Morrissey Tickets

Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in British pop, as well as one of the best lyricists of his generation, Morrissey has thirteen solo studio albums, a string of No.1 records and an Ivor Nostello award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music to his name. Both as a member of the Smiths and as a solo act he has had an undeniably massive effect on British music, and on our idea of what a pop star looks like.

Born to Irish parents who emigrated to Manchester, Steven Patrick Morrissey grew up idolising Oscar Wilde, hating school, and obsessing over pop music. Artists such as David Bowie, New York Dolls and Dusty Springfield were some of his most important early influences. Having rattled through a series of jobs he didn’t much care for, at 24 he became the vocalist for the Nosebleeds, recruited by guitarist Billy Duffy who later went on to form the Cult. The Nosebleeds disbanded quickly, and Morrissey and Duffy both joined punk rock band Slaughter & the Dogs. After a failed record deal audition, Morrissey left the band, who went on to become Studio Sweethearts.

Things changed in 1982, however, when guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr turned up on Morrissey’s doorstep to ask if he wanted to cofound a band. It didn’t matter that Morrissey was a decade older than Marr – the two got on “absolutely famously”, according to Morrissey. Also joined by bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce to form the Smiths, they pitched demos unsuccessfully for a while, eventually releasing ‘Hand In Glove’ with Rough Trade Records.

Although their debut single was met with little success, following singles ‘This Charming Man’ and ‘What Difference Does It Make?’ charted and began to earn the Smiths an audience. When their debut album The Smiths dropped in 1984, it reached No.2 on the UK Albums Chart. The band and particularly Morrissey began to receive attention for the way in which they deliberately challenged established norms of gender, sexuality and masculinity in their music, live shows, appearances and even cover art.

In early 1985 the band released their second album, Meat Is Murder, which went to No.1. On the back of the record they set off on a long UK and US tour, whilst working at the same time on their third album, The Queen Is Dead. Around this time, Craig Gannon joined the band on rhythm guitar. Gannon played with the band during their 1986 UK tour but left at the tour’s end.

Frustrated with album delays, the band switched labels to release their fourth and final album Strangeways, Here We Come, which again reached No.2. They had already split by its release, Morrissey was hard at work on a solo career. His first single as a solo act, ‘Suedehead’, reached No.5 on the British singles chart, whilst his debut album, Viva Hate, hit No.1. An outspoken critic of Thatcher, he included a track about her imagined execution, speculation about which by political figures led to his home being searched by the police.

Compilation album Bona Drag followed in 1990, before Morrissey got to work on his second studio album, Kill Uncle. He followed this with an international tour. In 1992, Your Arsenal arrived, a critique of the Americanisation of British culture. This was followed in 1993 by Vauxhall and I, which Morrissey considered his greatest work. It topped the album charts and was highly lauded by critics. Morrissey changed record labels in 1995 to release album Southpark Grammar, and again in 1997 to released Maladjusted. After headlining Coachella in 1998, he embarked on a break from his intense album release schedule.

Relocating to Los Angeles, Morrissey flew under the radar for a few years, before setting off an a world tour in 2002 and starring in a Channel 4 documentary called The Importance of Being Morrissey. He returned to the studio in 2003, releasing You Are The Quarry the next year, which prompted yet another world tour. Ringleader of the Tormentors, his eighth studio album, and Years of Refusal, his ninth, arrived in 2006 and 2009 respectively, with a greatest hits album sandwiched in-between.

Back on the road in 2012 and 2013, he recorded his 2013 concert at Hollywood High School for a world-wide cinematic release in celebration of his 25th year as a solo artist. 2013 was also the year that he released his autobiography, handily titled Autobiography. Following the released of his tenth studio album, World Peace Is None of Your Business, he turned to writing again, this time publishing a fiction book entitled List of the Lost. His twelfth album, Love In High School, arrived in 2017, before a covers album, California Son, landed in 2019.

In 2020, Morrissey released his thirteenth studio album, I Am Not A Dog on a Chain.