Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 545,500. It lies within the United Kingdom’s second-most populous urban area, with a population of 2.8 million.  Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation.

Manchester has a rich music history.  Bands that have emerged from the Manchester music scene include Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division and its successor group New Order, Buzzcocks, The Stone Roses, The Fall, The Durutti Column, 10cc, Godley & Creme, The Verve, Elbow, Doves, The Charlatans, M People, The 1975, Simply Red, Take That, Dutch Uncles, Everything Everything, and The Outfield.

Manchester was credited as the main driving force behind British indie music of the 1980s led by The Smiths, later including The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, and James. The later groups came from what became known as the “Madchester” scene that also centered on The Haçienda nightclub developed by founder of Factory Records Tony Wilson. Although from southern England,