The Stone Roses

Uniting the drug-fuelled hedonism of rave culture with the psychedelic pop hooks of The Beatles, The Stone Roses sent Manchester into a baggy swagger in the late 1980s. Beginning life as raucous new wave/punk throwbacks, it was the introduction of John Squire's chiming guitar melodies and Ian Brown's hypnotic vocals on the single "Sally Cinnamon" that helped define their new sound and change their fortunes. Their self-titled 1989 debut album became an instant classic, producing the era-defining anthems "I Wanna Be Adored", "Waterfall" and "I Am the Resurrection", culminating in a legendary open-air gig at Spike Island, Widnes in front of 30,000 people. However, at the peak of their fame, lengthy court battles stopped them in their tracks, and it was another five and half years before the follow-up album Second Coming was finally released. In their absence the world had moved on and Oasis were now leading a charge of Brit-pop bands inspired by the Roses' achievements. As egos raged, Squire unceremoniously walked out, before a disastrous performance at the Reading Festival caused them to go their separate ways in 1996. Post-band ventures included The Seahorses for Squire and several solo albums for Brown but in 2011, after 15 years apart, it was announced that the band would reunite for a series of UK concerts. They played several festivals including Isle of Wight, Coachella Valley Music and Arts and the Justice for Hillsborough campaign concert, and in 2013 a film documenting their rise and fall received its world premiere at Manchester's Trafford Park. The band continued to play UK festivals and in 2017 announced a series of summer stadium gigs including the SSE in Belfast, Wembley in London and Hampden Park in Glasgow. Following the death of the original bassist Pete Garner in 2023, his famous substitute, Gary "Mani"  Mounfield, died on November 20, 2025 at the age of 63.