My friends were surprised to hear that I was visiting Manchester, England, since they associate the city with sports and history (which aren’t exactly my cup of tea).
Little did they know that Manchester has a colorful underground scene and gave birth to two of my favorite bands, Joy Division and The Smiths.
For the past 50 years, musical subcultures—from post-punk to rave—have flourished here. I went on a music tour run by Craig Gil, drummer of the band Inspiral Carpets. We began at Factory Records, the label of New Order and Happy Mondays, and ended at the gravestone of vocalist Ian Curtis.
Today, Manchester’s indie culture is centered in the Northern Quarter. I looked for street art by Invader and went shopping at Afflecks, a building dedicated to alternative fashion. The city also has a flourishing Gay Village, where I found drag queen shows next to an Alice in Wonderland tearoom.
Disclaimer: La Carmina and her photographer were guests of Visit Manchester.
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Fans of The Smiths flock to Salford Lads Club, where The Smiths took an iconic photo for their “Queen is Dead” album. I did my best to imitate Morrissey’s smug facial expression.
The Salford Lads Club converted a weightlifting room into a shrine for The Smiths. Fans from around the world leave behind hand-written messages, which are posted on the walls.
The room is filled with Smiths memorabilia including album covers, signed photos, and a mosaic of singer Morrissey.
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