The Smiths' final album, 1987's Strangeways, Here We Come, came out after the band had broken up. It includes "Paint A Vulgar Picture," the band's disgusted song about the music industry. In his acid-tongued lyrics, Morrissey described the "sickening greed" of record execs, "sycophantic slags," rushing to sell music that a "dead star" left behind." On Saturday night, Morrissey performed that song live for the first time in 29 years. I wonder why.
Last week, Morrissey finally announced plans to release Make-Up Is A Lie, an album that he recorded in 2023. Morrissey has spent the past few years bitterly lashing out at his former label Capitol and claiming that free speech as been "criminalized," but now he's got firm release plans with Sire Records.
Morrissey is currently on tour in the US. He canceled some shows, but he made his way to San Antonio's Boeing Center on Saturday. The gig, rescheduled from May 8, was Morrissey's first in San Antonio in 15 years, since his shows there in 2016 and 2017 were rescheduled and then canceled. According to Setlist.fm, his performance of "Paint A Vulgar Picture" was his first since 1997. Watch the fan footage below.
Morrissey has also joined TikTok.
@morrissey “Make-up is a Lie” ✴️ New single out now! #morrissey #makeupisie #newmusic
♬ Make-up is a Lie - Morrissey
