Johnny Marr has announced a UK headline tour for April 2024. Beginning at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on 2nd April, the dates will see Johnny perform at some of the UK’s most iconic venues through Spring 2024 – including London’s Eventim Apollo on 12th April, Brighton Dome on 13th April – before closing at Nottingham’s Rock City on 14th April.
Tickets are on general sale HERE from 10am on Friday 27th October; with exclusive presale access from 10am on Wednesday 25th October available to fans who pre-order the album from Johnny’s official store HERE.
The news arrives amidst a buzz of activity celebrating the first ten years of Johnny Marr’s prolific solo career. ‘Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr’, a major new collection curated by Johnny, is set for release on 3rd November via BMG. The album also includes two brand new songs titled ‘Somewhere’ and ‘The Answer’, and a number of unheard demos.
Arriving with immediate anthemic magnetism, ‘Somewhere’ offers an exciting glimpse of a future fan favourite. MOJO described the track as “a glistening beam of choking guitars propelled by an electro-rock pulse”, where CLASH commented on the “unmatched sense of electricity” as the song was added straight to the BBC 6 Music and Radio 2 playlists.
October 17th saw the publication of ‘Marr’s Guitars’, a stunning new photography book, via Thames & Hudson. Following his 2016 autobiography, ‘Set The Boy Free’, Johnny describes ‘Marr’s Guitars’ as “the guitar book for people who wouldn’t usually own a guitar book”. The book offers a portal into the symbiotic relationship between Johnny and the guitars that have informed not just the last decade, but the lifetime evolution of his iconic sound. With personal reflections and insights written by Johnny Marr, foreword written by Hans Zimmer and photographs shot by Pat Graham, each guitar is identified with a crucial moment, a specific song, and each embodies a key aspect of Marr’s lifelong passion for songwriting. The book also features contributions from Noel Gallagher, Bernard Butler and Ed O’Brien.
Two very special homecoming concerts, titled ‘A Night with the Johnny Marr Orchestra’, will take place at Manchester’s Factory International Aviva Studios on 7th and 8th December where, for the first time, Johnny and his band will be joined by a 30-piece orchestra. Led by conductor Fiona Brice, the orchestra has been assembled by Johnny specially for the event and is composed of musicians from across the North. Fans can expect a special set spanning Johnny’s entire 40-year career in what is tipped to be an epic finale to his 2023 live tour. Tickets are on sale HERE.
The shows will follow a busy summer live season packed with festivals, outdoor gigs, and surprise on-stage appearances, most recently including a guest performance with PJ Harvey for a duet of ‘The Desperate Kingdom Of Love’ at Manchester’s Albert Hall, described by the NME as “a pinch-yourself moment”.
September saw Johnny Marr takeover BBC 6 Music as the station’s Artist in Residence, presenting eight new programmes exploring the songs that shaped specific periods of Johnny’s life. Episodes include Influencers, where Marr spotlights the artists who informed his approach to the guitar and songwriting, and North x North West, in which he recalls his time living in Portland, Oregon. The series also sees Johnny take a deep dive into the inspiration behind various The Smiths riffs, demonstrate his deep love of Chic, and share advice for anyone about how to play the guitar. All episodes available to stream on BBC Sounds HERE.
‘Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr’ is released on 3rd November 2023 on heavyweight 2LP, CD and a limited Deluxe 2CD featuring additional material. Independent record shops have a limited gold 2LP while HMV will carry a limited Cobalt blue 2LP. Pre-order HERE. An exclusive limited double picture disc plus merchandise bundles will be available from the official Johnny Marr store, pre-order HERE.
2024 UK Tour Dates:
Tuesday 2nd April – Newcastle, O2 City Hall
Wednesday 3rd April – Glasgow, Barrowlands
Friday 5th April – Leeds, O2 Academy
Saturday 6th April – Liverpool, Olympia
Sunday 7th April – Wolverhampton, Civic Halls
Tuesday 9th April – Cardiff, Great Hall
Wednesday 10th April – Bristol, O2 Academy
Friday 12th April – London, Eventim Apollo
Saturday 13th April – Brighton Dome
Sunday 14th April – Nottingham, Rock City
‘Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr’ – Deluxe 2CD Track Listing:
1. ‘Armatopia’
2. ‘New Town Velocity’
3. ‘Easy Money’
4. ‘Spirit Power & Soul’
5. ‘Hi Hello’
6. ‘Somewhere’
7. ‘The Messenger’
8. ‘I Feel You’
9. ‘The Answer’
10. ‘Dynamo’
11. ‘Spiral Cities’
12. ‘Night And Day’
13. ‘Sensory Street’
14. ‘Walk Into The Sea’
15. ‘Candidate’
16. ‘Tenement Time’
17. ‘Hi Hello’ (Demo)
18. ‘Somewhere’ (Demo)
19. ‘The Answer’ (Crazy F Version)
20. ‘The Messenger’ (Demo)
21. ‘Speak Out Reach Out’ (Crazy F Version)
