LIVE// Patti Smith

Manchester Apollo// 08/06/15

On December 13th 1975 Patti Smith released her debut album Horses, 40 years later she celebrates it's legacy

A flash of silver grey hair from the side of the stage and the whole audience erupts into applause. 40 years on from the release of her seminal debut album, Horses, and Patti Smith is as compelling as ever. Tonight we're gathered to celebrate said album and Smith is in a celebratory mood- over the next 2 hours the punk poet jams, screams and commands her way through her 4 decade long back catalogue like it's 1975.

Gloria's opening cry of "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine" sound as incendiary as it did 40 years ago. Patti Smith's voice hasn't aged, infact it's become even more powerful, and the audience hang on to every "G,L,O,R,I,A"

Smith introduces Redondo Beach as "a beach where woman love other woman", it's syncopated rhythms never failing to get the audience moving.
Birdland follows, and whilst she missed her queue at yesterday's Field Day festival in London, she perfects it here. The whole audience is silently transfixed for the song's entire 9 minute and 16 second duration, hypnotised by it's poetry making watching Smith akin to embarking on a spiritual journey.

Land is introduced as a "Mr Wiggle story" she tells her grandson, "disguised as a song from the album." Even if it really was a children's tale the audience would be none the wiser, it's commands of "do the alligator" provoking frenzied dancing from the front row, before Smith and her band launch into a sonic jam that ends with the final chorus of Gloria that's even more enthralling the second time around.

The closing song from Horses, Elegy, is dedicated to many legendary, late musicians- Joey Ramone, Jimi Hendrix and Lou Reed, with Fred 'Sonic' Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe generating the biggest cheer from the audience. It's an emotional moment serving as a reminder to the lost talents of a generation of which Patti Smith is a survivor. Many audience members call out their own additions of Ian Curtis, Janis Joplin and Elvis whilst Smith nods in approval.


The band retake to the stage for part 2- the hits. Dancing Barefoot, Because The Night and Power To The People act as a direct contrast to the experimentation of Horses showing Smith's flexibility as a songwriter.


Her backing band- featuring original member Lenny Kaye- take the reins for a run through of Velvet Underground hits whilst Smith personally greets everyone in the front rows. She may be a living legend of sorts but she's delighted to be here, and it shows.


In fitting circular style Smith returns to her punk roots for the encore, a particularly dynamic rendition of My Generation which concludes with Smith ripping the strings off her Fender Strat. And, just as it looks as though she might smash the thing to pieces in a burst of exuberant, youthful energy, she's gone.   


Tonight we were reminded that at 68 Smith is no spring chicken, but whilst she's invented punk rock, outlived her contemporaries and become a grandmother since the release of Horses, ultimately nothing has changed, except, maybe the colour of her hair.