Johnny Marr has announced he will play two special shows in Manchester this year to mark ten years of independence away from The Smiths.
Known for crafting a generation-defining guitar sound with The Smiths, Marr has carved out an equally impressive solo career, bringing his masterful playing to a new generation of indie rock fans.
The former Smiths guitarist will play a two-night residency at Aviva Studios inside Factory International on 6 and 7 December alongside a 30-piece orchestra.
For the first time, Johnny Marr and his band will be joined by a 30-piece orchestra for an expansive celebration of the last decade of Johnny’s solo body of work – 10 prolific years since the release of his 2013 debut solo album, The Messenger.
Led by conductor Fiona Brice, the orchestra has been assembled by Johnny Marr specially for the event and is composed of musicians from across the North.
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Image: Johnny Marr
Image: Johnny Marr
Fans can expect to hear songs from across Johnny’s revered catalogue in what is set to be an emotional and epic finale to Johnny Marr’s 2023 live performances.
Johnny Marr left The Smiths in June 1987 and, according to sources at the time, auditions to find a replacement for him proved fruitless.
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Shortly after Marr left, The Smiths would release their final full-length studio release Strangeways, Here We Come with label Rough Trade.
Over the years, despite no longer being band mates, Morrissey and Johnny Marr would continue to have their spats – leading The Telegraphto describe them as “the two bards of Eighties bedroom melodrama” in a recent article.
Last year, Marr also told Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 that there was “zero” chance for him to resume any sort of relationship with Morrissey, be that personal or professional – adding that the last time the pair spoke was maybe 18 years ago.
This is despite Morrissey warning Marr to ‘leave him out of interview’, via an open letter that appeared on his website.
“The fact is: you don’t know me,” the open letter from Morrissey to Marr read.
It continued: “You know nothing of my life, my intentions, my thoughts, my feelings. Yet you talk as if you were my personal psychiatrist with consistent and uninterrupted access to my instincts.”
In 2022, Marr released his fourth solo album Fever Dreams Pts. 1–4 to widespread critical acclaim, before touring with the likes of Blondie and The Killers. Now, he brings his live show back to where it all began – right here in Manchester.
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For this special performance at Aviva Studios, Marr is joined on stage by some of the best classical musicians from across Manchester. Together, they’ll reinterpret Marr’s mightily impressive catalogue in A Night with the Johnny Marr Orchestra.
Tickets are available to buy now with standard tickets priced at £45, as well as affordable options from £22.50 and £10. To find out more, click here.
Featured image – Factory International
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Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Georgina Pellant -
12th September 2023 
