Morrissey, Manchester Arena, gig review: 'Still one of pop music's greatest performers'

It was Morrissey's first homecoming show in four years and his only 2016 UK performance

Morrissey in performance (IBL/Rex)

In a year where two of pop's Titans have left, Morrissey – who valiantly plays on despite growing health concerns – arrives in Manchester four years since his last hometown performance. For his only 2016 UK show, it's a typical homecoming: rain pours down in the city as it greets the return of one of its famous sons. Nonetheless, Morrissey is in high spirits when he walks onstage, chanting in Italian and announcing himself as the new Lord Mayor of Manchester before heart-filled renditions of “Suedehead” and “Alma Matters”.

The entrance sets the tone for most of the evening as Morrissey switches between a paling Mancunian dialect and Spanish. He’s never lost in translation, though: romance speaks its own language, and he woos his audience throughout. “Everyday Is Like Sunday” and “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” are delivered movingly, and he appears vulnerable when singing “You Have Killed Me” and the set highlight “Jack The Ripper”.

The setlist draws mostly from recent album World Peace Is None of Your Business and solo B-sides, which on paper looks underwhelming if you’re hoping for Smiths songs. Morrissey and his band sound imperious, and during the set the band are given room to express their talents – whether that be screaming guitar solos on the recent album’s title track, a stripped down arrangement of “Speedway” or a rabble-rousing “What She Said”. Some songs come with soapboxes: The royal family take a pasting on “The World Is Full of Crashing Bores”, Spain’s “shame” is declared through “The Bullfighter Dies” and politicians who start wars condemned on “World Peace”. But the tirades are few and short; Morrissey is charming when playing compere, and overall his mood is a celebratory one.

Full-voiced and sincere throughout, Morrissey is still one of pop music’s greatest performers and plays on when artists of the same breed are becoming a rarity. Seemingly happy and healthy, world peace may still be none of our business, but for the most ardent fans who hang on Moz’s every word, it suits them just fine tonight. After finishing with “Irish Blood, English Heart”, his final words seem like a farewell: “Whatever happens, I love you.”