Morrissey in Manila
May 13, 2012 @ World Trade Center
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After missing out on the Wild Swans gig when they dropped by Manila, I was adamant not to miss out on Morrissey's first ever appearance in these shores. I was pretty sure there was ( and still is ) a ton of kids in the Philippines eagerly awaiting for this event to happen ( when's the repeat? ). I forget how I learned that he was indeed coming ( malamang sa internet ) and I had to verify that it wasn't some sort of sick joke hatched by bored netizens. I made a deal with my brother for us to go together as he's also a fan. It was through him, being a product of the original "bored" generation ( chong, XB, the Original Oktoberfest concerts, Resuce Ladders, creepers! ) that I originally got into the Smiths. Hatful of Hollow was such a breath of fresh air, the guitar arrangements were something else, kung makikinig ka sa the Smiths ngaun, if you follow the guitar hooks parang lumulubog-lumilitaw cya e, ung tipong andun lang, surfing through the rhythm...and it still sounds new, though the music was like nothing we've heard before. It had a classic element. A lot of that has something to do with Johnny Marr, one of the greatest guitar arrangers of his ( and everyone else's? ) generation. I've seen stories from the tube ( You ) about how Johnny Marr could not even repeat some of the stuff that he recorded while working on these albums. Ganun cya kalupit, kahit sarili nya hindi nya makopya!
