7 July 1983
The Rock Garden, London
You've Got Everything Now
Handsome Devil
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
The Smiths returned to London, this time as headliners to a sold-out show. Johnny Waller from Sounds magazine described them as "effortlessly brilliant". From the advert: "Magazine and Velvets' rawpower" and "Percusive popular dance music"!

Halfway into "What Difference Does It Make?" Morrissey changed the usual melody of the line "...just because you ask me to" by bunching the words together. After the song he asked "Can I have some more voice mister monitor man, please? I beg you, more voice. I can't hear what I'm singing, can you hear me? See, nobody can hear me! (someone shouts 'turn the bass up!') Turn the bass? Bass up or down? (people shout 'down!')". The night was very sweaty, prompting Morrissey to follow "Wonderful Woman" with the advice: "You'll have to bring your swimwear next time... pass out if you want to..." After one more song, "I Don't Owe You Anything" was introduced as "A song for the delicate, which is maybe me..." Before going into main set closer "Miserable Lie" Morrissey quickly told someone "you said it!"

After "Miserable Lie" Morrissey's shouted his usual "Goodbye!" and the band left the stage. They returned after a short break and Morrissey replied to a shouted request for "What Difference Does It Make?" with the words "It makes none... accept yourself, little charmers, accept yourself, now!" which of course served as an introduction to "Accept Yourself". After the song there was another "Goodbye!" and the band left the stage again. The demand was such that the Smiths had to return for a second encore. As he picked up the microphone again Morrissey said "You're disturbing the peace... not really... too bad you're gonna have 'Hand In Glove' again" and the band launched into a second serving of the Smiths' first single.

 


A pro-shot recording of this concert was shown at the February 1997 Smiths convention attended by Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke. Unfortunately this is not circulated on bootlegs at this point in time.

This video recording's audio can be found (minus the first two tracks) on "Wonderful Woman", a mixed content bootleg which also features 4 radio sessions, 3 Troy Tate outtakes, "What's The World" from 25 September 1985 and "You've Got Everything Now" from 21 April 1984.

Collectors in search of the two missing songs will want to get their hands on the inferior (but still quite good) audience recording circulated under the title "Rock Garden 83". However this one lacks the second encore of "Hand In Glove" and the very beginning of set opener "You've Got Everything Now". It is often paired with some Peel sessions from 1983 and 1984.

A red vinyl bootleg LP was later produced with the title "The Undisputed Truth". It features the live tracks from this show with bonus track "You've Got Everything Now" from 21 April 1984, all lifted from "Wonderful Woman".

Both "Wonderful Woman" and "Rock Garden 83" are easily found in digital format on the internet. The latter is also circulated untitled, but is recognizable by its content.

 

Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.