'Manchester music doesn't need a documentary, it needs a saga!'
- David Nolan
- Jul 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 3
Cult Manchester’s David Nolan meets the man who’s painstakingly assembling what could be the last word on the city’s music scene. Reader warning: he’s not a Mancunian.
‘I’m French,’ says filmmaker Sébastien Faits-Divers. ‘Sorry about that…’
If you’ve seen a slightly harassed looking man dragging camera gear around Greater Manchester recently, then chances are it was Sébastien Faits-Divers. For the last few years, he’s been building up a treasure trove of more than 60 interviews with Manchester music scene faces to make a documentary and accompanying book called, Manchester, So Much to Question. It’ll be ready next year, but the seeds of the idea were planted decades ago. ‘The first time I came to the UK was when I was a teenager,’ he says. ‘And the city I wanted to visit was Manchester. It was the city of all the bands that I was listening to - and still love - like Joy Division or The Smiths. There was all this fantasy and mythology around the first Sex Pistols’ gig in Manchester (at the Lesser Free Trade Hall on June 4th, 1976). Buzzcocks, Factory Records, Tony Wilson, The Haçienda. The city has always fascinated me. And that’s still the case.’
Faits-Divers started as a campus radio DJ in the 90s, recording local bands for his show in Dijon, Burgundy. ‘Yes, mustard city,’ he confirms. ‘But good wine too.’ He got the chance to record international acts in the early 2000s and started filming them too, which led to him establishing FD Films, shooting bands like Editors, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Fontaines D.C. ‘It’s not my full- time job as I still don't know how to market myself. I sincerely consider myself a passionate amateur.’
It was while shooting with one particular band from Manchester that the idea for a documentary really started to develop: ‘I met A Certain Ratio 13 years ago in Dijon for a music session. I kept in touch with Martin Moscrop and the band, and when I talked about the film idea to Martin, he was really enthusiastic and helped a lot.’
Through sheer perseverance – and a touch of Gallic charm – Sébastien has assembled an enviable cast of characters for the project: DJ Paulette, Greg Wilson, Kermit, Andy McCluskey, Stephen Hanley, Section 25, Doves, Bruce Mitchell, Peter Hook, Tim Burgess, Mike Pickering, Maruja, Deaf Deaf Deaf, Ist Ist, Lily Rae Grant, Mars Tapes, Pastel, Lindsay Reade, Stephen Morris… the list goes on. ‘Does being French allow me to have a more objective view?’ he wonders. ‘Or perhaps I’ll be criticized for talking about what I don't know, for not being a native. I don’t know.’
The interviews were often shot guerilla-style, sometimes with only a matter of minutes to do them. Despite this they have a striking look that puts many BBC4 rock docs to shame. ‘I don’t want the documentary to look cheap,’ says Sébastien. ‘It’s not some super-production with a lot of money. But nowadays, you can do something beautiful with less. DIY-style. That’s the passion that drives me. I’m a one-man band. I travel with all my gear for interviews in a flight case: microphones, two cameras for filming, two tripods, an audio recorder. And sometimes you only have 20 minutes to set up everything and to do the interview. But I like the spontaneity of it, even if it’s frustrating sometimes. The last time I was in the UK I did 18 interviews and music sessions in less than three days, between the city centre, Salford, Liverpool, Lancaster, Macclesfield and Stockport. All by train. I’d make a pretty good train guide, I think.’
Manchester, So Much to Question aims to tell the whole story of the city’s music scene. That, it has to be said, is a ridiculously ambitious idea. ‘You’re right. It IS too ambitious. Manchester music doesn’t need a documentary; it needs a saga! But it wasn’t ambitious at first. When I started, it was just a few interviews with the idea of a short film. Just a few minutes long. And then I wanted more. More people, more time, more Manchester. If you really want to tell the story of the Manchester music scene - and Greater Manchester - you need people that represent the diversity of the city. As I’m not that good at telling stories myself, I prefer to let the people that lived or still live in the city and its musical scene to tell their stories. I’m just an aggregator, in a way. And of course, it’s subjective. I know it’s almost an impossible mission as there’ll always be someone that’ll say that I forget this or that. But I definitely didn’t want to do another Factory Records documentary. It’s an important chapter of the city, of course, but it can’t be reduced to just that.’
As well as filming the interviews, Sébastien put in a double-shift and took a series of black and white photos of his subjects along the way. ‘I've always taken photos, but I've never defined myself as a photographer. I like black and white portraits taken with a 50mm lens.’
Cult Manchester asked him to choose three of his favourites:
Graham Gouldman (10cc).
‘It took almost one year to have the opportunity to interview Graham, but it was totally necessary as he and 10cc are the starting point of it all.’
Mani (Stone Roses)
‘I met Mani at home for the interview in April 2025. What a kind man. So humble.’
Bruce Mitchell (Durutti Column) and Stephen Morris (Joy Division, New Order).
‘They were the first two interviews for the documentary. Bruce Mitchell needs a documentary all to himself. He’s Mister Manchester. And Stephen is so funny.’
He’s asked his interviewees some pretty tricky questions along the way, including what may be the trickiest of them all: You can only choose one Manchester track - which one? ‘I’ve asked that question to everyone I’ve interviewed,’ he says. ‘And I know, it’s really difficult. Okay: ‘What Difference Does It Make?’ by The Smiths.’
The documentary is due in 2027 but with such a sprawling story to tell, finishing it won’t be easy. You always need deadlines,’ admits Sébastien. ‘But deadlines are made to be broken in a way. The editing process has started, but as you can imagine, it’s frustrating. I need to make choices with all the interviews. The main filming is over. Of course, but I’m still waiting for a few more interviews that I can insert into the timeline, but it doesn’t prevent me from continuing with the editing. So, it’s done. In a way…’
Watch the trailer for Manchester, So Many Questions here:
