I’ve just been in a two-hour workshop session at Manchester Museum. It was set up by Creative Concern to debate ‘Manchester: the brand’ and the concept of ‘original modern’, as the saying goes.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why I was invited. I was sitting next to MEN editor Paul Horrocks, opposite design guru Peter Saville and surrounded by people whose titles all included either ‘director’ or ‘editor’. Strangely a few had heard of Mancubist; some even said they were fans.

The intimate debate centred around the aspirations and future of Manchester and its people: its strengths and weaknesses; how it compared to other cities; what areas it should specialise in; whether it needs a slogan/nickname (’the rainy city’, surely); and how to retain the talented individuals who see Manchester as little more than a stepping stone to the cultural hub of London.

I didn’t contribute much myself - just personal experience that tells me that music, for all the cockiness and history, isn’t supported in Manchester as much as it should be. We need guides, resources, experts, schemes, encouragement, financing… very little of which currently exists. This must be one of the most risky cities in the country to promote a gig in, with crowd sizes consistently below both expectation and potential.

I can’t remember the last time I listened to an Oasis/Stone Roses/Happy Mondays/Joy Division record either - because I’m much more interested in today’s music. Much of the city - and the city’s media - is still stuck in the boring past, however. Today Manchester’s music scene is full of interesting little cliques and niches but it feels incredibly factured because no one is unifying them.

… which led indirectly onto my ‘knuckle rap’: that the city has had no comprehensive listings guide since CityLife’s demise. By luck of the draw, Paul Horrocks was charged with raising this particular issue after the workshop. Let’s see if anything comes of it…