The Smyths: Stop Them If We've Heard This One Before
- Jan 13, 2009
"Shyness is nice and shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to." Many people dream of getting up onstage and prancing around like Morrissey, but most are too bashful and are consigned to SingStar in the safe haven of their living rooms. Lots of Smiths fans hold delusionary wishes of a reunion and head to Mozza's solo sets hoping for a smattering of his former band's hits. The Smyths go out every night and not only dress up as their heroes, but sound like them too.
As tribute acts go, they are quite a draw. Scores of bands struggle to sell out venues such as the Islington Academy, but The Smyths manage it, with punters paying £10 a piece too. It's clear why as soon as they enter the stage ⓠthe singer looks and sounds more like Morrissey than Morrissey does these days. The flailing arms, the darling pomposity and, most importantly, the carving, cavernous voice are all here. Bigmouth Strikes Again sounds spot on, while William, It Was Really Nothing rarely sounds less than something.
The rest of the band don't fit their characters so snugly, but are competent at filling the sizeable shoes of Rourke and co. It is Johnny Marr's distinguishing guitar that is most difficult to reproduce, but it's managed manfully except on the considerable challenges of How Soon Is Now and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. Nevertheless, everybody knows every syllable and is determined to pretend they have just walked into Salford Lads' Club. It's a raucous but friendly crowd, tipsy and jolly, empathising with rather than adoring the men onstage.
Still, that distinctive feeling just before a band takes to the spotlight is absent. It's the spark of uncertainty that flutters around dimly-lit venues around the world, in those fleeting moments of anticipation. Will they be any good? Can the singer be bothered tonight? Are they worth the hype? A cover band doesn't trigger this indistinct nervousness â“ you know what you are going to get. However, it's big business; the likes of The Bootleg Beatles, Guns 2 Roses and Bjorn Again are bigger than most original acts.
It's a desire to share something loved, rather than find something new, which drives this peculiar niche. This is the same feeling that has placed Mamma Mia in one in four households in the UK and allowed Bruce Forsyth to continue presenting prime time television despite being older than the jokes he recycles. When The Smyths ask Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, nobody even considers it.
