LIVE
JOHNNY MARR
Aviva Studios, Manchester, December 7
Smiths legend launches Manchester’s newest venue with an orchestral flourish
Starting something:
Johnny Marr, band and orchestra celebrate “a historic night”
PATGRAHAM
“WE’RE all part of history,” declares Johnny Marr, standing on the stage of The Warehouse in Aviva Studios with the full might of an orchestra behind him for the first time. It’s amilestone moment, with one of Manchester’s most beloved artists having been selected to open the city’s brandnew arts hub –which, at acost of £242m, is the UK’s biggest cultural investment since the opening of Tate Modern in 2000.
The Warehouse is not necessarily the kind of space you’d expect to find an orchestra. There’s no grand, elegant design, no tiers of balconies, no plush seating (that’s all to be found in the theatre-style Hall next door). Instead, this is acavernous, 5,000-capacity black box designed for maximum versatility. The space feels like it needs alittle warming up; as Marr and co take to the stage, the response is more cordial than ecstatic. His 2019 song “Armatopia” teems with infectious hooks as strings replace the prominent synth lines of the recorded version, although the steady thud of the drums drowns out some of the detailed orchestral nuances taking shape.