MORRISSEY, THE LAST ONE?

«Morrissey says 'there is no need for me to say goodbye' as he plays 'final' UK gig in London
Former Smiths singer has said there is no point touring if he can't get a record deal

MARK BEAUMONT, 22ND SEPTEMBER 2015

Morrissey closed what he has claimed will be his last ever UK show last night (September 21) by telling the avid crowd "our UK days conclude, but there is no need for me to say goodbye because we will all be close for the rest of our days".

During the gig Morrissey commented on US police brutality, but he did not pass comment on lurid allegations made against PM David Cameron in the press, saving that for a statement published online after the gig. 

Accompanied by a band dressed in uniform shirts and braces, Morrissey opened with an a cappella line from 'Always On My Mind' – "If I made you feel second best, I'm so sorry I was blind" – before launching into a cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘You’ll Be Gone’. The set developed into an array of fan-friendly rarities, including 1992 B-side ‘Let The Right One Slip In’, non-album single ‘Boxers’ and 2006 B-side ‘Ganglord’, accompanied by footage of police brutality after which Morrissey intoned “American Taliban”.

The Smiths’ ‘Meat Is Murder’ came with hard-hitting abattoir footage, but the set had playful moments, too, including the band changing places for the coda of ‘Speedway’ so that Morrissey was tapping a tambourine at a keyboard stand while multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Manzur sang in Spanish.

Asking the crowd where he could buy vegan Wagon Wheels, Morrissey seemed in upbeat mood for his final UK show, leaving the stage after ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’, during which members of the audience crowdsurfed to the front to touch him, declaring “I love you! I love you! I love you!” He returned in a sparkly green shirt to announce “our UK days conclude but there is no need for me to say goodbye because we will all be close for the rest of our days” before a final ‘The Queen Is Dead’.

Morrissey played:

'You’ll Be Gone'
'Let The Right One Slip In'
'Suedehead'
'Speedway'
'Ganglord'
'Boxers'
'World Peace Is None Of Your Business'
'Kiss Me A Lot'
'Staircase At The University'
'Alma Matters'
'Will Never Marry'
'My Dearest Love'
'The Bullfighter Dies'
'The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores'
'Oboe Concerto'
'Meat Is Murder'
'Now My Heart Is Full'
'Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed'
'I Will See You In Far-Off Places'
'Everyday Is Like Sunday'
'The Queen Is Dead'»