Rhino Factoids: The Smiths’ London Debut

34 years ago today, The Smiths performed their first concert in London.

When Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Mike Joyce, and Andy Rourke took the stage of the Rockgarden, it’s hard to say what the assembled crowd was expecting, since the club’s flyer really hadn’t done much to help explain the band’s music, calling them “difficult to pigeon-hole” and only offering the vague suggestion that their sound “leans towards pop and the dance floor."

Really sums them up perfectly, doesn’t it?

Thankfully, someone from the band’s camp – or perhaps it was an employee of the club, or possibly just some early rabid fan – recorded the performance, which was unofficially released under the title THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH. While we cannot and will not endorse this particular item, it does help us provide you with the set list from that fateful night:

Reel Around the Fountain What Difference Does It Make? Wonderful Woman These Things Take Time I Don’t Owe You Anything Hand In Glove Miserable Lie Accept Yourself Hand in Glove

Yes, we know we typed “Hand in Glove” twice. That’s because they apparently played it twice: once in the set, once as the encore. Hey, what do you want? It was early days yet, and they only had but so many songs. Thankfully, they would add quite a few more to their repertoire in the coming months and years, but all told, if you look at the songs they played that night, it’s remarkable just how strongly they started out of the gate.