Johnny Marr’s June album Call The Comet holds up as a masterclass in guitar-rock songwriting, an AOTY contender that finds the former Smiths guitarist flexing his musical muscle. But perhaps just as impressive as the LP’s endless line of standout tracks (“The Tracers”, “Hi Hello”, and “Spiral Cities” are our Vanyaland faves) is the fact that Marr has even more in the tank.
On Monday (September 24), Marr unveiled a devilish new track called “Jeopardy,” which previously was only available as a vinyl b-side. This latest cut surfaces just as Marr kicks off a North American tour that lands at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on October 21. The show is sold out — and for good reason; not only has Morrissey’s recent escapades made Marr the more admirable Smithsian face of our nostalgia-loving bodies, but Call The Comet might be the best work either have done in at least a decade’s time (and we really liked Marr’s 2014 banger “Easy Money”).
“Call The Comet is my own magic realism,” he says of the LP. “It’s set in the not-too-distant future and is mostly concerned with the idea of an alternative society. The characters in the songs are searching for a new idealism, although there are some personal songs in there too. It’s something that people like me can relate to.”
Word to that. Listen to “Jeopardy” below, and scan through all of Marr’s North American dates.
Featured image by Niall Lea.
Johnny Marr 2018 North American Tour
September 21 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
September 22 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
September 24 — Santa Cruz, CA @The Catalyst
September 25 — Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater
September 26 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
September 28 — Sonoma, CA @ Old Redwood Barn
September 30 — Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
October 2 — Mexico City, Mexico @ Plaza Condesa
October 4 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Theater At Ace Hotel
October 8 — San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
October 9 — Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
October 10 — Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room & Garage
October 11 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
October 13 — Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
October 15 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
October 16 — Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
October 17 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
October 19 — Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix
October 20 — Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
October 21 — Boston, MA @ The Paradise
October 22 — Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
