Madchester

Madchester, a genre that emerged in the late 1980s and flourished in the early 1990s, is characterized by its fusion of indie rock, psychedelia, and dance music. Defined by its distinctive rhythms, often driven by tambourines and wah-wah guitars, Madchester music typically features jangly, effects-heavy instrumentation, catchy hooks, and introspective, poetic lyrics. Born in the UK, particularly in Manchester, this genre reflects the city's post-punk heritage and the influence of psychedelia and electronic dance music. The Madchester movement was a key part of the UK's rave culture and the wider indie rock revival, capturing the mood of a generation disillusioned with mainstream politics and seeking escapism in music. With its blend of introspective songwriting, melodic sensibilities, and danceable beats, Madchester bridged the gap between indie rock and electronic dance music, paving the way for Britpop and influencing subsequent UK music scenes.

Latest Madchester Release
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Bring It On Down (Live from Edinburgh, 9 August '25)
Ep - 4 Tracks - Released August 22, 2025

RecentMusic users are tracking 70 Madchester artists for new releases, and have access to the full timeline of 1,274 releases .

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808 State
A Guy Called Gerald
Abstract Greens
Anemone
Betty & The Bass
Big Image
Blur
Boo Radleys
Buzzcocks
Candy flip
Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine
Cast
Chapterhouse
EMF
Faraday
Flowered Up
Happy Mondays
High Vis
Ian Brown
Ian Brown
Inspiral Carpets
James
James
John Cooper Clarke
John Squire
Joy Division
King Purple
Krispy 3
Kult Country
MC Tunes
Midway Still
Monaco
Moon Rover
Moonflowers
Morrissey
Motel Thieves
Mother Island
New Order
Oasis
Ocean Colour Scene
Pastel
Peter Hook
Peter Hook and The Light
Primal Scream
Rowetta
Sawsane
Shed Seven
Silver Bullet
Silvertone Hills
The Blue Aeroplanes
The Charlatans
The Darkside
The Fall
The Farm
The Honeysmugglers
The Institutes
The Railway Children
The Ruthless Rap Assassins
The Seahorses
The Smiths
The Soup Dragons
The Stone Roses
The Supernaturals
The Twang
The Weekenders
The Winachi Tribe
The Wordsmiths
Three Day Weekend
Whitehill Grove
trainboy
Oasis
The Smiths
Blur
New Order
The Stone Roses
Joy Division
James
Morrissey
Primal Scream
EMF
Buzzcocks
High Vis
Ocean Colour Scene
The Charlatans
Shed Seven
Ian Brown
Cast
John Squire
The Fall
Happy Mondays
The Farm
808 State
Peter Hook
The Seahorses
The Twang
The Soup Dragons
Inspiral Carpets
Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine
Chapterhouse
Monaco
Pastel
John Cooper Clarke
A Guy Called Gerald
Ian Brown
The Blue Aeroplanes
The Railway Children
Peter Hook and The Light
James
Rowetta
The Supernaturals
Silver Bullet
Sawsane
Flowered Up
MC Tunes
Candy flip
trainboy
The Darkside
Big Image
The Ruthless Rap Assassins
Midway Still
The Institutes
Mother Island
Boo Radleys
Whitehill Grove
Silvertone Hills
Motel Thieves
The Wordsmiths
The Weekenders
The Honeysmugglers
Three Day Weekend
King Purple
Betty & The Bass
Faraday
Abstract Greens
Moon Rover
The Winachi Tribe
Krispy 3
Anemone
Kult Country
Moonflowers