The Smiths: Lyceum, London
Max Bell, The Times, 14 February 1984
DESPITE THEIR PROSAIC NAME, the Smiths are very much the band of the moment. Six months ago this Mancunian four-piece were breaking out of the club circuit. On Sunday they packed the Lyceum Ballroom with an air of reverential expectancy. Perhaps realising the pressures of their rise, or maybe because the singer Morrissey was suffering the after-effects of bronchitis, the band gave a performance that was workmanlike rather than inspired.
Total word count of piece: 300