According to our conversation with Dr. Charles Insley, there are three things that should come to mind when you think of Manchester: football, industry, and music. While listening to the conversation Dr. Insley carried with the rest of the history students, I nodded my head and pretended like I knew what they were all so eagerly talking about. I have never been a big history person, so I couldn’t speak upon the first two subjects, but when the topic of music surfaced, my interest was piqued. This topic is my expertise, and I was confident that I might know more about it than anyone else in the room. I kept to myself, however, intimidated by how knowledgeable the rest of the students on the trip were about the history of Manchester, and quietly listed the many bands that originated in this city to myself. To my surprise, another student raised his hand immediately and stated that, The Smiths, of course, were from Manchester! Our conversation continued on about how England has produced some of the best musicians such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and so many more. Manchester in particular, however, is home to many of my favorite music artists such as The Smiths, Joy Division, Oasis, and Catfish and the Bottlemen.
If you were to ask anyone that knows me well, or even those who don’t, they would likely be able to tell you that music is easily one of the most essential parts of my life. There is barely a moment in the day that I am not listening to music, and on the off chance you catch me not listening to it, I’m likely talking about it anyways. As such, Manchester was heaven for a music lover like me. On almost every street, there were performers playing live instruments or even just a speaker set up playing music. Many of the restaurants and pubs had local musicians playing live music as well, which I made a goal to seek out anytime we tried to plan for a meal. In Affleck’s, a local indie market, the grip that music had on the community was quite apparent. Walking up the three-story building, the walls were plastered with posters of different bands and musicians, ranging both in genre and across time periods. There were multiple stores within the market that sold vintage records, cassette tapes, CD’s, and even phonographs! While wandering around the market, I caught the faintest sound of a song making its way down the hall. I followed the sound of the music and found myself in a vintage clothing store. I browsed the clothing racks, even though these clothes were definitely not my style, while I tried to work up the courage to ask the young woman behind the counter what the name of the song was. I eventually got over my silly fear and asked her what the name of the song was. “ ‘Nothing Matters’ by The Last Dinner Party…do you like it,” she asked me. We proceeded to talk about how good the music was that she was playing and even went on to share some of our favorite artists that we were listening to. What started from simply overhearing a song I enjoyed, led to this wonderful encounter with a stranger. Whether she will remember such a (likely) insignificant moment in her workday or not does not matter because at least I know that I will.
There were many other occasions during this trip in which my love for music allowed me to make a connection with others. The most memorable being our second night in Manchester. I shared a wonderful night with a handful of the other students on this trip, and even two local Mancunians! The group of us chatted as we listened to a local musician perform before us, save for when a few songs came on that we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sing along to. Perry and Lewis, the two locals that we befriended that night, introduced us to another establishment that prided themselves on the music that they provided for their patrons. I instantly had a good feeling about this place, as shortly after we arrived, they played one of my favorite songs “7,” by Catfish and The Bottlemen.
For the rest of the night, Perry and Lewis watched in disbelief as us Americans sang every word to songs by the Arctic Monkeys, The Smiths, Blur, Catfish and the Bottlemen, etc. “How do you guys even know these songs?” they kept asking us, to which they never received an answer, because we were too busy singing our hearts out. Despite the differences in age, interests, gender, and the separation by a whole country, our group of individuals were nonetheless united by our love for music. Now when songs such as “Nothing Matters,” “Song 2,” “Oasis,” or “505” play through my headphones, I will be reminded of the unforgettable people I met and the memories I created on this trip.