Morrissey is a love or hate act. There’s really no two ways about that. Many fans of Morrissey simply adore everything the man does, but those who are not in agreence with him will surely let you know their end of the deal as well.
Morrissey was recently Live at Doncaster Dome. Morrissey and his band took to the stage against a stunning backdrop and lightshow. The former sees iconic images of Mozza favourites George Best, Oscar Wilde and David Bowie projected on to huge screens behind him. It’s quite the entrance. No matter what you think of him as a man, opening any set with a song as timeless as ‘How Soon is Now?’ is a powerful statement of intent. The swirling guitars and tortured lyrics remind all present of who we are dealing with here. Morrissey means business.
From there it’s straight into the acidic snarl that is a very opinionated piece of ‘We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful’ complete with hysterical laughter to close out the track. It is striking at this point just how much people still love this man and his music. The crowd are in raptures throughout this gig, with various punters invading the stage and then looking like they might explode with joy at a mere glance from their hero.
Maybe one of the most polarizing takes from the show is based upon Morrissey’s latest album ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ which is still awaiting an official release date, the songs that will presumably appear on that record sound promising based on this showing. ‘Sure Enough, the Telephone Rings’ is an up-tempo rocker that recalls his I am the Quarry heyday, and ‘Rebels Without Applause’ is more than just a great title.
The pick of the bunch; however, is the title track. ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ is an epic, cynical ballad that sees Morrissey bathed in smoke and red light as he admonishes the ‘morons’ that ‘swing and sway’ to ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. Here, we see Morrissey picking an odd fight with Oasis. Then again, we can’t be too shocked as Morrissey is not only a cynic, but also likes to pick fights with just about anyone to prove some kind of point, which never exactly gets proven.
Having said that, the final song (following a brief break and a costume change), ‘Irish Blood English Heart’ is belted out by both singer and audience alike, a cacophony of anger and rage all wrapped up in the guise of a three-minute pop song.
And just like that, Morrissey saunters off. Safe in the knowledge that no matter what the world at large thinks of him. There will always be a sizable number of devotees that love him more than ever.
Morrissey also discussed Diana Rigg at the show, the former Bond girl and Game of Thrones star, as being ‘the most famous person to come from Doncaster’.
Special thanks to Total Ntertainment.
