The Smiths in concert from The Derby Assembly Rooms on December 6, 1983.
The Smiths formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band’s songwriting partnership. The Smiths are regarded as one of the most important British bands and one of the pioneers of 1980s independent music.
In October 1982, the Smiths gave their first public performance as a support act for Blue Rondo à la Turk during a student music and fashion show, “An Evening of Pure Pleasure”, at Manchester’s Ritz. During the performance, they played both their own compositions and “I Want a Boy for My Birthday”. Morrissey had organised the gig’s aesthetic; the band came onstage to Klaus Nomi‘s version of Henry Purcell‘s “The Cold Song” playing through the venue’s sound system before his friend James Maker stepped onstage to introduce the band. Maker remained onstage during the performance, relating that “I was given a pair of maracas – an optional extra – and carte blanche. There were no instructions – I think it was generally accepted I would improvise… I was there to drink red wine, make extraneous hand gestures and keep well within the tight, chalked circle that Morrissey had drawn around me.” Bassist Dale Hibbert was allegedly unhappy with what he perceived as the band’s “gay” aesthetic; in turn, Morrissey and Marr were unhappy with his bass playing, so he was replaced by Marr’s old schoolfriend Andy Rourke. Hibbert denies that he objected to the band being perceived as gay, and said he was not sure why he was asked to leave.
In December 1982, the Smiths recorded their second demo, at the Drone Studios in Chorlton-cum-Hardy; the tracks recorded were “What Difference Does It Make?“, “Handsome Devil” and “Miserable Lie”. This was used as their audition tape for the record company EMI, who turned the band down. The band continued to practice, this time at the upstairs of the Portland Street Crazy Face Clothing company, a space secured by their new manager Joe Moss. By Christmas, they had written four new songs: “These Things Take Time”, “What Do You See in Him?”, “Jeane” and “A Matter of Opinion”, the last of which they soon scrapped. Their next gig was Manchester’s Manhattan in late January 1983, and although Maker would again appear as a go-go dancer, this was the last time that he did so. In early February, they performed their third gig, at the Haçienda.
The Smiths have been widely influential. Ian Youngs of BBC News described them as “the band that inspired deeper devotion than any British group since the Beatles“. Marr’s guitar playing “was a huge building block for more Manchester legends that followed the Smiths”, including the Stone Roses, whose guitarist John Squire said Marr was an influence. The Oasis songwriter and guitarist Noel Gallagher also cited the Smiths as an influence, especially Marr, saying that “when the Jam split, the Smiths started, and I totally went for them”. The Smiths were an early influence on Radiohead and inspired their 2001 single “Knives Out“. In 2001, Marr said Radiohead were the act that had “come closest to the genuine influence of the Smiths”.
There you have it – as a reminder, here is a gig they performed in December 1983. It fades out at the end, more or less during their last song – actually, fans converged on the stage and started spontaneously dancing, eventually tackling Morrisey to the ground (in a good way), losing the mike in the process and causing an abrupt end to the show.
All good fun – part of what made The Smiths so special.
