The Smiths Indeed

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It’s been 25 years since The Smiths released their groundbreaking album “The Queen Is Dead”, a release which many fans of the group consider to be their finest hour. I think I’d plump for “Strangeways, Here We Come” myself, but that’s a personal opinion, and is only distracting from the central point of this paragraph. The central point being, of course, Liverpudlian Smiths tribute act The Smiths Indeed embarking on a UK tour to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the aforementioned album; during which they shall, at some point in the show, play the record in its entirety! Sounds good, eh? I must confess, being a minor music snob I’d never witnessed a headline slot by a tribute act before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. However, being a bit of a Smiths/Mozzer fan meant that I leapt at the chance of claiming a free ticket for an act who have been described by the press as “the best smiths tribute act in the country”. I mean, who wouldn’t? Apart from non-smiths fans? Anyway, on to the gig…….

The band take to the stage and launch straight into the album, opening the show with a blistering rendition of the first track, “The Queen Is Dead”. Morrissey has it all planned out; NHS specs, shirt changes, “Queen Is Dead” placard are all present and correct, and the rest of the band provide an agreeably tense, accomplished musical backdrop to the singer’s theatrics. The drummer, Mike Joyce to the fans, offers up a particularly brutal rhythmic thud on this particular track. Elsewhere, we get a gleefully knockabout “Frankly, Mr Shankly”, a delightfully breezy “Cemetery Gates”, a spectacularly tortured reading of “I Know It’s Over”, and a lilting “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.” The only tracks that slightly disappoint are “The Boy With A Thorn In His Side”, on which the singer’s vocals struggle to reach the higher notes, and a rather lifeless version of “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”. Other than that, it’s good stuff. The band put on a good show, clearly enjoying every second, and the lighting on the stage is top notch, increasing the drama and intensity being played out on the stage considerably. The versions of “Big Mouth Strikes Again” and “Vicar In A Tutu” also deserve a special mention.

When the album reaches its end, the band inform us they will be “back in two minutes” for the second half of the show. It’s actually more like twenty, but who cares? The second half promises to be a “Greatest Hits” set of sorts, with a few surprises for the die hards. Maybe it’s the alcohol kicking in, but the audience appear markedly more enthusiastic throughout the duration of this section of the show; dancing, plastic glasses being thrown into the air and drunken chants of “Morrissey, Morrissey, Morrissey” seem to confirm this notion of mine. All the “hits” are present and correct; “This Charming Man”, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”, “William, It Was Really Nothing”, “Sheila Take A Bow”, all of which go down a storm. For me, the highlights included two sublime renditions of “Asleep” and “Rubber Ring”, both of which are lesser known to the non-connoisseur or casual listener, a gritty “How Soon Is Now?” and a devastating “Shoplifters Of The World Unite”, the lyrics of which seem as eerily relevant as ever, especially within the current UK climate. The band finished with a great version of “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me”, an almost unbearably introspective so despairing and tortured in its lyrical content that it verges on a kind of black comedy. It’s a great choice of set closer, and leaves the crowd howling for more.

So, my first tribute act concert! I have to say, I thought these guys were really, really good. Their clear love of the music of The Smiths, coupled with their musical professionalism, made for a highly entertaining, engaging two hours of music, and prevented the show from ever sliding into parody. Of course, there were always going to be a few glaring omissions; “Reel Around The Fountain”, “Unhappy Birthday”, “Girlfriend In A Coma”, “Half A Person”, these are just a handful which come to mind. Still, I’m not going to let any of that belittle the memory of what I thought was a great show. I would definitely recommend this show to any real Smiths/Moz fan, these guys are the real deal!