Manchester must dance: A life of music, madness and moving on up

by Mike Pickering, Paul Morley (Primary Contributor)

From Manchester’s backstreets to global dancefloors – the untold story of a musical pioneer.

Beginning on the night in November 1963 when his mum took him to see the Beatles live at Manchester’s ABC Cinema, Mike Pickering takes the reader through sixty years of clubs, clothes, gigs, record labels, football matches and politics.

Pickering has lived through decades of rapid change in popular music. As an influential DJ he introduced house music into the legendary Haçienda. He signed Happy Mondays and James to Factory Records before working with Kasabian, Gossip and Calvin Harris at Sony. His Mercury Prize-winning, multi-million-selling group M People transformed the music industry's attitude to dance music. As he tells his remarkable story he introduces an array of friends and collaborators, many of whom would become important – and sometimes notorious – figures in music history.

Genres: Music

416 pages, Hardcover

Published April 28, 2026

Reviews

[Jack Kerkham]

Really enjoyed Mike’s writing. Factory/hacienda stuff felt like a fresh new angle on quite a well trodden path

[_abookforeverysituation_]

Wonderful insight into the beginning of the hacienda, including it’s transition from rock to dance, factory records, and being a Sony A&R before the tik tok of it all. All followed with the strong voice that is Mike Pickering.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an Arc!

[Matthew Roberts]

This one would have had the missing 3.5 stars had it existed. I personally found it a good listen and I was in music, used to go the Hacienda and Mike was my favourite DJ for many years.

It’s refreshing to hear about Factory and Hacienda with the layers of mythology removed.

[Palm Tree Money]

Mike Pickering deserves his place in dance-music history and I’m thrilled he provided this detailed account of a much-discussed period in the nightlife canon – with the music at the center.

Mike focuses his narratives around the songs that shaped this essential period. While other books on the Hacienda (like ‘How Not to Run a Club’) get bogged down in the drama, Mike teases just enough of the detail to keep it interesting while giving a great sense of how the spaces felt as a DJ. I was upset to learn that the Hacienda’s sound was less than stellar.

The best moments were centered around his Quando Quango productions and the sounds that underlined each of the Happy Mondays’ albums. He could have ditched some of the football history but if you’re a fan of soccer, you’ll find those sections compelling.

Mike also provides an interesting read of how ‘pop’ can mutate across audiences and genres while staying intriguing. Recommended for fans of 80s of dance history.

[JP Shields]

A great read for those interested in the Manchester music scene under the influence of Factory records and the chaotic story of the Hacienda from his angle as one of the inside gang.
Mike had an amazing career from working with Joy Division, New Order, booking some incredible bands for the Hacienda (too many to list) and then DJing there throughout the 80s at his famous Nude Parties, being present (and a part of) the Acid House explosion, through to selling millions of albums with his award winning band M-People and going on to be instrumental in discovering and launching artists such as Kasabian, Gossip, The Ting Tings and Calvin Harris.
What a journey and astonishing that he happened to be in the right place at the right time so often.
Highly recommended if any of the above interests you....

[Tony]

Entertaining tour through the golden (and then not so golden) years of Manchester through Factory records, the Hacienda, Acid house and Mike's beloved Manchester City. He's an good storyteller and was at the heart of most of what was happening during that period. The narrative tails off slightly after the 90s but I did enjoy the read and would recommend it to anyone with a connection to or an interest in that period of Manchester, and music history.

[Bob Clarke]

Love this stage setting of manchester and its music

Some of the story I knew, some I didn't. This s a great story of what happened in the manchester music scene from Mike's eyes.
You also get a flavour of life as a city fan before I the the money arrived.
Very compelling