Hak Baker covers The Stone Roses’ ‘I Wanna Be Adored’
Over the weekend, BBC’s Radio 6 Music crash landed in Manchester for their annual festival, bringing along names like Gossip, CMAT, The Smile and more for performances. When it was Hak Baker’s turn up to the mic, he quickly got the crowd on his side with a cover of a Stones Roses classic.
“If you think you know this one, you probably do,” Baker said as he introduced the track. “We’re in Manchester after all, aren’t we?”
If there is one thing you can guarantee from a Manchester crowd, it’s total and utter dedication to their own. As a city, it’s incredibly proud of its music history, so Baker’s take on ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ was greeted with roars of love from the crowd.
As a song, the 1990s indie classic has been covered time and time again in varied degrees of quality. Artists like The Ravonettes, King Woman, Horsegirl and more have all had a go at the track. It’s also a regular cover for major artists to play while visiting the city, as even metal heroes Metallica took it on during their 2019 tour.
But Baker’s take was beautifully translated into his own style. The addition of a trumpet to play the iconic riff and the heavy keys added to the breakdown made his version fresher than any in recent memory.
Merging indie with a slight reggae rhythmic edge and a far more expansive rock and roll sound than the original ever had, dare we say that it potentially might usurp Ian Brown’s own.
Feeding back the energy that the crowd delivered, Baker took to Twitter to share his gratitude for the experience. He wrote, “[6 Music Festival] was beautiful – thank you for sharing such a moment with me.”
6 Music Festival took place in venues across Manchester on March 8th and 9th. Hak Baker wasn’t the only artist who engaged with the local music scene and community. During Gossip’s performance, Beth Ditto danced alongside performance troupe The Fuck Pigs, while Manchester-born up-and-comers like Witch Fever and Porij performed for BBC Introducing.
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