By Stu Thompson
I first remember seeing the smiths on top of the pops as a pre teen living on a suburban housing estate with no real interest in music. I was struck by Morrissey, this strange looking feller wearing my mums blouse, a hearing aid and brandishing a bunch of flowers, no sign of a microphone. I remember my dad dancing round the front room massively taking the piss “who’s this bloke, he cant sing!” I was hooked!
It took another 2 or 3 years before I truly appreciated and understood the guitar work and song writing genius of Johnny Marr. I tried to emulate him, my last year in school spent learning to play a terrible strat copy instead of revising for exams….. I never reached the heights of the shimmering sound of his Rickenbacker, striving to learn that chord progression or that fiddly bit in the middle of “William it was really nothing” 20 years on and I still haven’t.
So yesterday afternoon I finally got to meet my hero, they say you never should and I’ve met a few that a really wish I hadn’t but in this case I found myself in my favourite record shop chatting to a bloke about a record he’d made. I think I’ve met nicer people in my time here but I honestly can’t remember when, such a down to earth, humble chap who seemed genuinely happy to be there spending as much time with each person as they wanted, no quick signature and you’re off. I was almost returned to the 15 year old fan boy when he shook my hand looked me in the eye and said hello but I just managed to keep my cool! He signed my copy of his new solo record, we chatted about his new single, last years shows in Manchester and then I left with a beaming smile thinking that I can’t wait to see him at The Ritz next month, little was I to know I wouldn’t have to wait that long……
There was a rumour on twitter he was playing a secret gig at the night and day that very night…..
I turned up around quarter to eight and the queue outside was snaking up to vinyl exchange… The rumour could be true. .. 30 minutes later I’m in the venue looking at a white fender jaguar being tuned up by a guitar tech that looked vaguely familiar…. 15 minutes later Johnny Marr and his band walk on stage!
And what a show it was, after the opening track he announced that the show was in celebration of his new album that finally got released today, glad that we could all now hear it, genuinely pleased with the work. And rightly so the album tracks played tonight show a Johnny Marr comfortable in his own skin, no longer worried or concerned with sounding like Johnny Marr, happy to be a front man, peppering the set with songs from his back catalogue including a superb version of Electronics “Forbiden City” introduced as an “old Manchester song” that had the crowd singing along with smiles on there faces, along with a barnstorming version of “Bigmouth Strikes Again” and to premier tracks such as “Say Demesne”, rightly noted that its “only pronounced correctly in Manchester”, this song really worked live creating a beautiful soundscape that sent shivers up my spine.
Tracks such as “Generate! Generate!” Having a much harder garage sound than on the record and the first encore being “I Fought The Law” (dedicated to an old friend) really sets his nationwide tour up to be a rocking affair. He finished with quite possibly the best version of “How Soon Is Now” I’ve ever heard, leaving, as any proper rock star should, with the crowd awestruck and begging for more!
An more we will get…. Johnny Marr, a musical genius and genuinely nice bloke. Roll on The Ritz!
