The Smiths

The Smiths are an English rock band from Manchester, active from 1982 to 1987. The line-up includes Morrissey on vocals, Johnny Marr on guitar, Andy Rourke on bass and Mike Joyce on drums, with Dale Hibbert and later Craig Gannon also appearing in the group’s history. Morrissey and Marr form the band’s central songwriting partnership.

Formation and early years

The band forms in Manchester in 1982, after Morrissey and Marr begin working together on songs such as “Don’t Blow Your Own Horn,” “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” and “Suffer Little Children.” Their early recordings are made on Marr’s four-track cassette machine, and the group’s first demo session takes place at Decibel Studios in August 1982. Hibbert plays bass on the first recordings, but Mike Joyce later joins on drums and Andy Rourke replaces Hibbert on bass. The Smiths give their first public performance in October 1982 at Manchester’s Ritz as support to Blue Rondo à la Turk, and later play at the Haçienda in early 1983.

Style and significance

The Smiths are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from 1980s British independent music. Their sound centres on guitar, bass and drums, and combines 1960s rock with post-punk while rejecting the synth-pop that dominates the period. Their work is associated with alternative rock, britpop, indie pop, indie rock, jangle pop and new wave.

Recordings and chart success

The band signs to Rough Trade Records in 1983 and releases its debut album, The Smiths, in 1984. All of the group’s studio albums reach the top five of the UK Albums Chart. Meat Is Murder becomes a number-one album in 1985, while The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) both enter the top 20 of the European Albums Chart. Several singles also reach the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.

Line-up changes and split

In 1986, the Smiths briefly expand to a five-piece with guitarist Craig Gannon. Internal tensions lead to the band’s breakup in 1987. The split is followed by widely publicised disputes over royalties, and the members repeatedly turn down offers to reunite. Bassist Andy Rourke dies in 2023.