Morrisey

He’s Marmite, he’s mouthy, he’s perhaps mad… but on stage his control of his voice and his army of fans is masterful. There’s little denying that Mozzer knows how to whip up the atmosphere in a room and by all accounts, The Brighton Centre is a small room compared to gigs at places like the NEC.

So what is it that Morrissey is or does? Well it’s easy to see him as the angry pop prophet but the lyrics of his songs seldom resort to pop cliche, far more lyrical polemic. Nor does he depend on pretty, there’s a harsh edge to his tunes, a kind of attack that you feel deep inside. This is rock, political and heartfelt and no one does it better. And his band cerainly know how to deliver that hard edged impact, peppered with searing solos and delicate underlying riffs.

The set is compact, one number leading into the next – but when he does engage with his audience there is a welcome and gentle warmth, spiked with the occasional barbed comment of course, but he obviously enjoys his relationship with his fans. This is also reflected in the set, a balance of classics and new material, a recognition that some of us want to go home with those early hits banging around in our heads and again inspired to go home and listen to the new stuff. I hate Marmite but once again I loved Morrissey live.

3 March

Brighton Centre

Andrew Kay

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