Morrissey Contemplates ‘Final Ever U.K. Shows’

Hope fans enjoy next week’s pair of concerts in London because Morrissey says the gigs just might be his “final ever U.K. shows.” The singer has apparently had it up to here with his ongoing struggle to find support from a record label.

Morrissey is set to take the stage tonight at Hull Arena in England, followed by a two-night residency at London’s Eventim Apollo Sept. 20-21. After that he’s off to Paris Sept. 24. Guess we’ll see if he ever returns to tour his homeland.

Photo: Dustin Whitlow for I.M.P.

Music Center At Strathmore, North Bethesda, Md.

Moz broke the news about his uncertain future in the U.K. with a statement posted on fan site True To You Sept. 17.

“There is absolutely no way that we can generate any interest from record labels in the United Kingdom, therefore the imminent two nights at Hammersmith are likely to be our final ever UK shows.” We are obsessively grateful for all interest and loyalty from our audience … throughout 28 years … but without new releases, there is no point in any additional touring. Thank you for so many absolutely incredible times. The pleasure and privilege is mine …”

It seemed like his label troubles were over when he released his tenth solo album, World Peace Is None of Your Business, in 2014 via Harvest Records. But Moz said that just three weeks after the LP’s release, “mutual mistrust exploded between Harvest and I, and with fashionable pessimism, the label boss yawned and ordered the surface smartness of dropping World Peace Is None Of Your Business.”

Maybe he’s not going to tour the U.K. anymore, but he’s still booking dates elsewhere around the world, including shows added this week in Italy, Ecuador, Paraguay and Argentina.