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FFirst came Andy Burnham Makerfield choice In the campaign launch video, the mayor of Greater Manchester treads the red brick streets to the sound of homegrown stars Oasis, Elbow and James. Then came the campaign slogan to appeal to the north: Change Labour, Keep the Faith. And this week, it’s not just pubs and clubs, but music venues that could be part of Burnham’s plan to cut businesses.
When he is looking to return to Westminster then he is looking for the leadership of the party, music and the role of Brand Burnham in a way that is not unusual for ordinary politics, in a competition where he put “Manchesterism” as a solution to the problems of Britain. But it’s a policy statement that can be as vague and clear as Noel Gallagher’s verse. How does the Mayor’s love affair with Manchester’s music industry shine not on “Manchesterism”, but the man behind it?
“Usually, we don’t agree with a politician,” says Elbow’s Guy Garvey of his group’s decision to endorse One Day Like This on Burnham’s video. “But this is no ordinary time and Andy is no ordinary man.”
Burnham’s tenure began with a tragic musical event. The bombing of the Manchester Arena in 2017 happened just 17 days after his election, and the new mayor realized that music is important for the healing of the city – be it to promote the One Love Manchester fundraising show or join 1975 on stage at the Parklife festival in a “noisy moment” for the victims.
“Andy’s greatest skill is his ability to understand that soft power is as important as the legal process,” says Rose Marley, co-founder of the Beyond the Music festival and Burnham’s mentor. Marley remembers Burnham referring to the Madchester era he remembers from his youth. “He asked: “Why did it leave? And what can I do to make this environment possible?” Marley sees the founder of Factory Records, Tony Wilson, as an influence on Burnham and the principles of all music: “Tony’s whole idea of a social leadership role was to create the conditions for it to flourish.”
To do this today, Burnham has joined the sector in a major change. He was “a big, big reason we brought the Brits and the Mobo,” says Guy Dunstan, senior vice-president at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena, referring to the UK’s two biggest music festivals. Organizers of the Brit awards, he says, wanted the city of Manchester to “leave no one in any doubt that the Brits are happening there”, and Burnham’s support could prove that. Furthermore, the mayor’s love of music helps. “Doves is my favorite band, and Andy told me that he is one of the singers his Your favorite teams,” says Dunstan. “You can talk to him about football. This connection should not have many leaders. “
The Mayor of Greater Manchester has no authority or budget for culture, which makes his involvement all the more interesting. In 2021 following his election the Greater Manchester Music Commission was established, an organization he chairs that unites the music of the city from the Halé Orchestra to the indie band Band on the Wall. As the Beyond the Music Festival prepares for its launch in 2023, it was present at SXSW in Austin, Texas, pitching the city to investors around the world. The participation of the young people they love would help. “It was a dream for Andy to be on stage with New Order,” recalls Marley. When Beyond the Music arrived in October, guests were treated to an Oasis singer reading MetroLink tram announcements: Burnham drew inspiration from Liam Gallagher.
Watch one of Burnham’s charity DJ battles against Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram and his tastes are those of any Hacienda Dad who has a big problem – he’s spiced up his Inspiral Carpets with Stone Roses and LCD Soundsystem and Gorillaz – but he’s used his mayor to push modern music into Manchester. “I’m a black female rapper,” says OneDa, who Burnham took to her team at SXSW in 2024. “It’s very different from what Manchester music usually represents.” OneDa remembers Burnham adopting his trademark “Manny on the rise” when he took the stage in the US. He said: “I’ll draw this!”
For all his popularity, as well as his good business, “good growth” has become a ringing bell to his Manchesterism, some musicians, artists and night owls may wonder how much he has benefited from the city’s property boom which has seen rents skyrocket in the UK.
The famous debate started in 2018, when Burnham appointed Sacha Lord – Warehouse Project and Parklife business – as the Economic Adviser for the Night Time Economy. “It was as much a workout for Andy as it was for Sacha,” says Jack Dulhanty, reporter for Manchester publication The Mill. “Associating with a boy from Manchester’s music scene makes Andy look bossy and boring.”
But Lord resigned in January 2025 after the Arts Council said his company had misled them by asking for a Covid 400,000 grant, although Lord denies any wrongdoing. “Burnham supported him to the end,” says Dulhanty, who broke the story. After Lord resigned in January, and when the Arts Council wanted to return the money, Burnham said: “I believe him when he says there was no intention to mislead,” adding: “I don’t know why the Arts Council has now reached this decision. Dulhanty argues that “there was a personal element” to Burnham’s support for Lord, “because they were friends”. (Burnham did not respond to a request for comment on this matter when contacted by the Guardian.)
During the mayor’s term, Burnham’s image also changed from a Westminster working-class to his modern day: Adidas-wearing vintage lifted from the city’s heritage. Speaking to me earlier this year, Burnham briefed Liam Fray’s petitionthe leader of the local heroes of the Courteeners: “I have come here,” he said of Fray, “but it may be any of you.”
When the polls close on Thursday 18 June, the British music industry would do well to pay close attention to whether Burnham’s gamble has paid off: they may just have their strongest representative yet in No 10. “I am one of the many people I know who hope that they will help all the arts in the UK to join big business in a fair and ethical way,” says Garvey. “At the next election, I hope that all progressives will support the Labor Party, whoever is their leader. Andy Burnham.”
