"of all, he was sincere"", with his music being ""so intoxicatingly melancholic, so dangerously thoughtful, so seductively funny that it lured its listeners... into a relationship with him and his music instead of the world."" In an academic paper on the band, Julian Stringer characterised the Smiths as ""one of Britain's most overtly political groups"", while in his study of their work, Andrew Warns termed them ""this most anti-capitalist of bands"". Core lineup Other members Studio albums The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. The band consisted of vocalist Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr,"
"the demo recording to Factory Records, but they weren't interested. In late summer 1982, Mike Joyce was adopted as the band's drummer after a successful audition. In October 1982 they then gave their first public performance, as a support act for Blue Rondo à la Turk at Manchester's The Ritz. Hibbert however was unhappy with what he perceived as the band's gay aesthetic; in turn, Morrissey and Marr were unhappy with his bass playing, and so he was removed from the band and replaced by Marr's old school friend Andy Rourke. After the record company EMI turned them down, Morrissey"
"rock and post-punk, were a rejection of the then-popular, synthesiser-based dance-pop. Marr's guitar work, using a Rickenbacker, had a jangle pop sound reminiscent of Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. Morrissey's complex, literate lyrics combined themes about ordinary people with mordant humour. On 31 August 1978, a 19-year-old Morrissey was briefly introduced to the 14-year-old Johnny Marr by mutual acquaintances Billy Duffy and Howard Bates at a Patti Smith gig held at Manchester's Apollo Theatre. In May 1982 Marr decided that he wanted to establish a new band, and subsequently turned up on the doorstep of Morrissey's house – 384 Kings"
"Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce as backing musicians reached No. 27 on the UK Singles Chart. Morrissey and Marr wrote ""Hand in Glove"" in January 1983, between the second and third concerts the Smiths ever played. Morrissey said that after Marr gave him a demo cassette of the song, he went home and wrote lyrics for it in the span of two hours, conscious of the fact that it would be the group's first recorded work. Even prior to performing the song live, the group was unanimous in the opinion that ""Hand in Glove"" was their strongest song to date."
"John Mole, Clive Chaman, John McKenzie, Joe Hubbard, Trevor Barry, and Pete Jacobsen, John Critchinson, Martin Blackwell, Geoff Castle, and John Burch (with whom Dick Morrissey would formed an octet in 1984). Although members of the band had included two session musicians from New Zealand, Frank Gibson, Jr. on drums and Bruce Lynch on bass, the band was also a springboard for a generation of young British musicians, including Chris Fletcher on percussion, Gary Husband on drums, Rob Burns on bass, Claire Hamill and Carol Kenyon on vocals (both on whom appeared with Dick Morrissey on the 1981 Jon &"
"Manchester's punk rock scene during the late 1970s, he fronted the Nosebleeds, with little success. Beginning a career in music journalism, he authored several books on music and film in the early 1980s. With Johnny Marr he formed the Smiths in 1982, soon attracting national recognition for their eponymous debut album. As the band's frontman, Morrissey attracted attention for his baritone voice, witty and sardonic lyrics, and idiosyncratic appearance; deliberately avoiding rock machismo, he cultivated the aesthetic of a social outsider who eschewed drugs and embraced celibacy. The Smiths released three further studio albums—""Meat Is Murder"", ""The Queen Is Dead"","
"as the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, the Charlatans, the Inspiral Carpets and James mixed alternative rock, psychedelic rock and dance music to create a sound which led to commercial success in the indie rock field and a wider musical influence nationally. The '90s brought forth arguably Manchester's most popular band, Oasis. The Chemical Brothers (from Southern England) formed in Manchester. Also, ex-Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown has forged a successful solo career, as has ex-Smiths' leadman Morrissey. Among the others born in the Manchester area are Richard Ashcroft, front man of alternative rock group the Verve, and Jay Kay, the"
"the Pretenders (appearing on some of the tracks on 1994's ""Last of the Independents""); Killing Joke, Badly Drawn Boy (with whom Rourke toured for two years), Aziz Ibrahim (formerly of the Stone Roses), and ex-Oasis guitarist Bonehead as Moondog One, which also included Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon. Rourke also played bass for Ian Brown, both on tour and on Brown's album ""The World Is Yours"". In March 1996, Rourke and Mike Joyce started legal proceedings against Morrissey and Marr over royalties. While Joyce continued with the action, Rourke settled out of court for £83,000. Having spent the settlement Rourke"
"Merrymouth Merrymouth was a folk-influenced rock band which featured Ocean Colour Scene songwriter and vocalist Simon Fowler (guitar/vocals), Dan Sealey (guitar/piano/vocals), Mike McNamara (Bass/Piano/Organ/Guitar/Percussion) and later Adam Barry (piano/organ/accordion/harmonica/vocals). Merrymouth released their debut album as Simon Fowlers Merrymouth on 26 March 2012. Recorded at Gospel Oak Studio, Warwickshire, they were joined in the studio by award winning folk musicians John McCusker and Andy Cutting. They toured the album throughout 2012 and 2013, and performed at BBC Radio 2’s CarFest for champion of the band Chris Evans, The Mosely Folk Festival, and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Founding Merrymouth bassist/songwriter Mike McNamara"
"summer of 1972, the band had to come off the road in the middle of a US tour when Dick Morrissey was admitted to hospital for major surgery. As a result of the break-up, the band members went off to work on other projects. Consisting of essentially two clearly defined line-ups, as well as an intermediate, transitional one, the original band had a heavier leaning towards jazz, and was formed by Dick Morrissey, on tenor sax and flute, and Terry Smith on guitars, both ""Melody Maker"" award-winning British jazz musicians who had played together in US soul singer J.J. Jackson's"
"The Freshies, led by Chris Sievey (Frank Sidebottom). At the same time, and out of the same post-punk of Joy Division combining rock, pop, and dance music to earn much critical acclaim while selling millions of records. The group that would ultimately become the definitive Manchester group of the 1980s was The Smiths, led by Morrissey and Marr. With songs like ""Rusholme Ruffians"" and ""Suffer Little Children"", Morrissey sang explicitly about Manchester, creating songs that are as iconic of Manchester as the paintings of L.S. Lowry. As the 1980s drew to a close, a new energy arrived in Manchester fueled"
"of the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan of T. Rex, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and John McGeoch of Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees. In a 2007 interview for the BBC, Marr reported that with the Smiths his goal was to ""pare down"" his style and avoid rock guitar clichés. Marr forbid himself from using power chords, distortion, lengthy solos, or ""big rock chord changes"", instead relying on sophisticated arpeggios to create his signature chiming guitar work for the band. Morrissey's role was to create vocal melodies and lyrics. Morrissey's songwriting was influenced by punk rock and post-punk"
"Depeche Mode Depeche Mode (, or ) are an English electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980, when Dave Gahan joined an existing duo consisting of Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher. The group currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar and chief songwriting), and Andy Fletcher (keyboards). Depeche Mode released their debut album ""Speak & Spell"" in 1981, bringing the band onto the British new wave scene. Clarke left after the release of the album; they recorded ""A Broken Frame"" as a trio. Gore took over as primary songwriter and, later in 1982,"
"Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer, songwriter and author. He came to prominence as the frontman of the Smiths, a rock band active from 1982 to 1987. Since then, Morrissey has had a solo career, making the top ten of the UK Singles Chart on ten occasions and reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart thrice. Born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, to a working-class Irish migrant family, Morrissey grew up in Manchester. As a child he developed a love of literature, kitchen sink realism, and pop music. Involved in"
"Q Awards Rober Awards Music Poll Current members Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer, songwriter and author. He came to prominence as the frontman of the Smiths, a rock band active from 1982 to 1987. Since then, Morrissey has had a solo career, making the top ten of the UK Singles Chart on ten occasions and reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart thrice. Born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, to a working-class Irish migrant family, Morrissey grew up in Manchester. As a child he developed a love of literature,"
"to accommodate Morrissey's vocal range, and also used open tunings and is known for creating arpeggio melodies and (sometimes) unusual chord progressions and makes wide use of open strings while chording to create chiming. Citing producer Phil Spector as an influence, Marr said, ""I like the idea of records, even those with plenty of space, that sound 'symphonic'. I like the idea of all the players merging into one atmosphere"". Marr's other favourite guitarists are James Williamson of the Stooges, Rory Gallagher, Pete Townshend of the Who, Nile Rodgers, Jimi Hendrix and John McGeoch of Magazine and Siouxsie and the"
"Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian ""Lemmy"" Kilmister, who was the sole constant member, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. The band are often considered a precursor to the new wave of British heavy metal, which re-energised heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Though several guitarists and drummers have played in Motörhead, most of their best-selling albums and singles feature the work of ""Fast"" Eddie Clarke on guitar and Phil ""Philthy Animal"" Taylor on drums. Motörhead released 22 studio albums, 10 live recordings, 12"
"Freebass Freebass were an English rock supergroup consisting of, originally, three bassists Andy Rourke (formerly of The Smiths), Peter Hook (formerly of Joy Division & New Order) and Gary ""Mani"" Mounfield (of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream) and singer Gary Briggs (formerly of Haven).<ref name=""BBC6Music19/02/2008"">Hooky's leading man </ref> Rourke subsequently left the line-up. The band's sound has been described as ""a heady mix of modern rock, dub, and Northern soul."" The idea to form a band centralised around three bass players came out on a drunken night, and was started by Hook and Mani as ""a reaction because our"
"by Michio Kaku, ""The 12th Planet"" by Zecharia Sitchin, ""Rule by Secrecy"" by Jim Marrs and ""Trance Formation of America"" by Cathy O'Brien. Studio albums Muse (band) Muse are an English rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of Matt Bellamy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Dominic Howard (drums). Muse signed to Maverick Records and released their debut album, ""Showbiz"", in 1999, showcasing Bellamy's falsetto and a melancholic alternative rock style. Their second album, ""Origin of Symmetry"" (2001), incorporated wider instrumentation and romantic classical influences, and earned them a reputation"
"early 1980s. Manchester was transformed by The Smiths, through Morrissey's lyrics into a place of epic romance as part of a critique of the hard northern working class life under Thatcher. The Indie scene was diverse and contained bands such as The Cocteau Twins, The Fall and The Jesus and Mary Chain. By 1986, The Smiths had become one of Britain's most established band's, a record deal with label EMI had been agreed and they began to play larger and larger venues in the U.S. However, this brought its own pressures and eventually this contributed to The Smiths splitting in"
"Manchester), guitar; Derek Quinn (born 24 May 1942, Didsbury, Manchester), guitar and harmonica; Peter Birrell (born 9 May 1941, Wythenshawe, Manchester), bass; and Bernie Dwyer (11 September 1940, West Didsbury, Manchester – 4 December 2002, Cheadle, Cheshire), drums. Although the band was grouped as a part of the Merseybeat sound phenomenon that the Beatles exploded around the world in the wake of Beatlemania, they came from Manchester. Prior to becoming a singer, Garrity had worked as a milkman in Manchester. They had four Top 10 UK hits: a cover of James Ray's hit ""If You Gotta Make a Fool of"
"on the pledgemusic.com website. The album was produced and mixed by Youth, who also co-wrote three of the tracks and played ""additional bass"" on it. It was the band's first UK Top 40 album entry since 1999. <br> vinny jamieson 1999 -2003 Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer. Their 1980 debut album, ""Crocodiles"", went into the top 20"
"the band's existence (1982–87). Immediately after the break-up of the band, Joyce and Smiths bassist Andy Rourke played with Sinéad O'Connor. They, along with Craig Gannon, also provided the rhythm section for two singles by Smiths' singer Morrissey – ""Interesting Drug"" and ""The Last of the Famous International Playboys"" and their B-sides. Work with Suede, Buzzcocks, Public Image Limited, Julian Cope, P. P. Arnold and Pete Wylie followed throughout the 1990s. Joyce, Rourke, and Gannon reunited to work on a project with fellow Manchester musician Aziz Ibrahim (formerly of The Stone Roses and Simply Red), ex-Oasis guitarist Bonehead (as Moondog"
"Simon Wolstencroft Simon John Wolstencroft (born 19 January 1963 in Altrincham, Cheshire) is an English rock drummer, known for playing with the Fall from 1986 to 1997. Wolstencroft was a member of the Patrol, an early incarnation of the Stone Roses, with childhood friends Ian Brown and John Squire. He was also the drummer for Freak Party which featured Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke. In ""Songs That Saved Your Life"", Marr states that Wolstencroft declined to join the then upcoming the Smiths as he did not like Morrissey's voice. In his subsequent memoir ""Set The Boy Free"", Marr states that"
"rose to fame), which also includes The Smiths' Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke. In 2004, Arthurs teamed up with Sek Loso to play rhythm guitar alongside Loso's new English bandmates. The group toured Asia, Europe, and the US in search of a label deal. In early 2007, Arthurs had a visible presence in the North West of England for the first time since leaving Oasis eight years previously. His support for Andy Rourke's Versus Cancer fundraising concert saw the pair busking together in Manchester's Cathedral Gardens to raise cancer awareness and to fund raise for Manchester's Christie Hospital. On 30"
"the same bands. The next day, Morrissey phoned Marr to confirm that he would be interested in forming a band with him. A few days later, Morrissey and Marr held their first rehearsal in Marr's rented attic room in Bowdon. Morrissey provided the lyrics for ""Don't Blow Your Own Horn"", the first song that they worked on; however, they decided against retaining the song, with Marr commenting that ""neither of us liked it very much"". The next song that they worked on was ""The Hand That Rocks the Cradle"", which again was based on lyrics produced by Morrissey. Marr included"
"singer Mike Starrs, keyboardist Don Airey and bassist Neil Murray. The band was oriented toward jazz fusion, much of which was driven by the guitar work of Moore, leading to a much heavier sound than the original Colosseum. After disappointing sales of their first album, ""Strange New Flesh"", Murray left and Starrs was sacked in July 1976. They continued with a new record label and a new bass player, John Mole, and recorded two further, largely instrumental, but still commercially unsuccessful albums. They also performed on ""Variations"" with Andrew Lloyd Webber, which also featured Julian Lloyd Webber on cello, Rod"
"to avoid any confusion. Their name comes from the song ""Root Doctor"" which was recorded by Buddy Ace. Two of the founding members were Freddie Cunningham and James Williams. Cunningham is from the Lansing area and grew up there. In those years it was a hard time for blues singers as Motown was the in thing. Williams is the brother of Lamar Williams who was the bass player in The Allman Brothers and Sea Level. By 2005, the group was in its 16th year of the group's existence. Freddie Cunningham and James Williams had been there right from the beginning."
"right now Morrissey is doing his thing and I'm doing mine, so that's the answer really."" This suggested a change of heart, given that Marr had previously said reforming the band would be a bad idea. In 2008, Marr resumed contact with Morrissey and Rourke while working on the remastering of the band's catalog. That September, Morrissey and Marr met at a pub in Manchester, and discussed the possibility of reforming the band. The two kept in contact over the next four days to further discuss the topic, and decided to exclude Mike Joyce from any prospective reunion and to"
"have the utmost respect for him as a person and musician. Have none of you ever fallen out with somebody you love?"". Freebass Freebass were an English rock supergroup consisting of, originally, three bassists Andy Rourke (formerly of The Smiths), Peter Hook (formerly of Joy Division & New Order) and Gary ""Mani"" Mounfield (of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream) and singer Gary Briggs (formerly of Haven).<ref name=""BBC6Music19/02/2008"">Hooky's leading man </ref> Rourke subsequently left the line-up. The band's sound has been described as ""a heady mix of modern rock, dub, and Northern soul."" The idea to form a band centralised"
"Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. The band consisted of singer Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a Sex Pistols concert. While their early recordings were heavily influenced by early punk, they soon developed a unique style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. Their self-released 1978 debut EP ""An Ideal for Living"" drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed them to his independent label"
"The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band originating from Manchester. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew ""Matty"" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer George Daniel. The band's origins trace to them attending Wilmslow High School in Cheshire and playing together as teenagers in 2002. Gigs organised by a council worker led the band to formally sign as the 1975. Their choice of name was inspired by a Jack Kerouac beat poetry book. They eventually signed a record deal after their success with Dirty Hit and Polydor Records. Following the"
"years.<br> After gigs around the UK they played in various countries across Europe and in 2012 they toured the US and Canada, including headlining the 'Chaos in Tejas' festival in Austin, Texas. The Mob (British band) The Mob is an English anarcho-punk band, formed in Yeovil, Somerset in the late 1970s. The band's initial line-up consisted of Mark Wilson (vocals, guitar), Curtis Youé (bass guitar) and Graham Fallows (drums). Later drummers included Adie Tompkins, Tim Hutton and Joseph Porter. The Mob disbanded in 1983 and reformed in 2011, playing a number of gigs with the original members. The first was"