What was the Manchester music scene really like in the 1960s?
In this episode of Manchester Scene Stories, I’m joined by George Borowski – a legendary Manchester singer-songwriter whose career stretches back to the 1960s and who’s still creating, performing and inspiring people today. George’s story also features in Book 2 of Manchester Scene Stories, where the city’s musical history is told through the voices of the people who lived it.
George takes us right back to the city as it was then: the venues, the atmosphere, the crowds, and the way live music travelled through Manchester before everything became “history”. We talk about the Oasis club on Lloyd Street (not the band!), a small basement venue where George saw major touring acts up close – The Who, The Yardbirds, Small Faces, The Pretty Things and more – and remembers something that really stands out: he never saw trouble. Just queues around the block and a shared excitement for the music.
George also shares a brilliant early chapter of his own story. Before guitar and gigs, he was singing opera at school in a 56-piece orchestra, performing roles from The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro – and being told by the headmaster: “Haircut on Monday.” It’s a funny detail, but it opens into something deeper: George’s belief that when creativity gets stripped out of education, society loses something essential.
From there, the conversation moves through youth clubs, early paid gigs, carrying equipment on buses across Manchester, and the moment in 1966 when he and his band were chased down the street by a crowd of excited girls after a gig.
We also talk about how the live circuit changed when DJs began replacing bands in pubs and clubs, and what that shift meant for musicians trying to build a life in music.
George reflects on the people who ran venues for the love of music rather than profit. We talk about Roger Eagle and the Magic Village, the psychedelic era, and even George seeing the Paul Butterfield Blues Band play to a nearly empty room — one of those “how was there nobody there?” moments that only makes sense decades later.
There are also the stories people always ask about: George’s songwriting journey, the track “Who Is Innocent” getting support from John Peel, and his time in the USA writing songs for Meat Loaf – including what happened behind the scenes and why those songs didn’t get recorded.
We end with a perfect 60s pick: “Waterloo Sunset.” And George being George… it becomes a wider reflection on why music matters, creativity matters, and why telling the truth in music still matters today.
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