This section only lists live covers that were never released, not even on a live album. Only established artists who have released at least a few records are considered for inclusion. Amateur bands who have covered Morrissey or The Smiths at the local pub or who have put up their own recordings on their Myspace page are not included (these would only make this list ten times longer and much less comprehensible).

Take note that quite a few tribute bands do nothing but cover the Smiths and Morrissey songs live. The most popular ones are These Charming Men from Ireland, the Smyths, the Smiths Indeed, the Other Smiths and Ambitious Outsiders from England, and The Sweet And Tender Hooligans and These Handsome Devils from California. A German artist named Perrecy covers Morrissey and Smiths songs in German. The Salford Lads started off as a Smiths tribute band but now play their own songs.

"Ask"

Billy Bragg
Actually this is just one of many tracks Billy Bragg has recorded or performed live ("Reel Around The Fountain", "Back To The Old House", etc) over the years.

Decemberists
Stripped down version done live occasionally in 2004 at the end of their set. A live version from 2006 was released in April 2008 on lead singer Colin Meloy's live album "Colin Meloy Sings Live".

Walter Schreifels
Done live on many dates around Germany in 2007. He might also have done "How Soon Is Now?".

"Asleep"

Shannon Wright
Performed live in 2004.

"Back To The Old House"

Billy Bragg
Billy covered this song on the Red Wedge tour in Newcastle in January 1986 with Johnny and Andy from the Smiths as they were also playing the event.

Barenaked Ladies
A 1996 soundcheck rehearsal is available on certain bootlegs and on MP3. They also covered "Still Ill" at about the same time.

McAlmont And Butler
Performed in 2002 as part of the tribute concert to Scott Piering who had once worked with the Smiths.

Badly Drawn Boy
Performed live in 2007 in New York City, and perhaps more. He also covered many other Smiths songs at different times: "Oscillate Wildly", "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" and "This Charming Man".

"Bigmouth Strikes Again"

lynchXpin
They are on RIP Records.

Better Than Ezra
Done live in 1996.

"Boy With The Thorn In His Side"

Jeff Buckley
He also did "I Know It's Over" as a medley with "Hallelujah" (see further in this list).

Belle And Sebastian
Played live in Glasgow and San Francisco in June 2001. They covered the song again in 2004 when they replaced Morrissey at the Benicassim festival. They had already covered "Reel Around The Fountain" in 1997.

"Cemetry Gates"

Ken Stringfellow
Covered live in 1995 along with "This Night Has Opened My Eyes", "What Difference Does It Make?" and "Reel Around The Fountain".

"Everyday Is Like Sunday"

Robyn Hitchcock
Live radio session(s). Also done live in February 2000 as part a cover versions concert.

Travis
Travis bassist Dougie Payne sang a few lines of this song at the atrium outside the Virgin Megastore in West Hollywood during an instore performance in June 2001.

Grant Lee Phillips
This frontman for Grant Lee Buffalo covered "Everyday Is Like Sunday" in 2003 in Philadelphia and other cities on the same tour.

Colin Meloy
An acoustic version was performed in Portland Oregon and made available for download in 2004. He later released this song on a tribute EP sold on his 2005 solo tour. This also done live in 2007 with his band the Decemberists.

Travis
They covered this Morrissey song when they were booked to replaced the man at the Isle Of Wight festival in 2005. They also did it at an earlier concert in Norwich as a rehearsal.

KT Tunstall and Billy Bragg
Done live at London's HMV on Oxford Street in early 2008. Tunstall did the song by herself on concert afterwards.

"Girlfriend In A Coma"

Lois
They also did "Sheila Take A Bow" live.

"Glamorous Glue"

Laurie Jones
Live version made available from her webpage (lauriejones.org) in 2004. An unreleased studio version might see the light of day someday.

"Half A Person"

Patty Griffin
This song has been a regular in her live set around 1999-2001.

Erlend Oye
Done live at an unknown date and location. He has also done "Hand In Glove" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (and perhaps others) at various live dates around 2003-2006. Recorded versions of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" were released or made available for download.

"Hand In Glove"

Smashing Pumpkins
At Lollapalooza in 1994 in Rhode Island, in the long instrumental jam that usually ends their live sets, they started playing parts of "Hand In Glove". They finally messed it and moved on to something else. This is not the only time they have sung bits of Smiths songs live.

Saint Etienne
Performed in Hollywood in 2002.

Erlend Oye
Done live in 2003 at the Mercury Lounge in New York. He has also done "Half A Person" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (and perhaps others) at various live dates around that time and the years that followed. Recorded versions of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" were released or made available for download.

Christian Kjellvander and Lise Westsynthius
Performed in February 2003 on Swedish television programme "Stereo".

Dandy Warhols
Lines from this Smiths song were recited over the outro to one of their slow numbers in a few cities (including Montreal) on their 2003 tour. They also did this with the song "What She Said" and their song "Be In" on the same tour.

"Hand That Rocks The Cradle"

Sinead O'Connor
Done live on MTV Unplugged when she had Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce as musicians in her band.

Everything But The Girl
Information needed.

"Headmaster Ritual, The"

Radiohead
A live-in-studio performance was put up for viewing from the band's website at the end of 2007.

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"

Erlend Oye
Done live as part of a medley at an unknown date. He has also done "Half A Person" and "Hand In Glove" (and perhaps others) at various live dates around 2003-2006. Recorded versions of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" were released or made available for download.

Jon Brion
Done live in February 2005 in Los Angeles.

"How Soon Is Now"

Lemonheads
In an early 1990s performance of their Simon And Garfunkel cover of "Mrs Robinson", singer Evan Dando sang about one minute of the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?".

Neil Finn (with Johnny Marr)
Done live in New Zealand in 2001, and here and there occasionally during the following year. "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" was also played with Johnny Marr in concerts the same year, and eventually released on his 2001 album "7 Worlds Collide".

Johnny Marr and The Healers with Andy Rourke
As part of the Manchester vs Cancer charity concert in January 2006, Andy Rourke joined Johnny Marr on stage for performances of this song and "How Soon Is Now?".

"I Know It's Over"

Emilie Autumn
Her "By The Sword" single includes a Quicktime movie of a live performance of "I Know It's Over". She supposedly also played "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" on occasions.

"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"

Jet Black Machine
Done live when they opened for Morrissey in New York and Philadelphia on the Your Arsenal tour.

Bow Wow Wow
Performed live during the summer of 2006 while on tour as support group for the Go-go's.

"Jack The Ripper"

United
Live in 2005 in Munich, then soon after made available for download from their official website (www.united-band.com).

"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"

Weeping Willows
Played as an encore in July 1998 at the Roskilde Festival and at Tivolirock in Kristianstad, in Sweden. The Weeping Willows are Swedish. They might eventually release their cover on an album where they do other covers (Elvis, Velvet Underground, etc.)

Ether Aura
Live in 2005.

McAlmont and Butler with Andy Rourke
Done live along with "Still Ill" as part of the 2007 Manchester Versus Cancer concert, a fundraiser for Manchester cancer hospital Christies. The event brought Manchester artists and others together to cover classic Manchester songs.

"Last Of The Famous International Playboys"

Curve
Done live as a radio session on KROQ in 1992. They changed some of the lyrics.

"The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get"

Broderna Birro (Swedish)
Information needed.

Jimmy Gnecco
Performed live in 2004 with Morrissey guitarist and songwriter Boz Boorer.

"My Love Life"

Darlington
Performed in Febraury 2005 on KDGE in Dallas along with "Sister I'm A Poet".

"Now My Heart Is Full"

The Boxers
Played live in 2001 in Eugene, Oregon.

"Oscillate Wildly"

Badly Drawn Boy
Partially covered live at the Royal Albert Hall in London, in 2001. Repeated in its entirety a few weeks later in Los Angeles. "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" has also been covered a few weeks later in London. Badly Drawn Boy also covered many other Smiths songs at different times: "Back To The Old House", "Please ,Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" and "This Charming Man".

"Panic"

OK Go
Performed live in 2001, and perhaps again in the following years.

Fangoria
Performed live in 2002 (or perhaps 2003) as part of the Contempopranea festival in Spain.

Cribs
Done live in early 2008 with Johnny Marr.

Spoon
Performed on stage in 2008.

"Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want"

Johnny Dangerously
Live with a string quartet

Third Eye Blind
A fast version was done live on 6th November 1997 in Los Angeles.

Autour de Lucie
French band on the "Village Vert" label. They supposedly also covered "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" live early in their career.

Ben Lee
Covered live in Syracuse in September 2000.

Badly Drawn Boy
Acoustic version played at the Social in London in 2001. He has also covered "Oscillate Wildly", "Back To The Old House" and "This Charming Man" at different points in time.

Astrid
Performed live in 2002 as part of the Contempopranea festival in Spain.

Nosotrash
Performed live in 2002 as part of the Contempopranea festival in Spain.

The Doves
Performed in 2002 on BBC's television programme "Recovered".

Pony Club
Performed live in 2004 in Dublin.

Johnny Marr and the Healers
Done live at Meltdown 2005.

Decemberists
Performed live in 2006 in Manchester. The band's singer Colin Meloy recorded and released in 2005 a tribute EP of Morrissey songs.

Rob Dickinson
Catherine Wheel's lead singer included this song in one of his live sets in 2008.

Amanda Palmer
The Dresden Dolls singer covered this Smiths classic in Manchester in 2008.

"Pregnant For The Last Time"

Guana Batz
Information needed.

Sons And Daughters
Performed as a radio session on BBC Radio 1 Scotland in 2006 shortly before they opened for Morrissey on the British leg of the 2006 Tour Of The Tormentors.

"Reel Around The Fountain"

Sundays
This is only available on bootlegs from 1987 concerts.

Belle And Sebastian
Slower version played at a London concert in 1997. "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" was also covered live by them in 2001 and 2004.

Ken Stringfellow
Covered live in 1995 along with "This Night Has Opened My Eyes", "What Difference Does It Make?" and "Cemetry Gates".

"Sheila Take A Bow"

Lois
They also did "Girlfriend In A Coma" live.

"Shoplifters Of The World Unite"

Sheila Beau Smith
Information needed.

La Habitacion Roja
Performed live in 2002 as part of the Contempopranea festival in Spain.

Ben Lee
Performed on stage in 2003 on at least one date, in Atlanta.

"Sing Your Life"

Save Ferris
They sang a good portion of the song in the instrumental part of an acoustic version of their song "Superspy" on the KROQ Acoustic Christmas Special on 9th December 1997.

"Sister I'm A Poet"

Darlington
Performed in Febraury 2005 on KDGE in Dallas along with "My Love Life".

"Still Ill"

Barenaked Ladies
They also soundchecked "Back To The Old House" in 1996.

McAlmont and Butler with Andy Rourke
Done live along with "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" as part of the 2007 Manchester Versus Cancer concert, a fundraiser for Manchester cancer hospital Christies. The event brought Manchester artists and others together to cover classic Manchester songs.

Arcade Fire
Done live on various British dates in October and November 2007.

"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"

Deftones
Played live in 2001 in London.

"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"

Coldplay and Noel Gallagher
Covered in 2002 as part of the Make Trade Fair charity concert.

Client
A live acoustic cover of this song was put up for free download from the band's website in early 2008.

"Suedehead"

Suggs
Suggs from Madness covered this song live (probably on television) in the mid 90s, including bits of lyrics from "Our Frank".

I Am The World Trade Center
Done at least once in Athens, GA in 2003.

"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"

Brian Jonestown Massacre
Done live in 2005 in Seattle. Lines from the song were included at the end of their song called "Wisdom" in a live performance from 2007.

"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

Paul Kelly
Done live in Melbourne (and perhaps elsewhere) in 1990.

Hole
Chorus done live at the Clapman Grand '93 show

Gigolo Aunts
Besides doing this song live, they have recorded a cover of "Ask". See previous section for info.

Chris And Carla (from The Walkabouts)
Done live in March 1998, on their European tour to promote their newest release "Swinger 500". Done again in 2002.

Neil Finn
Performed live in 2001 and 2002, sometimes with Johnny Marr. "How Soon Is Now" was also done live on occasions.

Saloon
Performed live in 2002 as part of the Contempopranea festival in Spain.

Hakan Hellstrom
Performed live on Swedish national television programme "Riktig Talkshow" in 2002.

Nouvelle Vague
Performed live in a FNAC store in Belgium in 2004.

Johnny Marr and The Healers with Andy Rourke
As part of the Manchester vs Cancer charity concert in January 2006, Andy Rourke joined Johnny Marr on stage for performances of this song and "How Soon Is Now?".

Weeping Willows
Performed live, probably in 2006.

Noel Gallagher with Gem Archer and Terry Kirkbride
Live on at least a few dates in 2007.

Art Brut
The chorus to "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" was done at the end of their song "Emily Kane" during various shows in 2006 and 2007.

David Ford
Covered at the Manchester Academy in October 2007.

Death Cab For Cutie
An acoustic version was performed for a radio session on Philadelphia's Radio 104.5 in 2008.

"These Things Take Time"

Sloan
"This Charming Man" and "These Things Take Time" have been played live and can be found on their "Live In Halifax" bootleg cd.

"This Charming Man"

10000 Maniacs
Done live in 1992. They also have a recorded cover of "Everyday Is Like Sunday". See previous section for info.

Sloan
"This Charming Man" and "These Things Take Time" have been played live and can be found on their "Live In Halifax" bootleg cd.

Badly Drawn Boy
Performed live in Manchester at the end of 2005 or early in 2006, with the Smiths' Andy Rourke on bass. He also covered many other Smiths songs at different times: "Oscillate Wildly", "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" and "Back To The Old House".

"This Night Has Opened My Eyes"

Ken Stringfellow
Covered live in 1995 along with "Reel Around The Fountain", "What Difference Does It Make?" and "Cemetry Gates".

Built To Spill
Done live in November 2001. The song was done live again in 2002 by Doug Martsch solo.

"Unloveable"

Peter Birro
Done live in 2002 in Stockholm.

"We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful"

James
Live at Glastonbury in 1992. They changed one line to "We hate it when our friends become so stressful".

Reel Big Fish
Done live in Australia in 2003.

"Well I Wonder"

Babyshambles
Done live at the Manchester Ritz in 2004.

"What Difference Does It Make?"

Suede
Played during soundcheck before a show in Paris.

Ken Stringfellow
Covered live in 1995 along with "This Night Has Opened My Eyes", "Reel Around The Fountain" and "Cemetry Gates".

Polecats with Alain Whyte
The Polecats (Boz Boorer's band) along with Alain Whyte on guitar played this Smiths song live in New York City in 2000. For those who are unaware, Boz and Alain are two musicians and songwriters working with Morrissey since 1991.

"What She Said"

Dandy Warhols
The words to "What She Said" were recited over the outro to their song "Be In" for a few concerts in 2003. They also did the song at Lollapalooza in 2005. They also sang lines from "Hand In Glove" in other cities in 2003.

"Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself"

Weeping Willows
Performed live during their set at the Hultsfred festival in 2004. Morrissey performed at the same festival just a few hours later.

"You Have Killed Me"

Jamie Stewart
Done live in Brooklyn in early 2008. His band Xiu Xiu also recorded a cover of "Asleep" a few years before.

(medley)

Harry Hill
English comedian Harry Hill came on stage dressed as Morrissey singing a medley of Smiths songs at the "We know where you live!" comedy show in aid of Amnesty International.