Fact #158693
When:
Short story:
When The Red Wedge tour, featuring Paul Weller's Style Council, Billy Bragg, Junior Giscombe and The Communards, plays at The City Hall, Newcastle, England, UK, Europe, the show is joined by The Smiths making an unannounced live appearance.
Full article:
Johnny Marr (guitarist, The Smiths) : And then The Smiths did something which is one of my proudest memories. I said to Billy (Bragg), on the sly, ‘Is it all right if I bring The Smiths up to play at Newcastle?'
We got in the car that day, drove up to Newcastle with no equipment - no guitars, no amps - hung around the soundcheck, didn't soundcheck, but let everyone know that we'd like to play. We went on in the middle of the set, with borrowed gear, and blew the roof off the sucker. We played Bigmouth, Boy With The Thorn In His Side, maybe another.
Morrissey (The Smiths) : I thought the overall presentation (of The Red Wedge tour) was pretty middle-aged. And I can't really see anything especially useful in Neil Kinnock. I don't feel any alliance with him but if one must vote this is where I feel the black X should go. So that was why we made a very brief, but stormy appearance.
When we took to the stage the audience reeled back in horror. They took their Walkmans off and threw down their cardigans. Suddenly the place was alight, aflame with passion!
Johnny Marr : The rest of the bands just stood around the side of the stage. There was a shitty vibe around that tour. Everyone on that tour was on such an ego trip. It had very little do with politics; they were all really up their own arses.
Everyone was quite rude to me - but I went back with my band and we blew 'em away. I was looking around, thinking my band had turned up and we'd showed 'em. I was so proud of my mates. The songs were new, too: that was the great buzz for me: playing Bigmouth, laying it on everybody. It was ace.
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We got in the car that day, drove up to Newcastle with no equipment - no guitars, no amps - hung around the soundcheck, didn't soundcheck, but let everyone know that we'd like to play. We went on in the middle of the set, with borrowed gear, and blew the roof off the sucker. We played Bigmouth, Boy With The Thorn In His Side, maybe another.
Morrissey (The Smiths) : I thought the overall presentation (of The Red Wedge tour) was pretty middle-aged. And I can't really see anything especially useful in Neil Kinnock. I don't feel any alliance with him but if one must vote this is where I feel the black X should go. So that was why we made a very brief, but stormy appearance.
When we took to the stage the audience reeled back in horror. They took their Walkmans off and threw down their cardigans. Suddenly the place was alight, aflame with passion!
Johnny Marr : The rest of the bands just stood around the side of the stage. There was a shitty vibe around that tour. Everyone on that tour was on such an ego trip. It had very little do with politics; they were all really up their own arses.
Everyone was quite rude to me - but I went back with my band and we blew 'em away. I was looking around, thinking my band had turned up and we'd showed 'em. I was so proud of my mates. The songs were new, too: that was the great buzz for me: playing Bigmouth, laying it on everybody. It was ace.