Johnny Marr reveals why You'll Never Walk Alone reminds him of this classic Smiths song...

2 September 2026, 11:05 | Updated: 2 September 2026, 11:20

Johnny Marr talks new album, milestone gigs & selling guitars

By Jenny Mensah

The Manchester legend told Radio X how a recent Liverpool gig changed his perspective on There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.

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Johnny Marr has recalled how a recent show changed his perspective on one of The Smiths beloved songs.

The Manchester legend and guitar hero visited Radio X's Dan O'Connell on The Evening Show and talked about everything from his upcoming solo album The Age Of Everything to his headline homecoming gig at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl.

Reflecting on the power of crowds singing together, Marr revealed how hearing a singalong at one of his recent shows caused him to find a connection in The Smiths' 1986 single, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, 40 years on.

"I played a gig about, uh, only a few weeks ago in Liverpool It was a warm-up for the Castlefield Bowl show," he recalled. "And when I was doing There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, because I was in Liverpool, I realized - and the audience was singing it back to me - I realised that the song You'll Never Walk Alone is essentially...There Is a Light That Never Goes Out has got the same sentiment."

He went on: "I, I wrote that song, or co-wrote that song, what, [40]-odd years ago, and it never occurred to me before that it's, it's got the same feeling as You'll Never Walk Alone.

"So I started to sing You'll Never Walk Alone in it as I was in Liverpool. I thought, oh man, I've, I've never noticed that before. Yeah, that essentially it's got the same meaning, you know. 'To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.' 'You'll never walk alone'."

Watch our full interview with Johnny Marr above.

The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (Official Audio)

Meanwhile, Johnny Marr is preparing to release his sixth solo album The Age Of Everything on 2nd October via BMG.

So far from the record comes It's Time, Ophelia and lead single Spin, which is described as an "urgent opening statement," that's "charged with emotion and sonic energy".

Watch the official video for the single, which was conceptualised by Marr and filmed in his hometown of Manchester here:

Johnny Marr - Spin (Official Video)

Introducing the album, Marr said in a press release: “This is the record that’s been the most cathartic. The title came to me early in the process and became an inescapable idea. It seemed to sum up the way I think a lot of people are feeling. It’s all encompassing, but it's not necessarily a negative statement. There’s a sense of overwhelm in the culture brought about by technology, but looking at it with a different light, there could also be a sense of possibility.”

Johnny Marr's The Age Of Everything follows solo efforts The Messenger (2013), Playland (2014), Call The Comet (2018), Fever Dreams pts 1-4 (2022) and The Age Of Everything (2026).

The album will also be available on CD, black vinyl and limited edition red vinyl, with the official artist store also stocking exclusive limited 3 Colour splatter vinyl and merch bundles here.

See the artwork and tracklist for The Age Of Everything below and pre-order and pre-save the album here.