Having launched in Manchester, UK in 2021, The British Pop Archive is a national project, collecting British cultural materials from pop, youth, and counter cultures.

Factory Records foresaw Manchester as a possible centre for UK pop culture, and that arts and media could be the new industry of the city in a post-industrial landscape. However, despite Manchester’s cultural and musical legacy, the question often arises of why a national project like this is not based in London.

This panel explores how cities and regions overcome this capital-city-bias within popular culture.