Capturing the spirit of the legendary Smiths

Replacing an ‘I’ with a ‘Y’, The Smyths come to Monroe’s Live on Sunday, April 15, to pay tribute to an iconic and enduring band.  When The Smiths emerged in the early 1980s, they made a huge impact, fuelled by Johnny Marr’s guitar and Morrissey’s unique lyrics and phrasing.

Graham Sampson is the lead singer with this in-demand UK tribute band, and he recalls the first time he heard The Smiths, when he was a teenager.

“We had a video recorder at home and my friend didn’t,” Graham says. “He used to give me a tape to record certain bands on Top of The Pops. He said ‘there’s a great, great band on tonight called The Smyths. Will you record them for me?’ So I did, and they played This Charming Man. I thought oh, interesting front man. I like that.’”

Fifteen years ago, Graham and The Smyths bass player Simon Hudson decided to start playing the songs of Morrissey and Marr. After a decade working together on original projects, the guys needed a change in direction.

“When the music industry decided that we were too old – this was way back, in the days before Seasick Steve! – we didn’t want to give up on performing,” Graham says. “We started rehearsing. It was just about us wanting to perform live, it wasn’t to join what some people now see as a tribute-band gravy train. It was purely for the passion, to play the music we love, of a band we adore, on a stage where we love being.”

Graham, Simon and their band mates Tom Harris (drums) and Andy Munro (guitar) took to the road and, after some hard graft, tapped into The Smiths’ loyal fan base.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.