Mani ‘captured the spirit of Manchester more than anybody’published at 11:01 GMT

11:01 GMT

John Robb in a black puffer jacketImage source, PA Media

“I think he’s a friend of everybody’s, that’s the thing” says John Robb, of the post-punk band The Membranes.

“Everybody had a really great story about him,” Robb tells reporters on his way up the steps of Manchester Cathedral

Robb adds that Mani “captured the spirit of Manchester more than anybody. He was quintessentially Mancunian”.

“That’s why this is such a big deal today.”

“He was a really brilliant bass player, but somebody who it was always a pleasure to bump into” he says, “so I think that’s the ultimate epitaph for anybody.”