During his first visit to Kyiv as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham jammed on the guitar with a Ukrainian soldier, playing the riff from The Smiths’ 1985 track “Rusholme Ruffians” while visiting a military and artistic unit that performs on front lines, in hospitals, and at rehabilitation centres. During the visit, soldiers also performed an Oasis song for him, and Burnham remarked that music serves to lift spirits on the front line.
Burnham has a well-documented history of supporting the Manchester music scene and British music more broadly. He previously gained permission from Oasis to use “Some Might Say” in a campaign video, quoted The Courteeners during a mayoral victory speech, and included bands like The Smiths, Oasis, and Wolf Alice among his favourites.
Politically, his premiership has seen the introduction of a new “Music Plan,” which boosts government funding to a total of £45 million over three years to support artists, businesses, projects, and children entering the music industry. He has also been a vocal supporter of grassroots music venues, including backing a proposed £1 ticket levy on large arena gigs to fund the pipeline for rising artists.
Despite his cultural backing, Burnham faces several pressures from the music and environmental sectors. These include demands to address post-Brexit touring barriers, crack down on AI copyright exceptions, fulfill promises to ban ticket touts, and block the proposed development of the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, an initiative opposed by prominent musicians such as Thom Yorke, Massive Attack members, and Robert Smith.
