March 29, 2009 16:47

Oasis, Smiths, Joy Division subject of new book

'The North Will Rise Again…' charts the last thirty years of Manchester music

Photo Gallery: Oasis
Photo: Pa Photos

Oasis, The Stone Roses, Joy Division and The Smiths all feature in a new book charting the last thirty years of Manchester music.

'The North Will Rise Again: Manchester Music City 1978-2008', penned by journalist and Goldblade frontman John Robb, is published on April 28.

The book details Manchester's punk, Madchester and present day scenes and tells the stories of a number of the city's most famous musicians.

Morrissey, Ian Brown, Noel and Liam Gallagher and The Fall frontman Mark E Smith are among the contributors to the book, alongside Johnny Marr, Happy Mondays man Shaun Ryder and the late Factory Records boss Tony Wilson.

"I've spoken to just about everybody. In fact, the biggest problem has been keeping it all down to a manageable size. The book is around 155,000 words long as it is and it could have been double that. Ian Brown gave me 30,000 words to work with!" Robb told the Manchester Evening News.

Robb will launch the book at Manchester's Urbis venue on May 5.