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A lot can change in five to ten years and even more can unfortunately remain the same. When we first meet the Joyce family little Frances’ age has yet to hit double digits, her younger brother Patrick still clinging to their mom’s side. Their band of traveling Irish sing their folk songs and drink their stout, enjoying the freedom they live to protect — the same freedom outsiders love to destroy by lobbing racist and classist bigotry onto them as though they were savages. Michael Joyce (Dara Devaney) puts Frances on his shoulders to give the ol’ Muhammad Ali one-two while declaring her the greatest ever when a local Sergeant (Aidan O’Hare) arrives to cause trouble. The dust settles to show Michael leaving in chains, his wife tragically dead.

Writer/director Carmel Winters then fast-forwards the aforementioned span of time to show Frances (Hazel Doupe) has only grown stronger...

The Smiths: left to right- Andy Rourke, Morrissey, Mike Joyce, Johnny Marr

The Smiths are one of those bands who formed a remarkable legacy and a massive cult following despite only having a very short run time (1982-1987). Whether it was Morrissey’s unique fashion, mannerisms (on and off stage) or unheard of before lyrical style that drew fans in, or Marr’s wizardry on an electric guitar. It is undeniable to see their influence upon British pop music with current bands such as The Heartbreaks, Oasis (Noel Gallagher being a confessed fan of their music) and The Courteeners referencing them within songs, interviews or replicating their sound in the case of The Heartbreaks.

But there’s not much better to copy. Five years and four almost flawless studio albums have spoiled Smiths fans, with many a debate breaking out over which of these deserves the crowning title of ultimate Smiths album.

It's a well-known fact that fans of popular '80s English band The Smiths are voracious in their desire for a reunion. Johnny Marr, the group's guitarist, has heard your requests, and he would like you all to find something better to do with your time.

"If people get genuinely upset and frustrated that four men that last played together 25 years ago are doing other things, then those people need to go and find a hobby," Marr reportedly told Japan Times. "If the band only split up two years ago, it might be a different matter, but 25 years? Come on. It's a long time. If you like The Smiths, the records, photographs and memories are all plenty to be getting along with."

Marr's comments once again quash the dream of a reunion, even if drummer Mike Joyce and the Coachella organizers think it could still happen.

All of the members of The Smith,...

Feature Aliya Whiteley 20 Jun 2013 - 10:11

The films of post-war Britain are fascinating; Aliya picks 10 of the best British thrillers from the 1940s

The 1940s was a heck of a decade for the British. We started it at war with Nazi Germany, with the threat of Ira collaboration with the enemy looming large. By the end of it we had seen Independence achieved by India, lived through strikes and rationing, and held the fourteenth Olympic Games in London at a time of great austerity. The welfare state was under formation, and in the space of ten years we had become a very different country.

The British film industry reflected those changes, particularly in the thrillers that were made. The lines between good and evil, safety and danger, were the stuff of entertainment that tapped into the concerns of the public. It was a period of vivid, ambitious, and surprising films.

Tony Fletcher  A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths (Crown Archetype) 

For a band whose dying gasp came over two decades ago, the Smiths' brief, entire career has been barely scrutinized. Initially there was the stodgy Severed Alliance by Johnny Rogan, which has long just about sufficed in the absence of anything more, and there has been a ceaseless, incoming tide of books about the songs, and the aura which surrounds their apostle-like leader, Morrissey, when all that was really required was a clear-headed history, a factual consideration, as to why they sprang into life. Tony Fletcher has finally created that with A Light That Never Goes Out, a reasoned, logical, and unhurried recreation of their initially unlikely route to fame.

Johnny Marr wasn't the only kid on the block who wanted to be a guitar hero, but he had immense talent on his side,...

Representatives for both Morrissey and Johnny Marr have again denied rumours of a reunion by The Smiths. Following reports of a comeback in April, new rumours emerged this week that the band would reform in 2013 and play a headline set at the Glastonbury festival. "The Smiths are never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to reunite - ever," Morrissey's publicist told Rolling Stone. Marr's manager Joe Moss added to NME :"It isn't happening. We are fully focussed on preparing Johnny's new album for release and booking shows for 2013." The Smiths split in 1987 and following the break-up Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke took Morrissey and Marr to court in a dispute over royalties. Morrissey's appeal against the verdict in favour of Joyce was dismissed. (more)...

New rumours have emerged of a reunion by The Smiths. According to Holy Moly, the band will play a number of live shows next year, with it suggested that they will headline Glastonbury 2013. Some alleged sources have claimed that all four members will return, though others have suggested that bassist Andy Rourke will not rejoin the lineup, leaving frontman Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr and drummer Mike Joyce. The last rumours of a Smiths comeback surfaced in April 2012 when Music-News.com claimed that the band had conversations with a "well-known promoter" about a comeback. Marr and Joyce both denied the reports soon after, with Marr posting on Facebook: "The rumour of The Smiths reunion is untrue. It's not happening." In a Twitter conversation after the reunion rumours emerged, Marr quipped: "What's. (more)...

Drummer Mike Joyce has criticised Morrissey for covering songs by their former band The Smiths in his set at Glastonbury. Playing on Friday evening, the singer covered Smiths classics 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out', 'Shoplifters of the World Unite', 'This Charming Man' and 'Meat Is Murder', as well as his solo catalogue. Joyce wrote on Twitter: "Gr8 performance from M at Glasto but didn't like the cover versions. M was in the group...but not in the band, those tunes belong to them." The former Smiths member then clarified his point, adding: "The 'band' were the musicians in The Smiths...Mozzer wasn't in the 'band' (more)...

Last summer, a glum shot of Keanu Reeves sparked a global campaign to put a smile on his face. Did it inspire Ode to Happiness, his first book?

When it comes to concern for the wellbeing of the well-known, Keanu Reeves is in a class of his own. Last year, all it took was a picture of the 46-year-old sitting alone on a bench, morosely contemplating a sandwich, to go viral – and suddenly a global Cheer Up Keanu Day had been mobilised (15 June, in case you missed it). Nobody knows quite how this happened, but somehow it could only happen to Reeves. Maybe it's his serene-to-the-point-of-stoned screen persona; but it's also, perhaps, the knowledge that Reeves has known, and transcended, genuine suffering in the course of his life – absent parents, deaths of loved ones, and so forth.

So what does it mean now the actor has written his first book...

On New Year's Day, Soundgarden put aside a decade-plus of acrimony (and Audioslave) and announced that they were re-uniting, for … well, they didn't exactly say why they were doing it, but we'll assume it had something to do with the promise of plum festival headlining slots, sold-out arena shows and, of course, boatloads of cash. Because, really, we can't see any other reason why they'd get back together.

Make no mistake about it: Though Soundgarden's 1997 split lacked the fireworks with which most mega-successful, multi-platinum rock acts tend to implode, it was by no means a friendly thing. Worn out by years on the road and weakened by the internal struggle between frontman Chris Cornell and guitarist Kim Thayil, Soundgarden played their final gig on February 9 in Honolulu, Hawaii, walked off stage and simply disbanded. Since then, nearly every member has said repeatedly that a reunion would never happen, and the...

By April Richardson

On May 22, 1959, in Davyhulme, a section of Manchester, England, Steven Patrick Morrissey was born and the course of history changed forever.

You see, it’s hard for me to avoid hyperbole when talking about Morrissey (I can truthfully say that he’s the person who has had the greatest impact on my life, second only to my own mother), but I really feel his influence cannot be overstated. Some say Morrissey pretty much invented indie rock when he formed the Smiths in 1982 (with Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce), his intelligent and articulate lyrics contrasting greatly with what was on the radio at the time. While you might not agree with this and you might not even like him, his influence can be heard far and wide and probably in the music of some of your favorite bands — from Pete Wentz’s lyrics to Brandon Flowers...

Saxophonist and music shop founder Johnny Roadhouse has died at the age of 88. Roadhouse was a key figure in the Manchester music scene and played alongside stars including Elton John and Bob Hope. A message on his website read: "Johnny passed away in his sleep early on Saturday 11 April, 2009. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered, by all his family, friends and staff." Former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce told the Manchester Evening News: "Every (more)...

Morrissey’s current comeback began with 2004’s You Are The Quarry—it found him sounding more engaged than he had in years, and it reminded longtime fans why their old obsession mattered in the first place. But Morrissey’s latest, Years Of Refusal, makes it sound like he’s only been meeting fans halfway. Not since 1992’s Your Arsenal has he combined barbed wit and fast-moving, backward-glancing guitar rock so piercingly. Morrissey infamously included a promise to cut the throat of an enemy (most likely his former drummer in The Smiths, Mike Joyce) on his worst album, 1997 ...