Glastonbury 2023: Watch Rick Astley and Blossoms cover The Smiths song ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’
In what was arguably a highlight of the 2023 Glastonbury Festival so far, Rick Astley again teamed up with Blossoms as a cover band of The Smiths to deliver a set bursting at the seams with nostalgia. Here, we look at footage of ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’.
The Glastonbury rendition was not the first time Rick Astley and Blossoms have covered ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’, and in late 2021, the somewhat unlikely combination performed two Smiths covers concerts in Manchester and London to critical acclaim.
When the shows were announced, however, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr expressed disdain at the prospect. He told NME: “I didn’t ask for that, but sometimes stuff like that happens when you’re in the public eye. There was an M.O. there that just wasn’t very cool – but I’ve dealt with it. I think I’m a pretty reasonable person, and I’ve dealt with it.”
However, the former Smiths frontman Morrissey offered his opinion on the matter, releasing a statement that read to opposite sentiment: “My sincere thanks to Rick and the Blossoms for their recent recentness. Anything that generates interest in that tired old Smiths warhorse is testimony to the wallop it packed. THANK YOU”.
In response, Blossoms frontman Tom Ogden clarified why his band and Astley embarked on The Smiths cover shows. He said: “Well, we’ve made no secrets about our love for them.”
Drummer Joe Donovan continued: “The thing Johnny got upset with was the fact we didn’t say anything, which we fully accept and apologise for… It was meant to be a bit of fun and a laugh – especially after such a shit year. We got that, and the crowds absolutely buzzed off it.”
Earlier today, in a separate interview, Astley explained his “love” for The Smiths and how he had “always” wanted to form a Smiths cover band. “Even when I was in bands as a kid, we never played The Smiths’ songs because they were a bit too intricate for us,” he told the NME. “I never saw The Smiths but I’ve seen covers bands of them, and I just fall in love with them every time.”
Watch their rendition of ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’ below.
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