At his homecoming gig at Manchester Apollo it was apparent to all that Mr Marr had finally made it on his own terms, turning himself from guitarist of a generation to now a frontman with huge respect and great stage presence. The one and half hour marathon gig was a mix of his two solo albums, smiths songs and even a few covers.
The smiths songs he played were never performed as if to cash in on his success but as a celebration of his musical past, ‘Panic’ and ‘Still ill’ being personal favourites. His new album Playland got its 1st airing since its release with both the explosive ‘Dynamo’ and the catchy riffs of ‘Easy Money hitting the mark. The encore brought a magical cover of Iggy pop’s Lust for life which Marr played with aplomb. The set closer and Smiths classic ‘How soon is now’ led to rapturous applause for the Manchester lad done good, Johnny Marr unite and take over!
