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10 of the best music videos you didn’t know were filmed in Manchester

Get me some popcorn, I’m sat.

Thomas Melia - 31st October 2024

Manchester is the (self-proclaimed) city of music and as much as us Mancs may be loud and proud about our colourful music scene, it’s also good to know these artists think so too, choosing our city for some of the world’s biggest music videos.

From atop The Midland Hotel to inside the AO Arena, artists have transformed Manchester and its surrounding areas into the ideal filming locations for their catchiest tunes.

Whether acts have come to lipsync in front of a familiar hometown set, or jetted over here to make the most of our vast landscape and scenery, Greater Manchester is no stranger to music videos.

Some are set in Oldham mansions while others were filmed live in concert, some feature global pop megastars and others star the world’s biggest rappers.

So we’ve rounded up 10 music videos you might not know were filmed right here in Greater Manchester.

Hair by Little Mix

Gotta get him out my hair and gotta get down to this Oldham mansion instead as the four girls used this location to film their 2016 smash hit ‘Hair’.

The video sees the X-Factor girl group hosting a sleepover to forget their exes and focus on friendships instead, as they dance and sing around the grand staircase and various rooms inside of Ashcroft House.

Little Mix can be seen tucking into some delicious pizza and they’re clearly big fans of the Italian delicacy, with the homeowner revealing she got to chat with them over a slice or two after filming  at midnight.

Not too far from Uppermill, anyone with a spare £2.35 million can snap this property up in a heartbeat and find themselves living in a piece of pop music history.

Desire by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith 

Ever wanted to do donuts at The Brick Community Stadium in Wigan? Well Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris has beat you to it and he’s brought along company in the form of pop recording artist Sam Smith.

The pair are racing round Wigan as well as a few more urban settings in a host of fast cars. A BMW E46 Coupe was the perfect choice for this shot matching the same kit as home team Wigan Athletic.

This car-meet music video was released in 2023 and in true 80s/90s style, much like the instrumental, Harris and Smith dropped a translucent orange vinyl to coincide with dropping the song.

‘Desire’ was the second collaboration for the duo coming five years after its predecessor ‘Promises’ which took the world by storm in 2018.

BeFoUr by Zayn

It’s not everyday you see a member of One Direction strolling the streets of Manchester, but in 2016 Zayn paid a visit to Miles Platting to create a visual pairing for his latest single ‘BeFoUr’.

Not too far from Ancoats, Malik decided the surroundings of inner city Manchester would be used as a backdrop for the music video, which assisted his debut solo studio album ‘Mind Of Mine’.

There was even a mural of the album, which acted as the music video’s opening shot, painted at this spot to commemorate the filming of the video.

The musician even tried his hand at spray-painting, writing ‘Mind Of Mine’ in graffiti in the same area.

Great Pyramids of Stockport by Antony Szmierek

2024 wouldn’t be 2024 without the Stockport Pyramid and its triumph in confirming its plans as an all-you-can-eat Indian restaurant.

Szmierek, much like the Pyramid has also seen great success this year, making it onto the BBC 6 Music B-List twice and performing at Neighbourhood Festival not too long ago.

This track sees Szmierek discussing the northern landmark while posing right in front of it in all its shining blue-glass glory.

From Stockport to the stunning desserts of Egypt, the spoken-word poet even got to visit the inspiration behind its British counterpart, the Pyramids of Giza. 

Perfect Me by Blossoms

Staying in Stockport, Manc favourites Blossoms have also shown lots of love to their hometown especially with their visuals.

The music video for ‘Perfect Me’ sees the band stopping off at multiple destinations around the Greater Manchester town including a school, a farm and even a care home.

This song came just before their headline gig at Wythenshawe Park which went down a treat with the crowd of 30,000.

Earlier this month, one of our very own Manc team navigated the Peak District in a motor supplied by an Oldham-based caravan company which featured in another Blossoms video.

Better Days by Liam Gallagher 

The Gallagher brother can be seen peering over Manchester city centre from the roof of the Midland Hotel with an additional band arrangement keeping him company.

One of the speakers in the video receives a special feature too, denoting ‘MCFC Spezial’, a nod to his footwear collaboration with iconic brand Adidas.

Famous landmarks like Manchester Central and St. Peters Square can also be spotted in this 2022 video classic, as Liam professes wise words of wisdom followed by ‘Believe me, yeah’. 

In his usual parka coat attire, this video is a fully-fledged homage to Manchester and the incredible thriving city it has become.

Money Power Fame by Don Broco 

South Midlands band Don Broco decided to travel north to shoot their video for 2019’s rock release ‘Money Power Fame’.

Utilising the gas holders as a backdrop right next to Etihad Stadium and Manchester’s newest live music entertainment venue, Co-op Live, it’s a video filled with money, power… and fame.

The boys silhouettes are displayed in front of the large gas holder which had dominated the skyline of the Bradford area of Manchester before demolition commenced this year.

Although they may not be resident Mancs, the band have played our music-filled city over 20 times since their first visit to Satan’s Hollow back in 2009.

Lights Out by Rick Astley

The King of ‘Rick-rolling’ filmed the video for his 2010 single ‘Lights Out’ right here in Manchester’s AO Arena, directed by none other than comedy legend and British-legend Peter Kay.

This was a milestone song for Astley, not only thanks to the directorial credits but also due to the fact it was his first musical release in 17 years.

Obviously, the best place to record your comeback single is an iconic UK venue such as AO Arena’s standing section, main stage and rooftop.

The track welcomed its first play at the same venue, joining Peter Kay on his 2010 UK Tour to perform the new addition as well as his classic hits such as ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (At least we didn’t rick-roll you).

Fix You by Coldplay

The Devon frontman, Chris Martin, paces the streets of London before making his way to home of Bolton Wanderers football club, Toughsheet Community Stadium.

The filming of this video linked to their 2005 tour and two day residency at the landmark stadium in Bolton, with Martin joining the rest of the band part-way through the video on stage enthralled by a crowd of over 28,000.

This song has reached untouchable levels of success and has become a staple to their touring setlist since its release much like many of their other smash-hit singles, their achievements are never-ending. 

Not too long ago in 2023, they blessed the crowds of Manchester with four back-to-back nights of musical therapy and physical therapy with fans encouraged to use static bikes while watching the show to power the show run.

The Way I Are by Timbaland and Keri Hilson 

The year is 2007, Timbaland has the current music scene hooked and he’s perched up with fellow American singer Keri Hilson to promote their record ‘The Way I Are’ in a basement in… Salford!

It’s safe to say the record producer and performer had the early 2000’s pop and r&b music scene in the palm of his hands and this track definitely didn’t break that record.

Filmed in a lock-up garage on Chapel Street in Salford, catches Timbaland and Hilson dancing in a spotlight-lit setting in some rather formal office clothing.

The three football players suited and booted doing keepy-uppys were apparently supposed to be stars from that year’s Manchester United lineup, but filming took place at the same time as the FA Cup.

Honourable Mention –

Take Me Back To London (Sir Spyro Remix) by Ed Sheeran (ft. Stormzy, Jaykae and Aitch)

Ginger-haired pop sensation Ed Sheeran called upon Moston’s own Aitch to add a couple of bars to his Stormzy remix ‘Take Me Back To London’.

The video sees these cheeky chaps chopping it up in a New Moston sandwich shop, indulging in some good scran and cheers-ing their cuppas.

Sheeran started his life in the cozy Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge just an hour away from the site of this music video and is now one of the best-selling UK artists of all time.

Fans spotted the star mid-filming and although he may not have had a guitar on hand to serenade them, he did in fact stop to take selfies with passers-by.

Read more:

• Manchester musicians, celebrities and more are uniting to help save Salford Lads and Girls Club
• Hideaway – Co-op Live unveils new late-night luxury members club by celebrity chef Simon Rimmer
• Lidl pokes fun at Liam Gallagher’s £400 jacket with brilliantly well-placed advert in Manchester

Music is an integral part of Manchester’s history and it’s great to see our city and its surrounding boroughs being represented throughout time and many different genres.

Here’s to many more famous faces popping up in and around Manchester to promote their albums!

And to a certain Ms. Swift, we’ve seen you filming in Liverpool… why not give this wonderful city a try?

Featured image: YouTube