From Oasis to… who? Why we need help nurturing our next generation of northern music stars 

From The Beatles, Oasis and Corinne Bailey Rae to, more recently, Youth Music Awards winner English Teacher, many of Britain’s most-loved bands and artists originate from the north. The region emerged as a musical powerhouse for one important reason: in northern cities with strong industrial backgrounds, like Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, music became a form of expression and escape.  

For aspiring musicians, there was once a much wider array of physical spaces to perform in the region – from local pubs and youth clubs to the legendary Haçienda in Manchester. These venues provided crucial platforms and access to music. Sadly, they have been in sharp decline nationwide in recent years. Meanwhile, labels like Factory Records in Manchester played a pivotal role in the rise of northern bands such as Joy Division and Happy Mondays. 

Now, this legendary music scene is in crisis. As funding across the music sector reaches a historic low, many grassroots organisations fostering creativity and musicality in young people are under threat, with 88% of Youth Music-funded projects reporting concerns about the impact of austerity and the cost of living crisis on young people, together with the workforce supporting them. Funding is being diverted to cover basics such as food, shelter and everyday essentials, meaning that music and creative activity are being sidelined. 

This is highlighted in Youth Music’s new Sound of the Next Generation (SONG) report, which found that almost a quarter (24%) of young people in the north of England don’t believe that all children and young people have equal access to musical opportunities. in the UK 

The report, published to mark our 25th anniversary, looks at young people’s relationship with music and found that only half (52%) of young people in the north of England see themselves as musical in comparison to 62% of people in the south. This drop in young people feeling musical, with a decrease in those learning their craft and a slim minority performing in public, has only been worsened by the economic shocks and the bleak social-political landscape. 

Our research polled 2,100 children and young people across the country, finding that those in Yorkshire (49%), the North-West (57%) and the North-East (52%) are among the least likely to feel supported when making music.

In addition, only 25% of young people from the north of England have recently played their music in public, and just 2% had the chance to play at a local music venue. The findings further emphasis the rapid deterioration of opportunities in the region that was once the musical powerhouse of the UK. 

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A decline in young people playing musical instruments is contributing to an overall decrease in musicality in the north. Young people in the north-east, home of cultural icons such as Sam Fender, are feeling a disconnect when it comes to making music. Young people in the region are nearly a fifth (18%) less likely to be playing an instrument than those in London. 

The north has always had to punch above its weight to be heard, which has led to innovations we haven’t seen elsewhere. Several northern cities have put music at the heart of economic and cultural strategy: for example, Manchester and Liverpool establishing themselves as ‘music cities’. As well as benefitting the local scene, such initiatives aim to stem the ‘brain drain’ of young people having to leave their local area to pursue their career goals. 

The Northern Music Network is a cross-regional partnerships of grassroots organisations who have come together to provide a united voice to support the music sector in the north of England. This new way of working together has great potential to spark further innovation and give underrepresented talent the platform it deserves. Let’s be clear, this crisis is not due to a lack of northern musical and creative talent. However, grassroots organisations are having to focus on short-term survival, restricting their ability to plan for the longer term. They need support.  

As a charity, we continue to take action to address regional imbalances, with over 85% of our grant funding awarded outside London, but there is only so much we can do. The new Labour government must pledge to prioritise funding organisations outside of London to equalise young people’s access to music opportunities. If we don’t act now, we could be missing out on a whole generation of regional talent. 

Read the full 2024 SONG report. Matt Griffiths is CEO of Youth Music, the UK’s leading young people’s music charity.

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