Manchester is home to some of the most legendary alternative rock bands in history, with the city having spawned several influential bands during the Madchester scene in the late 1980s as well as the Britpop emergence in the 1990s.
The metropolis rivals Liverpool as being the true English home of football and music, with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City also providing the backbone of the city's identity.
Goal rounds up which football teams celebrated bands and musicians hailing from Manchester support.
- What teams do Oasis support?
- What teams do the Smiths support?
- What teams do the Stone Roses support?
- What teams do New Order/Joy Division support?
What teams do Oasis support?
It's standard knowledge that Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher – both formerly of beloved Britpop band Oasis – are hardcore Manchester City fans. The duo were born and raised in Manchester and achieved international stardom with albums Definitely Maybe and What's the Story, Morning Glory? alongside hit singles like 'Live Forever' and 'Don't Look Back In Anger'.
Though the two brothers are still in an infamous long-standing feud with each other, at least they share in supporting the Citizens.
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The Gallaghers have supported Man City since the early '70s, years before the club were taken over by owner Shiekh Mansour which began the process of reclaiming some of the glory from rivals Manchester United. They are regulars at the Etihad, and have been present on the pitch to celebrate Premier League titles in recent years.
They are extremely vocal about their support for the Sky Blues, with Liam often taking to his social media to voice his solidarity for the men in blue.
"Man United were in the Second Division then and we were the top team in Manchester for about 10 years," Noel told the Guardian in 2000.
"I've sometimes wondered why my dad brought me to Maine Road rather than Old Trafford.
“The reason is basically a family one - my dad hated his brothers. They were all Irish people who came over here and decided to support United. My dad chose City instead, just to piss them off. No other reason than that. Liam and I should by rights have been United fans."
What teams do the Smiths support?
The Smiths were another influential band hailing from Manchester, seen as the definitive British indie band of the '80s, picking up where the British Invasion left off to create melodic, pop-oriented guitar music that lyrically bridged the worlds of tongue-in-cheek commentary to full-on disdain towards society.
The band's former guitarist Johnny Marr is, like Noel, a diehard Manchester City fan, with the two often being spotted at games together. Marr is a lifelong supporter as well, having attended his first game in 1972.
"Luckily for me, my first game was a 5-2 win with Lee scoring a hat-trick, and I just fell in love with the whole thing," the iconic guitarist once said. "I fell in love with the kit, and the atmosphere of the game and it has been an interesting journey since then."
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Smiths lyricist and vocalist Morrissey, known for his irreverent humour and enigmatic persona, is harder to pin down football allegiance-wise. He has outlined his admiration for the sport in the past, with songs such as The Smiths' "Frankly Mr. Shankly" - which namedrops the legendary former Liverpool coach Bill Shankly - and the 1997 hit “Roy’s Keen," a pun on Man Utd hero Roy Keane.
Despite being from Manchester, Morrissey has refused to affiliate himself with one team, and you could say that by naming one of his songs "Your Arsenal", he could be enjoying the kind of ambiguity that surrounds his football allegiances. He was, though, once spotted wearing a Millwall shirt in 2008.
“I knew the assistant manager at Millwall for a while. Of course the next thing I read in the British press is that I’ve bought the club,” Morrissey said of the south London club. “But that was the only connection.”
But it's not as if he doesn't still have a soft spot for the sport.
“I keep a lazy eye on football," he admitted, "but it gets difficult when you're decomposing in a 747 bound for Mendoza, Argentina.
“It’s a bit like trying to exercise without actually getting out of bed. Not easy.”
What teams do the Stone Roses support?
Unlike Oasis and certain members of the Smiths, the majority of the Stone Roses are passionate Manchester United supporters. Vocalist Ian Brown is a notable Red Devil, with the band's track 'This is the One played at Old Trafford prior to every kick-off.
Brown is the sole Man Utd supporter in a family of Sky Blues, however, telling the Guardian : "My father and uncles are City. My brother, niece and brother-in-law have City season tickets. My nana and granddad used to buy me City money boxes, flags, things like that; I was, like, 'I don't want 'em, I'm United!'"
The rest of the Stone Roses are Man Utd fans apart from drummer Reni, who supports the Citizens due to the fact that he was a former ball boy with the Blues. "Mani [bass player] is the most United crazy lad I've met," Brown recalled. "In 1994, when we were recording Second Coming, Mani was saying, 'We're goin' to have a great year next year. We're going to win the league and we're going to go to America.' That's how he graded his life."
What teams do New Order/Joy Division support?
New Order came into fruition as a band from the ashes of cult post-punk band Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis on the eve of the band's U.S. tour. Originally hailing from Salford, Greater Manchester, New Order revolutionised dance and electronic music following the dissolution of Joy Division.
Ex-New Order and Joy Division bassist Peter Hook is a loyal Manchester United supporter.
Guitarist Bernard Sumner is also a Man Utd fan, while drummer Stephen Morris is a Macclesfield Town supporter.
Hook stated in an interview in 2013 when asked about David Moyes replacing Sir Alex Ferguson (after he had left New Order): "Well, it’s like me stepping into Ian Curtis’s shoes. I know how David feels. 'If Peter Hook can do it with Ian Curtis, I can do it with Sir Alex': that’s what he’s saying now!"
New Order also recorded the beloved England hit "World In Motion" for the 1990 World Cup, though Sumner has since admitted that football wasn't first in their mind when they penned the song: “I’ve gotta admit I thought it was a terrible idea because I’d never heard a good football song," he told NME .
"So we just thought let’s just write a song and forget about football. We just did a song and stuck the football in afterwards because we didn’t have clue."
Watch below for a special rendition of Man Utd fans singing "Giggs Will Tear You Apart Again".