Every bus journey in Manchester has the same soundtrack: Bells pinging, tickets churning, doors hissing – and a chorus of ‘thank yous’.
After reaching their stop, many Mancunians happily bid the bus driver farewell, alighting with a casual “ta”, “thanks”, or the age-old classic “cheers, driver”.
For many of us, it’s a reflex. But others look upon the smiling habit with curiosity, or even confusion.
Most public transport workers don’t enjoy such vocal appreciation, which makes bus drivers something of a rare breed.
Train or tram drivers, for example, don’t get that privilege – and they probably never will. It’s difficult to envisage an era in which people queue up to rap their knuckles on the Metrolink driver’s door and bellow ‘THANKS’ through darkened windows before hopping out onto the platform.
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Day 58 in Manchester: I’ve started to say thank you the the bus driver as I leave.
I’m getting off the bus and thanking the bus driver, man runs past me into the bus, says “no thank you” and runs to sit upstairs. bus driver is creasing and shrugs his shoulders and drives his bus. what a power move, i love manchester 😂
— 🇵🇸amandla awethu means power to the people🇵🇸 (@mxmandla) May 14, 2021
Perhaps that’s part of the reason why bus drivers do enjoy a hat-tip from their passengers: You have to physically walk past them to exit, and ignoring the driver would be far more awkward than showing your gratitude. Very British.
Whatever the psychological motive, waving off the bus driver is embedded into our culture and regarded an unwritten social rule. At least for most people.
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According to our recent poll, over 97% said they thanked the bus driver – with some claiming they had never failed to exit a bus without shouting their appreciation to the person (who is almost always wearing sunglasses, whatever the weather) behind the wheel.
Only a tiny number of people don’t see the point in showing their gratitude for a paid journey through Mancunia – with around 2% admitting they wouldn’t say “ta” at the end of the trip.
The ultimate test of character: Do you thank the bus driver?
So, whilst a small cadre of commuters remain steadfast in refusing to thank their bus driver, the popular opinion is there’s simply no excuse not to.
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Not the din of the engine. Not the chaos of the city centre traffic. Not even being in a foul mood after a truly shit day.
Nope. Nothing justifies slipping out through those sliding doors onto the streets of Manchester without uttering two little words.
Cheers, driver.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
Feature
Five Greater Manchester-based artists we’ve been listening to this month | January 2026
Danny Jones
Happy New Ye—ah, never mind, we’re well past that; however, we’re never past soaking up new music and song recommendations from the best music city in the world – we’re pretty sure that’s why they really call it Greater Manchester…
If 2026 does happen to be your first year with us, this feature is pretty self-explanatory: every month, we round up some of the best tunes and Manc-based artists you may not have heard before.
Or maybe you have, and you’ve just forgotten about them. You don’t have to be a big name or an up-and-comer here at Audio North; you make it on this list if you’re good. It really is as simple as that.
So, without further ado, let’s get stuck into our very first collection of regional artists you need to try of the year…
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to recently
1. Spangled
First up for 2026 is a group we’re expecting big things from this year, and hopefully plenty of new music to back it up. They’re playing a huge Ritz headline show with some other Manc bands at the end of February, and it’s sure to be a party, especially when that new single ‘Barracuda Cadillac’ kicks in.
Spangled is a name you may have already come across, and they’ve certainly been working hard over the past half a decade, but we’ve got into a real groove with them of late. Post-punk, alt-rock, or straight-up Manc indie in moments; they’re given all sorts of labels – we just call it full-tilt rock and roll.
They’ve got a great swagger about them. Frontman Ben Johnson has a bit of Rob Damiani about him; the guitar work is excellent, they do a good music video, and they’ve even got a track that sounds like ‘The Only One I Know’ by The Charlatans. We’d say start with ‘Little Tom’, ‘Human’ and ‘Drift Away’.
Ok, off to a strong start, and while we’re hoping for those lads to finally release their first full album in the coming months, we’re hoping to see fellow rising rock project, PAVÉ, drop a proper lengthier sophomore LP sometime soon. If you fancy taking things up a notch in terms of heaviness, these are just the ticket.
Mixing plenty of distortion, electronics and wider effects to their overall sound, this four-piece (which was also formed in 2019) is great for anyone trying to keep their nu-metal and grunge-soaked younger selves alive, and they definitely know how to write a radio-friendly chorus.
Alanya Jade’s vocals soar over hard-hitting riffs and rapid drumming patterns, and the lyrics are appropriately brooding. We’d recommend their big single, ‘The Weight Of Letting Go’, another fan favourite, ‘Whatever The Cost’, and our personal favourite thus far, ‘aren’t YOU scAREd to be ALONE?’
Sticking with Manc rock but with plenty of US influences, we move on to Gallagher’s Green. Named after a cigarette brand and showing no shame in championing not only some post-Britpop, but unmistakable Americana and even country, this collective has roots in Oldham, the North West, Yorkshire and Ireland.
Their backstory and journey up to this point is as fascinating as it is moving, with founding duo Ian Gallagher and Jon Olphert first meeting whilst serving in Iraq back in 2008, before going to enjoy gigs together and eventually forming a band of musical brothers all their own.
They’ve maintained a clear mix of mainstream transatlantic sounds; it always sounds familiar, but there’s definitely more of a leaning towards the Stateside vibes. Put simply, your dad’ll LOVE these, and we mean that in the best way. ‘Just A Dream’, ‘Not My Day to Die’ and ‘Better Days’ are our standouts.
You’ll get a bit of Oasis, Shed Seven, Feeder, as well as bits of Foo Fighters, Incubus, and much more.
4. CQ Wrestling
Our penultimate pick is, quite frankly, a band that should have been named on our Greater Manchester artists of the month list AGES ago, but given they’ve had a bit of a sea change in the last couple of years or so, we held off to see what we’ve made of it.
We needn’t have worried – if anything, we’re more obsessed than ever. No longer Chappaqua but now simply CQ Wrestling, the local indie turned even grungier and more shoegaze than ever outfit definitely suits this particular writer’s general tastes, but it does help set them apart a bit more these days.
Personally, we will always have a very strong soft spot for older tunes like ‘Football’, though we do enjoy the growing aggression in 2023’s ‘Kulture’, but our favourite track at the moment is ‘Catherine Wheels’, which feels like the perfect advert for their relaunch as an even darker brand of modern alt-rock.
5. Oscar White
Finishing on a much softer note for this month, we head into February with the dulcet tones of Devon-born singer-songwriter, Oscar White, who has such a command of the acoustic guitar that we believe his intricate picking could genuinely lull a baby to sleep. Or, you know, a fully grown man…
This Manchester-based folk artist definitely enjoys dipping into the old Celtic and bardic traditions, so it feels quite quintessential for the genre, and best of all, we’re starting you off nice and easy, because he’s only got two tracks out on Spotify, but there is more to be found on his YouTube and other places online.
So, stick on ‘Debts and Dry Land’ and ‘Spencer The Rover’ – both of which show off that fingerstyle guitar, but also do a good job of showing two different ways he deploys his raspy voice – but do check out YouTube for his live version of ‘All Turned Out’ at The Whiskey Jar in NQ. Simply gorgeous.
A legend in leopard print – Magic Miles Kane at Albert Hall, Manchester | Gig Review
Harry Quick
There’s something poetic about seeing Miles Kane perform in a venue like the Albert Hall.
Beneath the stained glass and towering arches, he felt less like a veteran gigger and more like the high priest of British indie showstoppers – sharp-suited and equipped with what appeared to be custom, heeled adidas three stripes with a fully leopard print set to match. Carpeted floor, drum kit and all.
You can tell from the outset that, city rivalries aside, the scouser is adored by his Mancunian fanbase. His opening track, ‘Electric Flower’ – taken from his latest album, Sunlight in the Shadows – made for the perfect start.
Kane emerged to a roar. The track’s shimmering melodic edge got the two-tiered crowd quickly accustomed to Kane’s newest style of sound, and things kicked on easily from there.
It was a confident opener (not a greatest hit in my humble opinion, but a statement) before snapping straight into ‘Rearrange’: more familiar territory for most, which sent the floor bouncing within minutes.
From there, the set unfolded like a guided tour of Kane’s career, past and present blending seamlessly.
‘Troubled Son’ and ‘The Wonder’ leaned into his grittier side, while ‘Without You’ felt inspired by a similar jangly riff of ‘Long Cool Woman’ by The Hollies, famously setting the rhythm to a particular Britpop classic. If you don’t know already, look it up!
By the time ‘Coming Down the Road’ and ‘Love Is Cruel’ rolled around, Albert Hall was fully warmed up — and personally won me over on the new album with the latter.
It carries a softness that you don’t tend to expect with a Miles Kane track, but maybe that comes with a creative maturity approaching your 40s (sorry, mate).
Regardless, Kane stalked the stage with trademark swagger, feeding off the crowd and grinning like a man who knows he’s exactly where he belongs and continues to do so.
Then came one of the night’s first real eruptions…
Ahead of the show,‘Inhaler’ was one of my most anticipated listens. It hits like a shot of adrenaline from the opening chord, and the crowd sing every word back at him as if it were 2011 all over again. If you’re a Miles Kane fan, my money is on ‘Inhaler’ being high up your list.
‘Blue Skies’ followed, which shone a spotlight on not only the vocals but the complete shredding from the rhythm guitarist in the final breakdown. Having stood in the top tier of the Albert Hall, I got a prime view of the audible freedom he had to play with!
Mid-set, Kane doubled down on newer material with ‘One Man Band’ and ‘I Pray’, both sounding huge live – proof that his recent output more than holds its own alongside the classics.
The emotional heart of the night arrived with my favourite, ‘Colour of the Trap’. This track has been etched onto my playlist for longer than I care to mention. You felt it coming. The room softened, phones lit up, and for a few minutes, Albert Hall felt like a shared memory rather than a venue.
It’s almost as if he didn’t want it to end himself, with an echoing chorus of la la la la going on for a good few minutes after the band’s final instrumental chime. ‘My Love’ and ‘Walk on the Ocean’ kept that reflective mood rolling before ‘Better Than That’ nudged the energy back upwards.
From there, it was full throttle. ‘Coup de Grace’ and ‘Never Taking Me Alive’ were delivered with venom and volume. Straight from his 2018 catalogue felt like one for the dads, or at least it resonated with the 50-year-old bloke pointing his fist in the air with one hand and holding a double pint in the other. Legend.
As the main set drew to a close, ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ fittingly carried us into the encore — defiant, anthemic, and shouted back word-for-word by a crowd that had been banging this tune out long before they heard it on FIFA 14 (like me).
It was exactly the type of tune that made me whip my phone out and record it for the boys, saying, ‘remember this one?!’, to a chorus of thumbs up in the group chat. And when I mention the encore, it didn’t mess about.
Kane and the band picked up where they left us with a high intensity ending to ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ before the title track, ‘Sunlight in the Shadows’, gave the tour its emotional centrepiece: rich, expansive, and glimmering amongst camera flashes between bums on shoulders.
And then, the inevitable closer. By far his biggest song, if Spotify streaming numbers are anything to go by, ‘Come Closer’ sent Albert Hall into one final frenzy.
We saw bass guitarist Nathan get his special birthday moment when Miles and the band brought on a chocolate cake to celebrate, blowing out the candles – mid belter. Just ending the night on a euphoric high that left smiles plastered across sweaty faces.
Miles Kane at Albert Hall wasn’t just another date on the tour calendar. It was a reminder of just how deep his catalogue runs, how legendary in the indie rock game he is, and how effortlessly he can still command a Manchester crowd despite hailing from Merseyside. We don’t mind them, really!
The Manc -
3rd June 2021 
