HOT off the back of Friday’s Glastonbury performance, Morrissey winged his way up north to grace York Barbican Centre’s stage on Saturday – a gig that sold out only ten minutes after going on sale.

There was a palpable buzz in the auditorium as his adoring fans waited for their hero to appear, and when the be-quiffed and suited Morrissey appeared to the backbeat of a drum and a simple art house backdrop, with his band of red t-shirted troubadours in tow, the crowd erupted into a frenzy as he greeted them with a brief “Ee bah gum” before launching into a set that dipped into his extensive back catalogue.

This clear-voiced, charming performer and his tight band held the room firmly in their hands with solo material which included The First Of The Gang to Die, Alma Matthews, Speedway and Irish Blood, English Heart, but it was The Smiths numbers that really whipped the audience up.

And there were plenty scattered through his hour and a quarter set, including classics such as Shoplifters Of The World Unite, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, Everyday Is Like Sunday, I Know It’s Over and a climactic Meat Is Murder, complete with a filmic backdrop to illustrate his point.

Other highlights included new song People Are The Same Everywhere and a beautifully-executed rendition of Lou Reed’s Satellite Of Love.

As the final notes of encore This Charming Man rang out, the smiles on the faces of those who’d come to worship at the altar of Stephen Patrick Morrissey illustrated that, as a performer at least, his reputation for being depressing and somewhat maudlin is not as deserved as his lyrics may make out.