Madchester refers to a period during the late 1980s and early 1990s when Manchester was the focus for a lot of the new musical talent hitting the UK Indie music scene.
During this period the rock bands Oasis, New Order, Inspiral Carpets, The Stone Roses, Charlatans UK, The Smiths and The Happy Mondays emanated from Manchester as well as punk rock outfits such as Joy Division, Buzzcocks, Magazine and electronic music outfits such as 808 State and The Chemical Brothers.
The madchester music was a combination of indie, psychedelia, and dance. Madchester was also played outside Manchester, with bands such as Glasgow's Primal Scream and Liverpool's The La's.
It was also during this time that there was an influx of drug culture into the city (predominatly Ecstasy) that helped fuel the rise of the some of the most popular dance music clubs of the time, such as Fac 51 Hacienda. "The Hacienda" was run by Factory Records record label impressario Tony Wilson and Factory Records also signed many of the artists associated with the Madchester scene such as the Happy Mondays.
The 2002 film 24 Hour Party People is a semi-satirical depiction of the rise of Factory Records and many of the bands associated both directly and indirectly with the record label.
