Andy Burnham vows to protect 'a new era of Manchester’s music'

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has vowed to protect a “new era of Manchester music” as local artists and music institutions navigate threats from all sides.

The Mayor made the pledge whilst speaking at an event for Independent Venue Week, an annual recognition of the country’s independent music venues. The comments come as Manchester’s musical landscape continues to battle against threats from developers as well as the sky-high running costs caused by the current energy crisis.

Andy Burnham was speaking at an intimate launch event to celebrate the release of local band The Slow Readers Club’s forthcoming album. The event was held at the newly reopened Castlefield Viaduct Sky Park and was attended by a small, passionate group of fans.

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Members of the eager audience were invited to question the Mayor, with many focussing on how the council planned to preserve the city’s famed musical heritage, as well as how they can better encourage the emergence of the next wave of talent coming through. Mr Burnham spoke of the disregard previous councils showed towards the city’s cultural hubs, but how a “new generation” of leaders don’t intend on making the same mistakes.

Referencing the work of Manchester city council leader Bev Craig and Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett, Andy said: “We have a new generation of people now in leadership positions. I’m not knocking Richard (Cleese) or Howard (Bernstein), but they took the city on where they had to get investment.

“Now we’re in a different position where we can be a bit more selective. We can do it in the right way and not just take anything. We’re in a new phase now.”

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