Johnny Marr review: Smiths' songs shine brightly in Dublin
Johnny Marr on stage at Iveagh Gardens in Dublin.
★★★★☆
The problem for any artist who’s made music which defined and inspired a generation, and is also cherished by subsequent ones, is that newer material is always going to pale by comparison. The magic Johnny Marr conjured with The Smiths was and remains so special that matching or even coming close to it is a near-impossible task.
Still, on a positively Mediterranean night in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens, Marr arrived on stage as the coolest man in the world – black denim jacket, sunglasses, perfect hair and proper five foot nothing rock star stature (he’s five foot eight). He also threw the appropriate shapes of a genuine guitar God leading his band through the opening
There’s nothing wrong with his solo material, especially from 2022’s album, or the very Smiths-like but he knows himself they’re not what most punters tog out for.
“Let’s get rid of the setlist and play these people the new album from start to finish,” he announces. This was met with an audible collective intake of breath and the odd cheer. “Just messing with you,” says Johnny with admirable humour. “but I appreciate those who clapped.”
by Electronic is always welcome but we were there for The Smiths. In the same week his old partner further sullied his reputation by replacing the name of the band with his own on merchandise, Marr – to his lasting credit - gave the faithful the celebration they craved.
His slide guitar on the swing of and the African-tinged chimes of transformed Iveagh Gardens into an indie disco. On a beautiful he covered both the mandolin part and the chords because he’s Johnny Marr.
The glam stomp of contained more fret-jumping virtuosity and his silhouette was iconic under the spotlight as he attacked The mutant Bo Diddley drag of where the two-guitar line-up allowed Marr wring fabulous mileage out of a tremolo E chord, would have topped everything else if it wasn’t for the extra point-securing finish.
remains as deeply affecting the 10,000th time you hear it as it was the day it first arrived. When a visibly moved Marr let the crowd sing about double-decker buses and heavenly ways to die, all felt well with the world for a few minutes. What a hero he is.
