Tag: The Smiths

417. Blondie: First Direct Arena, Leeds [4.5.22]

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Artist: Blondie

Support: Johnny Marr

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 4.5.22

Originally planned for 21.11.21 with Garbage as the support band but rescheduled to 4.5.22 with Johnny Marr supporting (an equally welcome substitution).

Johnny Marr Setlist: Armatopia / Panic / Night and Day / Spirit Power and Soul / This Charming Man / Getting Away With It / Walk Into the Sea / Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want / How Soon Is Now? / Easy Money / There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

An evening of pop art and rock royalty. Blondie toured without Chris Stein (due to a heart condition) but with the addition of Glen Matlock replacing Leigh Foxx on bass. Debbie Harry lacked the moves and vocals that she once had but was still a formidable and focal front woman at 76 years old.

Blondie Setlist: X Offender / Hanging on the Telephone / Sunday Girl / Picture This / Mother / Fade Away and Radiate / The Tide is High / What I Heard / Atomic / (I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear / Shayla / Union City Blue / Long Time / My Monster / Rapture / Maria / Dreaming / Heart of Glass // Fragments / Call Me / One Way or Another

388. Johnny Marr: Leeds University Stylus [20.9.21]

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Artist: Johnny Marr

Venue: Leeds University Stylus

Date: 20.9.21

Johnny takes to the stage and tells the crowd that this is the first time he’s played live since before lockdown. Some of us have already braved the return to live music but for many others it’s also their first gig in a long time. But this is Johnny Fuckin’ Marr, masterfully delivering a set of solo sounds, The Smiths and Electronic classics, so everything is going to be alright.

Setlist: Hideaway Girl / Panic / Spirit Power and Soul / Tenemant Time / New Town Velocity / Rubicon / Night and Day / Get the Message / Getting Away with It / The Headmaster Ritual / Sensory Street / This Charming Man / Walk into the Sea / Hi Hello / How Soon is Now? / Armatopia / There is a Light that Never Goes Out / Easy Money // Counter Clock World / Some Girls are Bigger than Others / Bigmouth Strikes Again

377. Morrissey: First Direct Arena, Leeds [6.3.20]

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Artist: Morrissey

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 6.3.20

With typically misjudged mirth, the bequiffed buffoon strides on stage with a mock cough and splutter; thanking the crowd for being brave enough to venture out. Morrissey is making reference to COVID-19, which is swiftly spreading but at the time is dangerously underestimated. To paraphrase the man himself, ‘Oh, we could smile about it then but in time it would be terrible’. He then proceeds to power through the best live set I’ve ever seen him perform, rarely relying on The Smiths’ back catalogue. Often one to offend but never one to disappoint.

Setlist: You’ll Be Gone / I Wish You Lonely / The Boy with the Thorn in His Side / Jim Jim Falls / At Amber / Morning Starship / Lady Willpower / That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore / Once I Saw the River Clean / If You Don’t Like Me, Don’t Look at Me / Munich Air Disaster 1958 / World Peace is None of Your Business / Seasick, Yet Still Docked / I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Home is a Question Mark / Love is On Its Way Out / Back on the Chain Gang / Never Again Will I Be a Twin / I’ve Changed My Plea to Guilty / Some Say (I Got Devil) / Jack the Ripper / Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up on the Stage // Half a Person / Irish Blood, English Heart

362. An Evening with Mike Joyce of The Smiths: The Constitutional, Farsley [9.11.19]

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362b_Mike Joyce | Constitutional

Artist: Mike Joyce

Interviewer: Dave Simpson

Venue: The Constitutional, Farsley

Date: 9.11.19

On a Saturday night in Farsley (a small suburb on the edge of Leeds) the one and only drummer from The Smiths sat casually chatting away – like a normal bloke who just happened to be in one of the world’s most renowned indie bands.

Despite Morrissey & Marr’s bittersweet memoirs and the infamous pay dipute, Mike Joyce seemed full of fond memories of his time with The Smiths and beyond. At one point, whilst telling a tale, he beat out the drum intro from ‘The Queen is Dead’ on the arm of his chair. It was a surreally special moment.

362c_Mike Joyce | Constitutional

I couldn’t resist being a ‘fanboy’, so as Joyce went for a fag break at the end of the gig, I got him to sign my gig poster and original copy of “Hatful of Hollow”.

176. Peter Hook & The Light: FAC251 The Factory, Manchester [5.2.10]

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175_Peter Hook [050210]

Artist: Peter Hook & The Light

Support: Freebass

Venue: FAC251: The Factory, Manchester [Opening Night]

Date: 5.2.10

Twenty years since the birth of ‘Madchester’, the evening saw the revamp and relaunch of the building that conceived the scene, and facilitated its demise.

FAC251 was the legendary head office of Factory Communications. Created by Tony Wilson, designed by Ben Kelly, endlessly funded by New Order (along with The Haçienda), and finally bankrupted by artistic ideology (expedited by Happy Mondays).

Nearly two decades later, the iconic building was rescued and resurrected by Peter Hook, Ben Kelly and Function One – and reborn as FAC251: The Factory.

In true Factory style, the building was barely completed on launch night. The freshly plastered walls were still damp and certain fittings and fixtures required finishing – but there was special sense of occasion, as those in the know mingled with Mancunian legends and celebrities.

Support act Freebass was a bass player ‘super group’ including Peter Hook (New Order), Mani (The Stone Roses) and Andy Rourke (The Smiths), with Gary Briggs on vocals.

Peter Hook & The Light performed a poignant set of Joy Division songs, with Rowetta (Happy Mondays) adding a beautiful and emotional twist to some of Ian Curtis’s haunting lyrics.

175b_Peter Hook [050210]

175b_Peter Hook [050210]

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