If you trust the words of Morrissey, his old bandmates have
been sitting on their collective thumbs over the past decade. In an
interview with Uncut a few years ago, Mozzer bristled: “I feel
as if I’ve worked very hard since the demise of The Smiths and the
others haven’t.” Of course, the statement isn’t entirely true, as
evidenced by the arrival of the band’s former bassist Andy Rourke in
Halifax next Wednesday. Rourke has made a decent career from his DJ
sets after an accidental debut at a friend’s Manchester nightclub, and
he’ll be playing everything from The Rolling Stones to Joy Division.
Rumour has it he’ll also play Smiths songs if asked. Prepare for the
squee-worthy thrill of hearing “There is a Light that Never Goes Out”
spun by a gentleman who was actually there.
This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2009.