Ben Pearce: "The unity that music brings is useful to remember on a day like today"

The unity that music brings is useful to remember on a day like today. Undoubtedly in that arena, there would’ve been children and adults from all circumstances, races and religions. They were there to enjoy a night of music and that connected them as a group of people. Manchester has always been a centre of culture, not just for music but also for all of the arts.

There is a deep passion alive within the city rooted around freedom of expression and speech. Those living within its boundaries are encouraged to demonstrate their talents and ideas. This has been the way for hundreds of years and it will no doubt continue for much longer.

Yet I feel compelled to say, it’s easy when you are hurting, as we all are at this moment, to seek the easy answer. It's easy to direct blame, especially when the blame cannot be directed to the person responsible. Terror of any kind is an inhuman act and is not indicative of any belief system. Manchester is a great city of wonderful people from every corner of the globe. This week, as we would every week, we will stand against the face of these people.

As Dave Haslam tweeted, "You’ve got the wrong city if you think hate will tear us apart".

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