‘He knew he was well-known and admired, but he just liked to get on with it’
A mural of Manchester music legend and DJ Stu Allan has been unveiled in the city centre
The wife of a late Manchester DJ who helped define a generation with his playlists said she is ‘so honoured’ of a new art piece in the city portraying him.
Stu Allan joins the likes of the Oasis brothers, Ian Curtis and The Smiths’ Andy Rourke as music legends to be given well-positioned designs in the city.
Stu was responsible for introducing many Mancunians to house music, hip hop and rave anthems with his Sunday night shows on Piccadilly Radio in the 80s and 90s.
Also a regular DJ for Key 103, Stu passed away three years ago at the age of 60 after a cancer battle. As well as being a DJ, Stu was also known for being part of 90s euro-dance act Clock. Robbie Williams and Carl Cox were amongst those to pay tribute to the music legend.
And with the city now well and truly undertaking its summer celebration of Manchester’s music scene, it is fitting that a mural to Stu – created alongside the Stu Allan Foundation and his wife Alison Allan, has now been unveiled right in the middle of all the action.
At the end of last month, Manchester street artist Deggy, who previously worked on the Sarah Harding mural in Stockport last year, revealed his artwork of Stu on a billboard outside Piccadilly Station.
A mural of Manchester music legend and DJ Stu Allan has been unveiled in the city centre
“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” Alison tells the Manchester Evening News of the mural. “It’s something that has been in the works for about a year now, so I’ve been really emotional at the fact it’s now here.
“I spoke to Deggy before we ever found the wall because I knew I wanted him to be involved. Then, when Network Rail got involved, they offered us the wall and came up trumps with where the spot was.
Former Piccadilly Radio DJ Stu Allan was a champion of rave, house and hip scene of the 1980s and 90s(Image: Stu Allan)
“Honestly, it’s been really emotional for me. For two days after it was unveiled, I kept going down there to see him, but I just said to myself that I can’t go down to see him every day.”
Asked what Stu would make of the mural if he was alive to see it, she said: “Oh, he’d be cringing. He was a very humble guy. He knew he was well-known and admired, but he just liked to get on with it.
“He’d definitely be cringing but, at the same time, I do think he’d actually have loved it. It’s a very big honour.”
Alison, who married Stu in 2015, said that she was never really into the rave scene despite Stu’s deep connection to it. One of the first DJs to play the likes of A Guy Called Gerald, 808 State and Sub Sub, he was named the third best DJ in the world back in 1993 by DJ Magazine.
Artist Deggy and Alison Allan next to the mural
“I wasn’t a raver,” she explains. “It’s probably why he married me, to be honest. I wasn’t into the music scene at all, but I wanted to carry on his legacy and it’s amazing to do things like this to remind people of his impact.”
In fact, Alison says she dusted off Stu’s DJ decks last year to perform at the Stu Allan Festival, held in his honour. It was the first time she ever DJed. “I don’t know how I did it, I gave myself a year to practice, but it seems like it was all just mapped out for me,” she explained.
“All his USBs were track-marked and ready, and I did his set in front of 3,000 people. I absolutely loved it. We have a radio station that plays the hits he’s known for, and it’s something people really connect with because I feel like the rave scene has felt a massive loss with Stu not being around.
“A lot of people don’t want to go raving anymore. The whole scene has changed. It’s like Stu used to say to me, ‘I wish I could take you back to the 90s to show what it used to be like’. I’m just so blessed to be able to continue his honour.”