Summer in the Cities: Joy Division & The Smiths

Our Summer in the Cities tour crosses the Atlantic and rolls into Manchester, where rain‑slick streets, brick mills and crowded terraces shape the sound as much as guitars and drum machines. Don and Dude drop the needle on two albums that channel the city’s gray skies, sharp wit and restless youth into vivid musical cityscapes.

The Albums

Joy Division – Closer (1980)

Joy Division turn late‑70s Manchester’s post‑punk tension into a stark, spacious set about isolation, collapse, and trying to find language for feelings that barely fit inside a song. Martin Hannett’s cold, echoing production, Ian Curtis’s weary baritone, and the band’s tight, minimal playing make Closer feel like a haunted, human swan song where every drum hit and bass line sounds both distant and painfully close.

The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)

The Smiths close out their run with a more layered, studio‑shaped take on Manchester indie rock, folding piano, keyboards, strings, and bigger guitar sounds into their usual mix of wit and melancholy. Morrissey and Johnny Marr push past jangle pop into richer, stranger territory, delivering a final album that feels ambitious and forward‑looking even as the band quietly splinters behind the scenes.

Diggin’ Albums

The Lemon Twigs – Look for Your Mind! (2026)

New York brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario serve up bright, tape‑warm power pop and psychedelic rock, full‑band performances and intricate harmonies turning their 60s and 70s obsessions into lively, modern heartbreak and anxiety tunes.

Billy Idol – Billy Idol (1982)

Sneering vocals, Steve Stevens guitar fireworks, and early‑MTV hooks power this debut, where post‑punk attitude and hard rock riffs collide on tracks like White Wedding to turn a former punk frontman into a mainstream rock fixture.

Haircut 100 – Boxing the Compass (2026)

Sunny British pop outfit reunite with Nick Heyward and core bandmates for a groove‑centered comeback, bright guitar, bass, and percussion lines reviving their new wave and Brit‑funk feel on fresh, good‑natured tunes built for summer playlists.

Midge Ure – A Man of Two Worlds (2026)

Ultravox frontman and synth‑pop veteran returns with a double album splitting instrumental soundscapes and vocal songs, weaving his classic electronic sensibility into modern, atmospheric arrangements that show both sides of his writing.

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“Manchester’s got everything except a beach.” – Ian Brown