‘You only sing when you're winning’: football factions and rock rivalries in Manchester and Liverpool

Abstract

The cities of Liverpool and Manchester, urban centres with quite different stories, have been rivals over the last two centuries in the realms of commerce, then sport and culture. This article considers the footballing and musical pursuits of the two cities with particular reference to the last 50 years. It addresses the entwined histories of these cities – one a port with a mercantile focus, the other inland and with manufacturing at its core, but goes on to focus on the intense competition between the teams Liverpool FC and Manchester United, a rivalry expressed on occasions, by the fans at least, in venomous terms. The piece goes on to describe the popular musical histories of the cities, particularly in the wake of the Beatles, and contemplates whether the enmity felt on the soccer terraces – specifically in connection with the two red teams – is echoed in the relationship between Mancunian and Liverpudlian bands. The article concludes that while commercial tensions are buried in the past, the footballing contest remains as passionately felt as ever, often furious and sometimes callous, yet the musical rivalry between the two places appears to have a more friendly, fraternal and even supportive character.