“I’d not played for 17 years. I put all my guitars in the loft and never touched them. I didn’t think I knew how to play anymore”: When Happy Mondays split, Mark Day gave up guitar – and was surprised to find he could still play when he returned

Mark Day.

Acting as a bridge between Manchester’s ‘80s indie rock scene and the upcoming Madchester rave wave, the Happy Mondays’ blend of house, funk, and psychedelia proved iconic. When Madchester gave way to Britpop, the change further cemented the Mondays’ legacy as genre-bending pioneers.

But while in-your-face frontman Shaun Ryder often gets the most attention, Mark Day, a guitarist bred in simplicity, defined the group’s sound. Despite the soupy mix of genres he waded through with the Mondays, his origins were decidedly typical. “My mum was the first one to influence me to play an instrument,” he recalls. “She said, ‘Nobody here really plays an instrument.’ So I wanted to prove her wrong!”