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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Morrissey
@ State Theatre, Sydney,
10th December, 2023
(Live Review)

Review and photos by Alec Smart (@alecsmart_fotos)

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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Morrissey performed two concerts over two nights (10-11 Dec) at the Heritage-listed State Theatre in central Sydney, as part of his 40 Years of Morrissey tour. The career retrospective comprised highlights from 10 of his 13 solo studio albums, including Darling I Hug A Pillow from his most recent release I Am Not A Dog On A Chain (2020).

In addition, there were six songs from The Smiths, the jangly pop band he fronted from 1982-87 that first revealed the former music journalist’s talent for droll lyrical themes and self-deprecating humour.

There wasn’t much between-song banter, although the concert was slick and musically adventurous with moody lighting. However, after complaining about a ‘horrible’ flight from Brisbane during which he thought he was going to die (turbulence?), he quipped that the best thing about being dead meant that he wouldn’t have to listen to Ed Sheeran again!

The concert in the beautiful 1920s-built State Theatre, which incorporates Gothic facades and lobby, a NeoClassical domed stairwell, and Baroque interiors, was preceded with a compendium of video clips highlighting doyens of pop culture.

These short excerpts from films and newsreels included Elvis, Brigitte Bardot, Eddie Cochran, Apocalypse Now and Bryan Ferry. Short tape-loops also continued on the large screen behind the stage during the band’s performance.

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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Onstage, Morrissey gurns and grimaces, clenches his fist menacingly or swings the microphone in loops while fans reach out to grasp his hands, and after 40 years of singing his emotive voice hasn’t reduced its distinct timbre.

His backing band are all accomplished musicians and add their own flourish to the music, especially guitarist Carmen Vandenburg, who only recently joined the line-up in April.

During a short interlude, Camila Grey played a solo keyboard instrumental that wasn’t included on the set list..

Jesse Tobias, who has been Morrissey’s principal musical collaborator since joining the touring band in 2004 is still driving the musical impetus. (Tobias replaced previous partners Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer, Morrissey’s talented tunesmiths from 1991).

Tobias co-wrote three of Morrissey’s chart-topping songs, You Have Killed Me, In The Future When All’s Well, and All You Need Is Me, although they weren’t included in the State Theatre set list.

Morrissey performed only one song, Darling I Hug A Pillow, from his most recent album, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain (2020). He also included Sure Enough The Telephone Rings from the mysteriously withheld Bonfire Of Teenagers album (co-written with the afore-mentioned Jesse Tobias), originally scheduled for release in February 2023.

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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Morrissey claims the release of the album (which included collaborations with Iggy Pop, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Miley Cyrus) was deliberately sabotaged by Capitol Records, to which he signed a new recording contract in October 2022 (including the rights to re-release a number of his more successful solo albums), after he was suddenly dropped earlier that month by BMG.

Within two months of signing the new deal, Morrissey’s relationship with Capitol also soured and they parted ways. In October this year he disclosed he was “tortured” by the mega-company’s decision to withhold Bonfire Of Teenagers and revealed that Capitol has since offered to sell him back his album for an undisclosed sum.

A similar debacle surrounded World Peace Is None Of Your Business in August 2014 after Morrissey and Harvest (owned by Capitol) parted ways just weeks after the album’s release. It led to his signing an ill-fated deal with BMG….

Many Sydney fans were anxious Morrissey would not appear at the State Theatre, given that several dates on this retrospective 40th anniversary tour have been suddenly cancelled, including: four in South East Asia; the 1 December show at Perth Concert Hall; and the 14 December show at Auckland – the latter attributed to ‘logistical reasons’.

There’s a website that keeps a record of Morrissey’s many cancelled concerts (for which he has an unenviable reputation!), including jumping ship from a tour supporting David Bowie after just nine shows in November 1995, which allegedly ended their friendship.

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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Although, to be fair, some of the cancellations were due to ailments or things beyond his control, such as a dengue fever outbreak in Mexico in September 2023, the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic (2020-21), and his contracting double pneumonia in March 2013.

Before introducing The Smiths’ number, How Soon Is Now?, Morrissey declared, “the lyrics to this next song are pertinent now than they were 40 years ago!” Then began the iconic guitar slide leading into the catchy sing-along chorus, “You shut your mouth! How can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does.”

Morrissey has a new album in the wings, Without Music The World Dies, scheduled for imminent release – if a distributor takes on the commitment. It’s not known whether Bonfire Of Teenagers will see the light of day and the compositions performed for fans.

Sydney’s State Theatre concert on 10 Dec finished with a rousing finale of The Smiths’ classic, Sweet And Tender Hooligan, with the audience singing, “Don’t blame the sweet and tender hooligan, because he’ll never, never, never do it again, not until the next time…”

Given some of the controversies that have bedevilled Steven Morrisey’s interesting-but-turbulent four decades’ long career, including a varied mix of provocative opinions and questionable political associations, the words are perhaps a fitting analogy of his life – and why his fans love him.

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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Morrissey, set list,
State Theatre, Sydney, 10 Dec 2023

We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
Suedehead
Alma Matters
Our Frank
I Wish You Lonely
Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before  (The Smiths song)
Irish Blood, English Heart
How Soon Is Now?  (The Smiths song)
Girlfriend in a Coma  (The Smiths song)
Let Me Kiss You
Half a Person  (The Smiths song)
Speedway
Sure Enough, the Telephone Rings
Darling, I Hug a Pillow
The Loop
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want  (The Smiths song)
Every Day Is Like Sunday
Jack the Ripper

Encore:

Sweet and Tender Hooligan  (The Smiths song)

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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Check out Alec Smart’s (@alecsmart_fotos) full gallery of this show HERE

Follow MORRISSEY
Website – Instagram – Facebook

Follow THE SMITHS
Website – Facebook

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Morrissey, State Theatre, City, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, Sunday 10 December 2023

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Press release 8th August 2023 – below HERE

40 YEARS OF MORRISSEY

Australian Tour Dates
announced

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AMNPLIFY – DB