Johnny Marr teamed up with a 30-piece orchestra for the first of a two-night homecoming run in Manchester, England.
Across a 16-song setlist, the British guitar icon reimagined songs from his solo repertoire along with classics from The Smiths and his dance project with Bernard Sumner, Electronic. Highlights included “How Soon Is Now?,” “Easy Money,” and, of course, “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,” during which Marr paid tribute to his late Smiths bandmate, Andy Rourke, who died this past May.
Speaking about the experience, Marr said that he couldn’t “help feeling a little bit emotional” hearing his songs receive symphonic treatment. “I’ve had two experiences of playing with an orchestra — Hans Zimmer, obviously, and also with Pet Shop Boys — but to actually sing in front of an orchestra playing my own work, that’s a first,” he said (per NME). “It’s been really enjoyable working on the arrangements. I’ve been doing a lot of pre-orchestration work, and some of the songs have taken on a sort of highly pumped symphonic feel.”
Check out the setlist from last night’s concert and watch videos of the performance below.
Meanwhile, last month Marr put out Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr, a compilation album highlighting his favorite tracks from the past 10 years of his output, and including two new songs. He also chatted with Kyle Meredith about his new book, Marr’s Guitars.
Tonight, Marr is set to return to play another show in Manchester, reprising the orchestral performance. Next year, he’s booked for a handful of dates in the UK and Ireland. Check out the full list of his upcoming shows below, and grab tickets here.
That was special… and nice tribute to Andy pic.twitter.com/G4Y6t1lap4
— Andy “Windy” Miller (@AndyML1962) December 8, 2023
The Johnny Marr orchestra and impeccable How Soon Is Now solo #johnnymarr #manchester #factory @MartinUrty1 @DavidHarling1 @PhilHornerDIP pic.twitter.com/zi5AzqjTEL
— Stephen Watkins (@SteveWatkinsNHS) December 7, 2023
And a nice bit of Electronic, getting away with it…Johnny Marr Orchestra at Factory international #johnnymarr #neworder @Johnny_Marr @factoryintl pic.twitter.com/6qLBqOqITc
— Stephen Watkins (@SteveWatkinsNHS) December 7, 2023
The Fantastic @Johnny_Marr @factoryintl pic.twitter.com/B7hNxTIUkb
— Nik Corfield🏴 (@NikCorfield1) December 8, 2023
Setlist:
Armatopia
Day In Day Out
New Town Velocity
How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths)
Get the Message (Electronic)
Rubicon
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (The Smiths)
Hi Hello
Somewhere
Spiral Cities
Walk Into the Sea
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths)
Easy Money
Getting Away With It (Electronic)
Encore:
Panic (The Smiths)
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths)
Johnny Marr 2023-2024 Tour Dates:
12/08 – Manchester, UK @ The Warehouse
04/02 – Newcastle upon Tyne, UK @ O2 City Hall Newcastle
04/03 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom
04/05 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds
04/06 – Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool Olympia
04/07 – Wolverhampton, UK @ Wolverhampton Civic Hall
04/09 – Cardiff, UK @ The Great Hall, Cardiff Uni Students Union
04/10 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Bristol
04/12 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
04/13 – Brighton, UK @ Dome
04/14 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
06/20 – Donegal, IE @ Bundoran Beach
06/23 – Donegal, IE @ Bundoran Beach
06/24 – Luimneach, IE @ Live at the Big Top
07/06 – Bedford, UK @ Bedford Park
07/07 – Kirkham, UK @ Lytham Green
07/07 – Kirkham, UK @ Lytham Festival 2024
08/24 – Sale, UK @ Wythenshawe Park