Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to bring solo show to Birmingham

The former Smiths axeman and acclaimed solo artist is hitting the road in support of his third full-length album, Call The Comet. He’ll headline Birmingham’s O2 Institute on Monday.

Despite the turbulent times in which we live, with Trump and Brexit dominating the agenda, Johnny has been moved to avoid both.

“I didn’t want them contaminating my creative life. I don’t think those people are deserving of it. They’re not worthy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m hopefully socially aware – but I didn’t want to make an overtly political, preachy record. So it became more about the feeling of the issues, the emotional response . . . I was also reminded that music can be about escapism, and defiance. This record is my defiance.” Johnny famously leads a healthy, anti-rock star life, with regular long- distance runs and a diet designed to keep him in shape. He neither drinks nor smokes and he embraces exercise.

“I think my younger self would have appreciated it. I don’t see it as abstinence, I see it as the opposite – putting my foot down on the pedal. It’s something that gives me more juice, makes me more radical. A middle-aged musician nursing a hangover in his mate’s dressing room is a dead duck.” Johnny also bucks the trend by maintaining a long-term marriage with his beloved wife, Angie. They have been together for more than 30 years and she’s seen him through highs and lows.

“It certainly gave me stability because Angie is very smart and imaginative – she’s kept this whole thing on the road. But yes, more, because she’s as nomadic and restless as I am. It’s not about the dutiful, stable woman waiting at the door while her husband goes off and comes back, and she soothes my soul . . . Angie’s a badass. When we first met, I had this vision of this life as a new modern kind of rock guitar player, and she said: “OK, that sounds good, where do we sign on? Let’s do it!” I always said she made me brave, and she still does.”

Johnny has an unsurpassed pedigree, having co-founded The Smiths and gone on to play in Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse and The Cribs as well as collaborating with everyone from Paul McCartney and Neil Finn to Maxine Peake and Hans Zimmer.

““As a human, I still feel bohemian. That feeling is something I’ve identified with after everything that’s happened in the last couple of years. I’m almost more proud to be a musician now than I ever was.”