JUSTIN'S LIVE REVIEWS W/C 11/11/02
MORRISSEY
Birmingham Academy
30/10/02
I know you are used to Black & Death Metal and quotes like "True" "Pure" from Arathorn but Morrissey is true and pure. Honest music is what Arathorn likes.
Morrissey had no product to promote and no financial reason to do a world tour but he came to see his many, many fans.
Looking as handsome as ever, hair styled in quiff, black shirt and in a talkative and jovial mood. For the first time in his solo career he acknowledged his Smiths tracks (I have seen him 6 times in his solo career and heard only one). Kicking of with "I want the one I can’t have" and a set list including songs spanning his entire career from first Smiths single "Hand in Glove" to 4 new unreleased songs, "Irish blood English Heart", "First of the gang", "I like you" and "The world is full of crashing bores". Introducing the latter Morrissey jokes "can you name one?", Introducing the band (Alain initially referred to as Gareth Gates "sorry" Morrissey jokes "I mix you up") all long standing members except Dino the drummer.
I have seen literally thousands of bands of the years from White Zombie from The Cure to Napalm Death to Emperor to Morbid ANGEL Black Sabbath Ozzy Maiden and no-one NO-ONE ever leaves you praying they don’t ever leave the stage you could follow him night after night and never have enough. In fact, Morrissey asked that we give a cheer for a loyal fan named Julia who had quite literally done that and been at the front of every show on his World Tour for Months.
Since the concert I have been listening to nothing else in fact my Opeth new CD and Gathering DVD have arrived by post today and have not been removed from their packaging. Morrissey is one of England’s greatest treasures lets hope he returns soon.
Arathorn
