Editor’s Note: Luke O’Neil is hosting Morrissey night this evening (January 26) at the Independent in Somerville. And even though we’ve been to more than a few Moz Nights in our day, we’re always eager to hear what kind of distinct personality each fan puts into his or her own parties. So we asked O’Neil about what to expect.
What do you play at something called Morrissey Night?
Or, Everyday is Like Thursday, to be more exact.
Seems obvious, right?
Lots of Morrissey and The Smiths.
And yes, there will be lots of that.
But fortunately, for such an influential musician, there’s a few decades worth of covers — many of which are classics in themselves — as well as lesser known ones to choose from. Not to mention all of the bands that are self-confessed acolytes of our Steven. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Morrissey is perhaps just as well known as being a music fan himself as he is a musician. So that leaves a lot of rich thematic-appropriate material to draw from. Tonight we’ll hear plenty of his favorites — The New York Dolls, T. Rex, Sandie Shaw, Buzzcocks, Nico, Roxy Music — as well as branches off the Moz family tree — Smoking Popes, Belle & Sebastian, Girl In A Coma — and contemporaries like New Order, R.E.M., and Siouxsie.
One band I’m super into right now, and will probably play a few from, are Mexrrissey, a Mexican act who do covers of Smiths and Morrissey songs in a sort of mariachi, Mexican folk style. I will probably not play my own band named after a Morrissey lyric, No Hope/ No Harm, but can’t hurt to work a plug in here!
As for songs you won’t hear… that’s pretty simple. I covered this a while back on my list of the 10 Most Skippable Smiths Songs. (Sorry, no “How Soon Is Now” or “Meat Is Murder”). But here’s what might fill the air this evening at the Independent.
For Luke O'Neil's Morrissey + Smiths playlist on Spotify, click here.
