Formerly Madchester, home of New Order and England’s clubbing capital, the city took a smack in the ribs after an IRA bomb in 1996, but has been reinventing itself ever since. Now, with a comprehensive shopping centre (including recent addition Harvey Nicks) and glitzy cultural hubs like the Lowry, the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games is a worthy rival to London — something none of its inhabitants need telling.