When The Smiths broke up in 1987, Johnny Marr was just 24-years-old. After serving a turbulent tenure as the instrumental creative force in one of the most successful indie-rock groups of all time, he had decided to try his hand at something different. During his rise to prominence over the mid-1980s alongside moody frontman Morrisey, Marr had become a close friend of Manchester neighbour Bernard Sumner, the guitarist of Joy Division and later New Order.
The pair first met in 1983 when Sumner was producing two new tracks for Quango Quango, Mike Pickering’s original band. Johnny Marr had also been commissioned to contribute guitar tracks for some of the band’s new songs. The two would later cross paths at the various music venues and studios of Manchester – Marr would even play a number of gigs with The Smiths at the Hacienda club which was founded by Factory Records, Tony Wilson’s famous label that New Order were a key beneficiary of.
In 1987, Marr was ostensibly disillusioned with commitments to a specific band and instead launched into life as a guitar-slinger playing with a range of acts including Kirsty MacColl, Pretenders, Billy Bragg and The The. But by 1988, he had decided that he wanted to settle down in something where he could act more freely on his creative whim. By a stroke of fate, Sumner, too, was seeking a new project following the successful release of New Order’s Technique. He had been on tour a lot in support of the new material and had begun to feel rather burned out. Opting to remain in the studio for a while, he decided to join his friend Marr for a side project away from New Order.
When The Smiths broke up in 1987, Johnny Marr was just 24-years-old. After serving a turbulent tenure as the instrumental creative force in one of the most successful indie-rock groups of all time, he had decided to try his hand at something different. During his rise to prominence over the mid-1980s alongside moody frontman Morrisey, Marr had become a close friend of Manchester neighbour Bernard Sumner, the guitarist of Joy Division and later New Order.
The pair first met in 1983 when Sumner was producing two new tracks for Quango Quango, Mike Pickering’s original band. Johnny Marr had also been commissioned to contribute guitar tracks for some of the band’s new songs. The two would later cross paths at the various music venues and studios of Manchester – Marr would even play a number of gigs with The Smiths at the Hacienda club which was founded by Factory Records, Tony Wilson’s famous label that New Order were a key beneficiary of.
In 1987, Marr was ostensibly disillusioned with commitments to a specific band and instead launched into life as a guitar-slinger playing with a range of acts including Kirsty MacColl, Pretenders, Billy Bragg and The The. But by 1988, he had decided that he wanted to settle down in something where he could act more freely on his creative whim. By a stroke of fate, Sumner, too, was seeking a new project following the successful release of New Order’s Technique. He had been on tour a lot in support of the new material and had begun to feel rather burned out. Opting to remain in the studio for a while, he decided to join his friend Marr for a side project away from New Order.
