Morrisey Live Review - Leeds Arena March 2015

Morrissey Leeds Arena 20/3/15

It’s no secret, I am a tad Mozza obsessed, long confirmed and loyal. Despite this I am not afraid to call out Stephen Patrick when I feel at times his personal circumstances meant that set lists were full of the more morose and plodding b-sides and album tracks, singularly fine, but back to back dull.

For his first visit to this arena we welcome an almost celebratory Moz, his intro video as eclectic as ever, Edit Sitwell, James Cagney, Nico, of course the New York Dolls and touchingly, Fade to Grey by Visage in tribute to the recently departed Steve Strange.

Against a back drop of the Queen giving her subjects the bird, Morrissey delivered a killer double head of The Queen is Dead and Suedehead, to the sheer delight of his adoring crowd.

His most recent album, World Peace is None of your Business gained critical and commercial success and is represented here by a seven of its tracks, I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris very nearly seeing the girl in front of me throw herself of the balcony as she ably acted out its refrain.

Oh how I wish I were in the thronging mass as Trouble Loves Me plays “Show me a barrel and watch me scrape it / Faced with the music as always I'll face it / In the half-light / So English....frowning / Then at midnight, I
Cant get you of my head”. Circumstances dictate that I am, albeit gratefully, in the seats for the first time ever watching Moz.

Irish Blood comes perfectly timed as we teeter on the verge of another election. Though I have, in my past been quite active politically, I am now as dissatisfied as ever and remain as anti-royalist and so I stand and bellow every word like it WILL make a difference.

Morriseys heritage is well represented as always and like the rest of the set find him in extremely good voice, his band very ably led by long term collaborator and musical director Boz Boorer.  As well as Queen is Dead we delight in What She Said / Rubber Ring, Stop Me, and Meat Is Murder. The latter accompanied by a truly horrific film in case the ban on meat products being sold around this arena hadn’t got the message across.

First of the Gang To Die closes and is the key for Matt Walker to quite half heartedly trash his drum set. Need to practice that a bit Matt.

2015 finds Morrissey in good voice and with a very tight band behind him with the recent addition of Mondo Lopez on bass. Further excursions into castanets and flamenco seem possible, with an appearance on Alan Carr imminent, don’t rule out a Strictly appearance just yet… “Stephen Patrick will dance the pasodoble”