Smyths at Islington Academy

The shame about this gig for me was my intended companion had to cry off with a bout of tonsillitis. Leaving me with a fair wait on my own for the Smyths to come on, entertained only by a loop of old Smith clips played on a screen unfurled from the top of the stage

But when they came on, first to perform the Smiths last album, Strangeways Here We Come in full, then later to do a medley of Smiths songs, it was well worth the wait.

The Smyths are basically what the Smiths could have been if they had rehearsed more and Morrissey was a better vocalist. If you like the Smiths you should seriously see the Smyths. They actually sound better than the real thing. And the lead vocalist has such a good voice. He sings things like It's Over (his "torch song" with so much more passion (and ability) than Morrissey. And of course I am old enough to have seen the real thing too. (But I won't pretend that the real Smiths on stage were a more attractive band to see.)

Although I can't imagine Morrissey would have worn white denim....

After the Strangeways half, he decided to return for the second act in something more Morrissey-esqu in the clothing line. Other point to note having listened to this is that while Strangeways has some classic tracks, notably "I started something I couldn't finish" and "stop me", it also has a number of pretty unimpressive ones. I think we all enjoyed the second half more than the first.