For the more than 550,000 people who are lucky enough to call this city our home, you don’t have to tell us twice about how great it is.
You’ll probably find us shouting about it from the rooftops at any chance we get.
Manchester is global powerhouse that’s instantly-recognisable for its architecture, culture, musical exports, acclaimed food and drink scene, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, world-beating football teams and sports clubs, impressive transport connections, and so much more.
But what is it that makes the city so close to our hearts? What makes the hustle and bustle of city life so appealing to Mancunians and the people who visit?
Here at The Manc, we’re always keen to know where you stand. And in this case, we want to experience the wonders of our great city through your eyes and see what it is you think makes Manchester so special – a different viewpoint.
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So, we took to two of our social media platforms this week – Facebook and Instagram – to ask you, our loyal audience of Mancunians, to finish this sentence – ‘I love Manchester because_____‘.
And here’s what you said:
___
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The People
There’s no denying that a significant part of what makes a city so special is the people that inhabit it. The people you find walking down the streets, lending a hand, entertaining the masses, or working so diligently in all of our shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, office buildings, and beyond.
Our family. Our friends. The people that we love.
Of course, it makes sense that so many Mancunians said that their favourite thing about the city of Manchester is the people who live here.
“It’s full of Mancs.”
“I always loved how diverse it was, full of wonderfully colourful people.”
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“I met my wife here – Best thing to ever happen to me.”
“I love Manchester because of its salt of the earth people – the city has some of the world’s warmest hearts! Manchester made me and you are beautiful.”
From globally-loved bands such as Oasis, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, The Smiths, and too many more that we just don’t have time to list off, to the iconic Madchester music scene and the days of Factory Records and The Haçienda, and right through to the music of all genres that’s being produced here today, there’s bound to be something that the Manchester music scene has created for everyone to tap their toes to along to.
The city is also full of live music venues of all shapes and sizes, which has cemented Manchester as a staple location on the touring schedules for artists all over the world.
Manchester is a city such a rich culture – and you all seem to love it.
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“I’d spend a lot of time in Manchester with my aunt, especially Afflecks and the market, a lot of collectors / album shops, and you’d just see people with all different styles there.”
“There’s always vibe about the place, a uniqueness and surprise around every corner or street and alley. Little cafe or antique shop, or a pub or bar you have never noticed. And the buildings where ten of thousands of people walk passed every day and not the beautiful architecture or a fantastic piece of graffiti art on a wall.”
“I love Manchester because of Afflecks.”
“It’s just a lovely place. Not too fast paced not too dull. I think it’s the right balance of all things – a bit of country side nearby, a bit of modern infrastructure in the expanding city, a bit of history and everything here.”
Just as the famous quote from the iconic Tony ‘Longfella’ Walsh poem This Is The Place goes, “Some are born here, some drawn here – but we all call it home.”
Manchester is a city to call home, and that is something so many of us are proud of.
“It’s home (and a million other reasons).”
“It’s home. I’ve been all over, but I always come back – best city in the world.”
“It’s where I was born and raised.”
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“Because I was born there, and it will always be home no matter where in the world I am.”
“It’s where I came for six months, and stayed 12 years.”
“Because whenever I visit, inside it feels like I’ve come home.”
“No need to finish the sentence… It says all it needs to say.”
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“Everyone from every age, colour and religion come together. It’s the best city on earth.”
“Best city in the world – very cosmopolitan and good mix of Western and Eastern culture, and food places, and all my uni memories are here too.”
“It’s my happy place.”
“There’s nothing else like it. Best city in the UK by a country mile.”
___
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Not found an answer you agree with? Do you have a different view? We received hundreds of replies to our question across all social platforms, so we unfortunately haven’t been able to include every single one in this article.
Instead, we chose to feature a few that seemed to resonate the best with our audience and received the most interactions overall.
Are you keen to have your say?
Well, there’s still time to chip in, so make sure you head on over to The Manc on Facebook and Instagram to take part, leave your thoughts and discuss with other Mancunians in the same position as you.
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
Review | Villanelle debut: Liam Gallagher’s son’s band release their first track – here’s our review
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher’s son, Gene, and his band Villanelle, have officially released their debut single to the masses, and since we’re still very much immersing ourselves in everything even remotely to do with Oasis, we thought we’d give this first track a review.
Now, if you’re expecting a familiar Britpop vibe like his dad and uncle used to bash out back in the day, you’d be very wrong…
It’s one thing to settle into something similar to what you’ve grown up around and try to continue a lineage if you’re from a successful family – especially with a legacy as important and influential as the one left by Liam and Noel – but we’re glad to report they’ve done something pretty different.
24-year-old Gene Gallagher and his bandmates Ben Taylor (guitar), Jack Schiavo (bass), and Andrew Richmond (drums) haven’t just tried to do an impression of Oasis; instead, they’ve found their own sound, and while it does give somewhat of an old-school flavour, it’s not what we expected.
It takes literally milliseconds for you to click into realising the vibe they’re going for.
‘Hinge’ is a simplistic but hard-hitting, grungey and dark debut from Villanelle, who, despite having played a number of in-progress songs live over the last year or so, have only just dropped their first studio single.
In fact, they’ve actually taken the admittedly bizarre and unorthodox first steps of having already played live with Liam Gallagher on the Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour before they actually released anything people can easily listen to outside of their live performances.
Nevertheless, the young four-piece introduces Villanelle as the latest post-punk outfit amidst the ongoing revival of the classic rock genre.
That is to say that punk is a tried and true classic style of music, not that these lads are trying to sound like The Rolling Stones…
Anyway, we’re getting sidetracked: Villanelle draw plenty of influences from both original and contemporary examples of this sonic subculture, and while it isn’t explosive per se, ‘Hinge’ is short, direct and hits the same formulaic notes.
It’s also fair to say you can hear a bit of the recognisable LG whine in Gene’s vocals at times, too. Listen to it in full down below and see if you agree.
Even the basic found-footage style video fits into the same category.
To call it straightforward isn’t intended as any kind of a diss, by the way – some of our favourite tunes and best artists spearheading the renaissance of the punk scene write like this.
What we will say is that it looks like bloody good fun to both play and listen to in a small, sweaty room, with plenty of pits and people bouncing off the walls.
Gallagher Sr. might be surprised to see his son going for a slightly heavier, more hardcore route with his sound, but he can’t accuse him of forgetting his roots as the child of a ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star.’
The boys are actually hitting the road this winter, including a date at The Castle Hotel in the Northern Quarter, if you fancy grabbing a ticket.
You can grab your tickets to see Villanelle on tour HERE, and in the meantime, let us know what you think of their debut track down in the comments.
Emily Sergeant -
7th January 2022 
