WordPress, web design and digital creativity.