M
monsieur_dupont
Guest
The last time Johnny Marr formed a band was when the critically
acclaimed Smiths breathed life into the stagnating music scene
of the mid-eighties. Their melody driven songs were witty and
political and showed that pop music could be relevant when every
other song on the radio seemed well, irrelevant.
Last night Johnny Marr emerged from near obscurity with a new
band The Healers who were making their London debut at the
Scala a 600 capacity venue in edgy Kings Cross. It seems an awful
long time since the demise of the Smiths for Marr to do it all over
again. The band walked onto the stage to an almost silent venue
as there was no pre-show music and launched a groove fueled attack
that seemed to startle an audience expecting the jangly melodies
that defined indie over a decade ago. As the set progressed all
expectations were shattered. Marr was singing! He tentatively did
some rock posturing. Okay so he didn't quite rock out with his cock
out but it was getting there and the band had a spine that on paper
looks like an invertebrate.
London audiences are notoriously cool as in cold and last nights was
freezing. The Healers have had virtually no airplay of their Last Ride
demo and expectations were maybe too high. There was some vocal
support from the rock celebrity mates in the crowd but no "Johnny
Marr, Johnny Marr" chanting or indeed much applause. As the set
progressed and the guy with the annoying backpack moved away from
me I started to question the relevance of all this. Before me was a man
who has already earned a considerable reputation in the history of
pop who could have simply let that reputation grow by remaining in
obscurity but has chosen instead to change direction pretty dramatically
at a time when the big sellers of British pop are now irrelevant. Marr
doesn't have the charisma of his former bands singer or indeed the wit
but he and The Healers looked and sounded like something that I haven't
seen in a long time and that is relevant.
If The Healers come to your town see them and show your appreciation,
they deserve a lot more than any Smiths cover band ever would.
acclaimed Smiths breathed life into the stagnating music scene
of the mid-eighties. Their melody driven songs were witty and
political and showed that pop music could be relevant when every
other song on the radio seemed well, irrelevant.
Last night Johnny Marr emerged from near obscurity with a new
band The Healers who were making their London debut at the
Scala a 600 capacity venue in edgy Kings Cross. It seems an awful
long time since the demise of the Smiths for Marr to do it all over
again. The band walked onto the stage to an almost silent venue
as there was no pre-show music and launched a groove fueled attack
that seemed to startle an audience expecting the jangly melodies
that defined indie over a decade ago. As the set progressed all
expectations were shattered. Marr was singing! He tentatively did
some rock posturing. Okay so he didn't quite rock out with his cock
out but it was getting there and the band had a spine that on paper
looks like an invertebrate.
London audiences are notoriously cool as in cold and last nights was
freezing. The Healers have had virtually no airplay of their Last Ride
demo and expectations were maybe too high. There was some vocal
support from the rock celebrity mates in the crowd but no "Johnny
Marr, Johnny Marr" chanting or indeed much applause. As the set
progressed and the guy with the annoying backpack moved away from
me I started to question the relevance of all this. Before me was a man
who has already earned a considerable reputation in the history of
pop who could have simply let that reputation grow by remaining in
obscurity but has chosen instead to change direction pretty dramatically
at a time when the big sellers of British pop are now irrelevant. Marr
doesn't have the charisma of his former bands singer or indeed the wit
but he and The Healers looked and sounded like something that I haven't
seen in a long time and that is relevant.
If The Healers come to your town see them and show your appreciation,
they deserve a lot more than any Smiths cover band ever would.
