Indie legend Johnny Marr treated a capacity Academy crowd to a stellar show last night that included a healthy smattering of Smiths and Electronic songs. Opener 'The Right Stuff Right' from lauded latest confection The Messenger was followed with 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before' to the delight of the crowd.
Marr's guitar prowess dazzled and his vocals were solid. Though initially he seemed a little withdrawn he warmed up in the second half of the performance, chatting between songs and relaxing into the set. Single 'Upstarts' and 'New Town Velocity' (dedicated to everyone from Kildare) stood out amongst the new songs. Although the older material did generate a more enthusiastic response the solo tracks held their own.
Johnny was touched by the audience's effusive response and commented on it on several occasions, he was particularly taken when he was handed a book from one uberfan in the front row and thrown a Django Reinhardt t-shirt from an adorer on the balcony.
In fact he wore said garment for the encore, which as encores go was hard to beat; a blistering 'I Fought The Law', 'Getting Away With It' which featured one of the finest solos of the night, 'How Soon Is Now?' in all its majestic glory and a transcendent 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'.
Check out Graham Keogh's gallery of pics from the night, here. Check out Olaf Tyaransen's recent interview with the indie legend, here.