Last year was kinda Steven Patrick Morrissey`s “annus horrendous,” with various health issues, cancelled shows, an unreleased album, no label, and the media still targeting him but 2026 thankfully looks so much brighter. `Make-Up is a Lie` his upcoming fourteenth solo album arrives on March 6th, the follow up to 2020’s ‘I Am A Dog On A Chain’. There`s also a tour which kicked off in Denmark last month and travels through Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands before hitting the O2 in London this evening.
There was no support but videos of bands from the sixties both English and European, along with snippets of Gene Pitney, David Bowie, The Ramones, The Stooges, Marienne Faithful and Anthony Newley before we were drenched in darkness and Morrissey and his five piece band hit the stage.
First up is the fast paced `Billy Bud` often interpreted as addressing former songwriting partner Johnny Marr whose title was culled from a Herman Melville novella. Morrissey opened the number with a line from a Foreigner number with “I want too know what love is.” The aching `I Just want To see the Boy Happy` follows before `Suedehead` sends this sold out crowd into raptures and my wife into tears.
The first of a triptych of tracks from the forthcoming album comes with the reflective `Notre -Dame` inspired by the 2019 fire at the Paris cathedral, latest single `Make-Up is a Lie` which explores themes of inauthenticity, political cover-ups, and personal, societal deception and `Amazona` a compelling cover of a Roxy Music number from over fifty years ago. A nod to his previous band comes with the rhythmic `A Rush and a Push and The Land is Ours` but for me `Now My Heart Is Full` was achingly beautiful and quickly followed by a new number `The Monsters of Pig Alley`. The ballad like `I Know it`s over` always reminds me of the slower numbers Elvis was so adept at before `Irish Blood, English Heart` which always rhymes with me as like Steven Patrick, i`m a product of two Irish immigrants who was born in England.
`World Peace is none of Your business` always brings to mind my favourite band Sparks who once encouraged their friend to “lighten Up.” `Everyday is Like Sunday` has this fanatical audience singing along but `How Soon Is Now` sends them into hyperspace. The final cuts `Best Friend on the Payroll` and the atmospheric `Jack The Ripper` quickly follow before closing with the politically charged `I Will see you in Far Off Places`.
It takes a little while before everyone realises that show is over and the applause for more begins.
The band return and share a final Smiths classic with `There is a Light that never goes out` which has everyone one singing along to, especially the chorus.
And that was it, nighty minutes which passed by in what felt like an instant. It`s been just over three years since I last caught up with Manchester`s finest and tonight, for me was the most well thought out, well-structured set with something for everybody. I always feel that with Morrissey you have to expect the unexpected but tonight he was on top form with some ironic quips, a voice that was impressive and a band that were so tight they must be namechecked Jessie Tobias, Carmen Vandenberg, Juan Galeano, Camelia Grey, and Matt Walker who were all allowed a brief spotlight to speak to the audience in their own native tongues.
This was the best show i`ve seen from Morrissey since the Smiths demise and it was a truly lived experience.
Finally from Damian Patrick to Steven Patrick, thank you and I hope to see you again real soon.
