Aldo was unlucky to have only been born in 1979 and so unlike JtK and myself, wasn't old enough to appreciate The Smiths in their heyday. But it doesn't stop him loving their music or appreciating the talents of their vocalist:-
Steven Patrick Morrissey - Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, 20 June 2011
"Hello Dunfermline" Words I never thought I would hear from the great man.....
Having grown up in Fife and spent the bulk of my life residing there, it was of course typical that months after relocating to Glasgow, Mozza should pay a visit to the Kingdom. But there was no way I was missing this state visit by the King of Indie to the town of my birth, so off we set on a Monday evening from Glasgow for the bright lights of the Auld Grey Toun.
Arriving slightly later than planned at the venue, due to indulging in the fare at my favourite Dunfermline curry establishment, (and apologies Steven, but there was dead animal consumed) meant we (fortunately according to JC) missed the support band Brother. Taking our place next to JC and his lovely wife, bang in front of the sound desk, we settled in to enjoy the build up prior to Morrissey's arrival on stage. Being treated to a very enjoyable compilation of sound and film clips clearly selected by the man himself to get us in the mood. Included were sounds from Nico, Sparks and the New York Dolls, along with clips of Diana Dors and Lou Reed, and a number of artists who left us guessing!
Then the lights dim, and here he is launching into the Smiths' I Want The One I Can't Have a personal favourite and a cracking start, albeit with some rather heavy-handed backing from the band. This is followed by a flawless First Of The Gang To Die, a live staple for nearly a decade now, which gets the crowd going. You Have Killed Me from the Ringleader of the Tormentors album is next up, and the Moz and band are beginning to hit their stride nicely.
Moz gets the pleasantries out of the way, then treats us to more Smiths, this time Shoplifters Of The World Unite, which is a fine rendition, before cranking up the sing-a-long with solo classic Everyday Is Like Sunday (which was apparently not written about another Fife town which sits further along the coast, despite the uncanny description). I was then surprised by his next choice, the majestic, and in my opinion, the definitive Smiths song, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. I say surprised because at almost every previous Morrissey show I've been to, this has been the finale. However, it is always stunning to hear it live wherever it comes in the set, and the band got this one spot on as well.
Before I go on, a few words about the venue, the Alhambra was when I was growing up, a bingo hall, which closed in the early 2000's. It was however, reopened around 3 years ago by a group including the former Director of the Edinburgh Festival, and it has gone from strength to strength, attracting names to Dunfermline which previously wouldn't have been possible. I had been to the venue previously to see the Charlatans, though hadn't quite appreciated at the time how grand a venue it was until this evening. I mention this as we all know how important a venue is to seeing a band/artist, and in my mind the Alhambra was almost the perfect fit for Morrissey, displaying a slightly faded grandeur of days gone by. And more importantly the acoustics are superb.
Anyway, back to the show, and next up we get Alma Matters, Speedway, and One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell. I'm fairly sure I haven't heard Alma live since around 2002, so that was a pleasant surprise from the back catalogue. The version of Speedway was immense, and a favourite of mine from possibly his finest solo album.
The crowd were then subdued by a trio of as yet unreleased tracks, Action Is My Middle Name, The Kid's A Looker, and People Are The Same Everywhere. This prompted Moz to add something along the lines of "I think I lost your attention there for a little while. But let's not go on about it". I hadn't set ears on any of the new stuff myself prior to the gig, and in fairness they seemed to come across well, though unlikely to be heard again until he gets that record deal.
There was a cover version up next of Lou Reed's Satellite Of Love, which was all very nice but, I'd much rather have heard another classic penned by the Bard of Manchester himself.
If that was a tad disappointing, a hauntingly brilliant version of I Know It's Over more than made up for it. The band doing the original arrangements justice this time. This was followed by I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris and the somewhat mediocre Ouija Board, Ouija Board was given an outing.
Then it was Morrissey's opportunity to foist his pro-vegetarian views on us with Meat Is Murder aided by backdrop footage of abattoirs complemented by blood red lighting. Shouts from a crowd member in front of us during a quiet section appeared to prompt a bit of a scuffle, which soon died down. The arrangements and lyrical delivery were stark and aggressive, presumably to drive home the point.
Things lightened up a touch with the excellent Irish Blood, English Heart, at the conclusion of which Moz and the band exited the stage to triumphant applause from the crowd.
One shirt change later and he was back on for one last song, the mighty This Charming Man, however, for a Smiths purist like myself I'm afraid this version doesn't come close to the delicate jauntiness of the original. It appeared as though it was being covered by those legends of Dunfermline heavy rock Nazareth. Anyway, the crowd bounced and sang along regardless, giving the King a rousing send off as he exited.
All in all a fantastic evening in an excellent venue, Moz is looking well and his vocals are as good as they have been for the last few years.
I look forward to seeing you again soon Steven in whatever random Scottish town you decide to make an appearance in.
Aldo, Tuesday 5 July 2011
mp3 : Morrissey - Speedway (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - One Day Goodbye Could Be Farewell (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - This Charming Man (live)
(from gigs in London and Warsaw, Warsaw and London again)
Happy Listening.
10 comments:
I saw the Mozfather at the Hop Farm Festival on Saturday and, like you, agree that he seems in fine form at the moment. There were a few set-list differences - I didn't get to here him do I Know It's Over (gutted) but I did get Panic (result). He went a bit easier on the new stuff too, though we did get The Kid's A Looker. I also agree that Satellite Of Love, whilst noteworthy, was a bit of an unwelcome break. I should probably point out, however, that it came across better than the actual Lou Reed, who was on the festival undercard - he'd seemed to have forgotten how to sing his own songs. Oh well - I wasn't there to see Mr Reed anyway...
Nice work Mr Aldo
Yes - super piece old boy.
You should do it more often.
Thank you.
Great work. Its not what you do, its how you do it.
Moz singing The Smiths... What an artistic massacre :(
Terrible musicians with no talent and no elegance.
Actually I just realize this: The Smiths were very elegant, Morrissey isn't
Eric = Cock
Ok maybe Marr isn't there but to say they have no talent is just stupid. Why shouldn't he sing songs he wrote?
No need to get personal Mr/Ms Anon...even though I'm with you in thinking Eric's criticism is OTT
The musicians he castigates are the ones who have written some excellent tunes during the solo era. But I do hate, for the most part, the way they play a lot of The Smiths stuff in a manner befitting a glorifued pub band.
But.......having heard what they can do with 'I Know Its Over' when it was as good as any performance that Johnny Marr had ever been part of, maybe the fault lies with the arrangement - something that Moz himself will be involved in. Maybe it's actually all a bit of an elaborate joke being played by the great man - almost as if having been told repeatedly that his audience want more and more Smiths 'covers' in the solo show he is determined to have them played in a brutal mannner. It certainlt sounds to my ears that he is deliberately sabotaging 'This Charming Man'.
Anyone else agree???
Well i believe there was a room for improvement but not accommodated. Still lots of hard work has done.
Nice work. i really enjoyed that.
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