Tales of gangs are an intriguing part of crime culture, and recently, the Manchester Royal Exchange took the research of Alex Davies’ ‘The Gangs of Manchester’ and created a powerful and menacing dramatic masterpiece called ‘Scuttlers’.

The production took research from Alex Davies’ ‘The Gangs of Manchester: The Story of the Scuttlers, Britain’s First Youth Cult’, Preston, Milo Books, 2008.

Davies’ book studies the rise and fall of the 19^th century ‘scuttler’ street gangs of Manchester, outlining the harsh urban environment and slums that these young and impoverished men and women faced, as well as societies feelings and concerns towards them and their criminal activity.

The Bengal Tigers: Menacing Bryan Parry, front, and Dan Parr in Scuttlers

The play itself, by Rona Munro and Wils Wilson, began with the immediate introduction of the cotton-mill Manchester setting, as a chandelier of cotton string gaped over much of…