It’s been said a thousand times before, but our home city of Manchester certainly has churned out some good music over the years. From dance music to indie rock, and everything in-between, the amount of classic stuff that’s come out of here is pretty staggering when you think about it.
With this in mind, we thought we’d take a look at some of our favourite glasses wearers from the Manchester music scene.
Here you go…
Morrissey
First, we’ve got none other than Stretford’s favourite son… Steven Patrick Morrissey. Although the ex-Smiths lead singer has now exiled himself to Los Angeles, Morrissey might still be Manchester’s most infamous glasses wearer.
A big pair of NHS specs, an ill-fitting shirt and a bouquet of gladioli might not sound like the usual get-up for a bonafide icon, but Moz’s first appearance with The Smiths on Top of the Pops back in 1983 had a whole generation rushing to their local charity shop in search of old clobber and Oscar Wilde books, and you can still see his influence today.
Morrissey seems to be more of a contact lenses man these days, but if he was after a new pair of specs, we reckon he’d be into the Garrett Leight Bentley in Matte Black.
An honourable mention should also go to Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr for his bold and courageous taste in sunglasses. We salute you.
John Cooper Clarke
Up next we’ve got John Cooper Clarke. Perhaps more of a poet than a singer, John was a fixture of the Manchester music scene in the late 70s and early 80s, and often performed his rapid fire spoken word ramblings on the same bill as bands like The Fall and New Order.
Even if you’ve never heard one of his albums, you probably recognise this guy. With his trademark get-up of backcombed hair and black jeans, John looks uncannily like Bob Dylan’s long-lost Mancunian brother, and even has the classic black wayfarers to match.
For that ‘Bard of Salford’ look, we’d go with the Taos frame by Jacques Marie Mage.
The Bee-Gees
And now… everyone’s favourite Manchester band… the Bee Gees. Alright, this lot probably aren’t the first thing you think of when you think of music from our fair city, but the brothers Gibb did indeed live in Chorlton in their youth for around eight years.
In fact, the Bee Gees actually started out as a skiffle band in Manchester called The Rattlesnakes, and performed their first show in between films at the Gaumont Cinema on Manchester Road (it’s now the funeral parlour next to Chorlton Wetherspoons, if you were wondering).
Anyway, let’s get to the glasses. Maurice, Robin and Barry were all pretty big figures on the eyewear scene, and all seemed to be firm fans of coloured lenses. For something on a similar tip, we’d go with the Japanese inspired Mr. Leight Rei S
Ian Brown
Surely no article on Manchester music would be complete without Ian Brown. Whilst pedantic types might whinge that he was born in Warrington, it was in Manchester that he made his name with The Stone Roses (and presumably developed that trademark ape-like Mancunian swagger).
He’s also worn some fairly outlandish glasses in his time — and those ultra-futuristic frames he wore in his solo days are pretty spectacular.
Wanna be adored? Go for the Yves Sun from Jacques Marie Mage.
Liam Gallagher
Last but by no means least, we’ve got Liam Gallagher. We’ll no doubt be inciting a bit more sibling rivalry here by including Liam instead of Noel (who probably deserves his own place in this list really), but Liam just pips his older brother here. He’s worn a lot of sharp glasses over the years, but those round numbers he wore in the Wonderwall video back in 1995 surely deserve a place in the bespectacled hall of fame. Outstanding work.
For that John Lennon in Burnage Tesco look, we’d probably choose the Garrett Leight Wilson Sun in Amber Tortoise with Pure Blue Glass.
So there you go… good music, good glasses. Thanks for reading.
