Johnny Marr
Tonight as it turns out is quite a barmy summers evening, literally! We get absolutely soaked as we head down to the Waterfront, leaping out of the car on Rouen Road and absolutely legging it down to the venues main entrance.
We sneak in just about on time and it seems that the early Friday night start of 8pm has caught quite a few people out, well at least we are not alone as we manage to get a quick drink in and find somewhere half decent to stand. We actually just about manage to see a head or two on the stage from our by now poor vantage point as the band enter to loud cheers from the audience that is eagerly anticipating the entrance of the one and only Johnny Marr. Although at this stage just the one head will do and we are not alone in our thoughts as 99.9% of the audience just like us are here to see Mr Marr this evening right?
The legendary, iconic guitarist and joint main songwriter from The Smiths is back in Norwich for the second time in the past year playing to a sold out crowd once again as a warm up for the Tramline festival that is being held in Sheffield the next day.
There is a great atmosphere brewing as is often the case for most Friday night gigs at the end of a busy working week (for most people).
Marr and his band take to the stage and he receives an extremely rapturous and boisterous welcome, something like a hero’s reception. The mood continues throughout the evening and it looks like he is also enjoying himself from the off as much as we are as he wields his guitar in an upward direction numerous times. His vocals more than stand up and as Stewart Maconie said recently “Marr is the vocalist that The Smiths never really had”, he does a great job and there is not a gladioli or daffodil in sight.
His distinctive guitar playing has earned him something of a cult status amongst his followers and quite rightly so, he really is quite mesmerizingly brilliant to watch as he glides through some of his more recent material from his 2018 album Call The Comet. Hi Hello and Spiral Cities sound just great and very fresh and we also get treated to Getting Away With It and Get The Message from his Electronic days. But you will not be surprised to hear that it was The Smiths songs that caused more than a stir in the beer bellies this evening of the Marr obsessives, Big Mouth Strikes Again, This Charming Man and Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me sound just great. But it is the amazingly fresh sound of Marr’s guitar that raises the roof as How Soon Is Now starts up. Wow! What an intro to a song and what an amazing song that still is and then by the time that he gets to There Is A Light its getting extremely hot right now with the sweat dripping down my back and Johnny Marr’s status is confirmed, as a mass singalong ensues.
What a gig that was and as we leave the venue it’s clear that Johnny ‘fuckin’ Marr is the son and heir apparent to the throne of all things that is genius this evening. Just quite brilliant.
Steve Plunkett
