MusicBox - The Stone Roses - Made in Manchester

Nov, 7 2025

Two young men from Grammar School formed a short-lived Clash inspired band in 1980. The following year they returned to their other creative projects.

It wasn’t until 1983 that the lead guitarist John Squire came up with the name ‘The Stone Roses’ a contrasting of words that went against each other somehow seemed perfect for this new up and coming band. His mate – Ian Brown became the frontman and lead vocalist for the band.

As time evolved they played their first headlining gig on 4th January 1985 as well as their first recording session that same month.

Over the next couple of years or so band members changed, new members were reintroduced and their sound took on a whole different meaning – combining chiming guitar hooks with strong melodies.

Their self –titled album ‘The Stone Roses’ was released in April/ May 1989 much to critical acclaim. It spawned the singles – ‘Elephant Stone’ – ‘She Bangs the Drums’ – ‘Fools Gold’ amongst many others.

By 1990 they had built a strong fan-base and cult following. This gave them the confidence to open the gateway to ‘Spike Island’ a concert in Widnes – England that same year on 27th May. It was glorious with an attendance of 27,000 people hollering out those classic songs which became synonymous with Mancunian people.

In 2012 a British comedy film entitled ‘Spike Island’ was released. It was based on The Stone Roses incredible concert and follows a series of friends who idolise the band and try to get to the gig but are faced with problems because they don’t have tickets or a way to get there.

Check out the following trailer here –

Spike Island has recently been referenced by indie band Pulp in their comeback single.

Their fans followed their success with their next album 1994’s ‘Second Coming’. Their sound shifted somewhat from their debut and featured more shady heavy blues rock. The band felt somewhat separated from the cultural movement that shaped their first record and allowed them to perform at gigs such as Spike Island.

Guitarist John Squire left the group on 1st April 1996 and they soon recruited Simply Red’s 1987/88 tour guitarist Aziz Ibrahim as a replacement.

However, within six months The Stone Roses were no more. Over the next 16 years various members did their own thing. Creating new bands, solo material and joining other established indie bands.

By October 18th 2011 The Stone Roses reunited following a press conference. This followed a series of gigs the following year much to the delight of fans. In 2013 director Shane Meadows made a music film chronicling their return to the limelight- ‘The Stone Roses – Made of Stone’.

The following video captures their first foray into the music world with the hype supporting them and channelling this TV appearance –

Almost ten years ago the band performed a string of reunion concerts and released their first couple of singles in more than 20 years – ‘All for One’ and ‘Beautiful Thing’.

On 24 June 2017, the Stone Roses played at Hampden Park in Glasgow. During the performance Ian Brown addressed the crowd with the statement: "Don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened," leading many to speculate that the performance would be their final concert. This would turn out to be true, as on 16 September 2019, Squire confirmed in an interview with The Guardian that the band had disbanded.

You can relive the memories captured brilliantly at the bands official website –

https://www.thestoneroses.co.uk/

The Stone Roses were part of the Madchester music scene and helped pave the way for other bands such as The Verve and Oasis. Their sound was mixed with alternative rock, psychedelic rock and electronic dance music. They were heavily influenced by their predecessors such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Smiths.

Their classic sound and look described the baggy alternative scene of the late 80’s early 90’s. Their album artwork featured Squire’s creative disposition at the time and without The Roses there simply wouldn’t be the 90’s indie explosion that soon followed.

^Alex Ashworth CCG Content Creator