Johnny Marr at Hammersmith Apollo

Rising to prominence as the guitarist and co-songwriter of The Smiths, Johnny Marr has cemented himself as a hard-working innovator, not to mention prolific collaborator. Having contributed to numerous projects and released four solo albums since then, he has a plethora of material to draw from – how will he do it all justice?

Marr enters the stage with the casual suave of a seasoned performer. An abrupt chorus of sirens silences the restless masses before a pounding kick drum introduces Sensory Street. Marr has the crowd’s full attention by the start of Panic, a track from The Smiths 1987 album Louder Than Bombs. The front-facing lights coax us into an enthusiastic sing-along for the repeated phrase: “Hang the DJ.”

Marr’s quartet has no frills; each performer’s function is clearly laid out, with every musical part locking satisfyingly into place. Weaving between New Town Velocity’s ethereal pop and hard-hitting rock anthems such as The Answer, the band ensures that the audience is never left reticent. Among his solo work, he disperses a generous amount of classics from The Smiths, driving his set forward with a nuanced discography. 

“Thank you, friends,” Marr nonchalantly acknowledges the rapt atmosphere of the room, “I think this is going jolly well so far.” He wastes little time in speech, launching straight into a punchy and slightly up-tempo rendition of Bigmouth Strikes Again; it’s difficult to tell if such subtle modifications are accidental or deliberately calculated. Regardless, the result is a vigorous response. Hi Hello provides a brief break in energy, before the unmistakable stuttering guitar of How Soon Is Now electrifies the room once more. The band struggles to keep the guitar and drums in sync during an instrumental breakdown, but they deftly smooth over this momentary hiccup. 

Periodically breaking into expletive-laden chants, the crowd displays the kind of rowdy loyalty typically reserved for home-turf football matches. As the set draws to a close, Marr brings out Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennent to perform covers of David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel and Electronic’s Getting Away With It. A disco ball, hanging tantalisingly throughout the duration of the show, finally casts a polka dot glare across the venue as the intensity builds to a peak. 

Marr allows a short break before an encore of two Smiths classics: You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. The final song raises the entire audience to its feet, and in the final climactic chord, he lifts the guitar to his forehead as if in prayer. Across his career, and now, in this expertly curated performance, Marr has proven himself a formidable showman.

Ben Browning
Photos: Riaz Gomez

For further information and future events visit Johnny Marr’s website here.

Watch the video for the single The Answer here: