For once, the mic’s on me. In this special episode of Manchester Scene Stories, my oldest mate Steve flips the script and interviews me about how grief, PTSD, and a left-field healing tool (EFT tapping) pushed me toward making these videos about Manchester’s nightlife and culture.
In 2018 my mum died suddenly, and I tried CPR while on the phone to 999. What followed was panic attacks, flashbacks, and months of isolation while also caring for my dad. A trauma therapist introduced me to EFT tapping (a simple technique using acupressure points while speaking about what you feel). In one session the crushing guilt I’d carried from that day finally lifted—and never returned. That experience changed everything. I trained as an EFT practitioner, volunteered with local charities, and—after some gentle nudges—started sharing stories online.
You’ll hear how a social-media course (“your story is powerful—get interviewed”) became the seed for Manchester Scene Stories. I switched the focus from grief to music and memories, and my world opened back up—new friends, new purpose, and old scenes rediscovered. There’s a chance meeting with Ian Brown who’d watched a couple of the videos (no ego, just a music fan), and a look at why these chats matter: they give a voice to the people who built the culture.
We also reminisce: Hacienda midweeks, Corbière’s, DeVilles, Temperance, Paradise Factory (and the notorious “after” at Strangeways), plus the Brickhouse era. We talk honestly about drugs—how ecstatic highs turn into hard landings, why most people only have a 5–10 year window, and how to know when it’s time to stop. No glamorising, just real talk from two lads who lived it.
If you’re new here, this channel celebrates the people, places, and DIY spirit that shaped Manchester—bar staff, DJs, dancers, photographers, promoters, punters. The famous names show up sometimes, but it’s always been a people’s history.
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