4. Loose Fit

By 1989, Manchester is no longer underground, it is now
unavoidable. Baggy jeans, bucket hats and loose jumpers become a
uniform. Market stalls and record shops replace boutiques and
fashion houses. The look travels as fast as the music and the
city has found its silhouette. The Happy Mondays record Bummed in
a blur of ecstasy and mischief, then quietly redraw the indie
rulebook by handing a track to a club DJ for remixing. The Stone
Roses release their debut album to modest chart impact, but
something else is happening beneath the numbers.


Coaches roll out of Manchester bound for Blackpool. Inside the
Empress Ballroom, chandeliers shake as a crowd bounce before the
band even appear. Within weeks, Madchester is on prime time
television. The Late Show. Top of the Pops. Living rooms across
Britain are introduced to a city no longer asking for permission.


Episode 4 of The Rise and Fall of Madchester captures the moment
the movement breaks through. When fashion becomes identity, when
dance becomes pilgrimage and when Manchester steps from dark
rooms into the national spotlight.


Featuring archive interviews from Mani, Clint Boon, Shaun Ryder,
Ian Brown, John Robb, alongside new interviews with Leo Stanley,
Mike Pickering, Tim Booth from James and Steve Atherton.


A BBC Audio Production.