Steve Coogan hails Oli Wilson as Beyond The Music opens at MediaCity

The session, hosted by BBC 6 Music's Chris Hawkins, took place at Vue Cinema on Quayside with members of the wider cast in attendance – among them Christopher Eccleston, Paul Popplewell, Kieran O'Brien and John Thomson, along with Rowetta, the Happy Mondays vocalist who played herself in the film. Coogan, who played Factory Records and Hacienda co-founder Tony Wilson in the film, spoke about bringing it back to Manchester for an event founded by Wilson's son, Oliver. "Oli is actually his own person, not just Tony Wilson's son," Coogan said. "He is one of the authentic voices of Manchester." Coogan added that what Oli had inherited from his father was a disruptive, challenging streak "in the best and most healthy way". "He is here to shake the tree," he said. Now in its third edition, Beyond The Music is a policy-setting music and creative industry conference and showcase festival. This year it runs from the MediaCity campus in Salford for the first time, with a programme of keynotes, summits, lectures and gigs. The conference and festival contiunues today with discussions covering creative activism for artists and the class divide in the creative industries. Thursday's programme tu...