Hiya MancUnion, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
Thanks for having us. We’re MancUnion, we’re all born and bred in Greater Manchester. Music’s always been part of the furniture in our lives, Matt and Danny actually met while studying music at MANCAT in Central Manchester and Dan, our drummer is Matt’ brother and has always played different instruments at an early age. Jake, our bassist grew up with Matt so have known each other since they were about 6 years old. Growing up around the city’s venues, hearing the stories of the bands that came before us, it just felt natural to pick up a guitar and start writing. MancUnion came together from a shared love of big choruses, honest lyrics and that unmistakable Manchester grit.
Manchester just seems to live and breathe music so from an early age we were all surrounded by everything from Britpop to indie rock, and it shaped the way we write. Matt has been writing music since he was about 13 and started playing guitar around the same time. Danny has started writing more recently for the band but has also been doing the same for years himself. The band all bring their bit to the table so it becomes a proper collaborative process. . MancUnion grew from that – a group of lads who wanted to make music that felt real and relatable.
What’s the live music scene like in Manchester right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Manchester is buzzing. There’s always something happening, whether it’s grassroots gigs or bigger headline shows. The best thing is the sense of community – bands genuinely backing each other. We have met some great bands while we’ve been gigging and we often get in touch to see if we can support each other. Often you’ll see us in the same line up repeatedly because you get to know what works and who will draw in a crowd.
There are loads of up-and-coming indie acts cutting their teeth at venues like Night & Day and Gullivers. It’s healthy, competitive in a good way, and full of passion. Insofar as up and coming bands are concerned, we think it’s really important that people get out there and support grass roots music. Something will prick your ears up that might surprise you, and loads of those gigs are put on for free so there’s nothing stopping people.
Do you think it’s easy to become a victim of your surroundings sometimes?
It can be. When you come from a city with such a rich musical legacy, there’s pressure to live up to it. But we try not to chase shadows. The key is taking inspiration without imitation. We’re proud of where we’re from, but we’re focused on carving out our own lane.
What are your ambitions for the band?
We want to build something that lasts. Playing bigger stages is obviously the dream, but more than that, we want songs that connect. If people see themselves in what we write, that’s success to us. Long term, we’d love to tour properly, release a full body of work we’re proud of, and keep growing with every record. We’re currently in the process of recording our first album and they will be available on all the usual streaming platforms.
What’s your favourite social media platform to use and why?
Instagram probably suits us best. It’s visual, quick, and gives us a chance to show personality beyond the music. Reels have been great for reaching new listeners without feeling forced. We use Facebook and TikTok too because it’s important that we reach as many people as possible because not everyone has them all.
We believe it’s essential to have a presence on Facebook, Instagram and X to introduce yourself to all the different types of audiences out there, what’s your thoughts on that?
Yeah, as mentioned above, we definitely agree with that. Each member of the band runs a social media account each so you find there is a slightly different voice on each platform. It’s definitely important to meet people where they are. We have found that by keeping it authentic and not just posting for the sake of it helps with engagement because people aren’t stupid, they can tell when it’s genuine.
What’s your view on the music industry today?
It’s tough out there but it is full of opportunity. Streaming has levelled the playing field in some ways, but it’s also made it more competitive than ever. You’ve got to work harder to stand out, but if you’re willing to graft, which we are, there are more routes than ever to get heard.
We actually got signed late last year by Arbor Recordings and they have really helped us shape how we want to go forward.
What’s your thoughts on AI generated music?
It’s interesting and there’s probably a place for it, but for us music is about the experience. Pushing your place to the front of the stage, getting sweaty and pushed about a bit! It’s all part of it. AI might be able to replicate sounds, but it can’t replicate the emotion that’s felt when music moves you, the tears and laughter and the memories that you remember for years to come. To us music has to have some heart. Music is open to interpretation and we don’t think AI can achieve that completely.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
Patience. Things don’t happen overnight. Every gig, every release, every rehearsal is part of the bigger picture so staying consistent is everything. There was such a big gap between our first single, Set in Stone, which we released in June 2025 and our next couple of singles which are due in March. Ultimately life gets in the way because we all have jobs and some of the band have families so we try to work everything around real life.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
We’re always listening to something different! Matt has always been inspired by bands like Queens of the Stoneage and The Brian Jonestown Massacre while Danny was a real metalhead when he was younger. There’s always room for The Stone Roses too, an obvious staple of the Manchester scene. But, sometimes you find the best tunes by keeping an open mind so we don’t pigeonhole ourselves.
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
We’ve only been playing together as a band for just over a year so thankfully nothing has gone too wrong, apart from Matt’s guitar strap failing and having to catch his guitar before it hit the ground. We actually caught that on video too!
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
2026 feels like a really big year for us, as we said, we’ve only been playing together for just over a year but our first album is almost finished. We’re going old school and releasing two singles at the same time, kind of a double A side like back in the day. The first one, ‘Never Wanted’, was always a really good track in our opinion, but it has been brought to life by Dan who plays a military marching beat over it that sticks in your mind and makes it feel so different from anything else you’ve ever heard. The other single is called ‘She Shudders me away’ and has a psychedelic feel to it. We really feel like we don’t sound like anyone else out there at the moment. It feels really unique.
What was the recording process like?
We really enjoy recording together. There are never really any disagreements, it all happens quite organically. It always makes us smile when a small detail changes while recording and then sticks and becomes part of the live show. We usually record anywhere from 2 to 6 songs in a session so we only have one more to go before the album is complete.
Would you change anything now it’s almost finished?
As musicians we’re always chasing perfection but at some point you have to let it go otherwise we’d be constantly tweaking and we’d never get anything out there for people to enjoy. Ultimately, as long as we’re personally all really proud of what we made, imperfections and all; that’s all that matters.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
We have some really important charity gigs coming up throughout the year for Andy’s Manclub which is an organisation that does such important work for men’s mental health. The tickets are a fiver and 100% of the proceeds will go to the charity. We have some amazing bands who are donating their time for free and we couldn’t be more grateful to them for that.
Aside from that, we have loads of shows coming up so would love people to come and support us. We also would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone backing MancUnion so far. We’re only just getting started, and there’s plenty more to come.
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