September 6, 2000 12:49

SWEET, JOHNNY!

The guitar legend tells all in our exclusive video interview...

Johnny Marr, who plays LONDON SCALA tonight (September 6) with HEALERS, has revealed that touring Europe with OASIS gave him a new love of life on the road and added a harder edge to his new band's sound.

Speaking to nme.com, he said: "The gigs with Oasis were a lot of fun, it was the first time for years I'd had the opportunity to get out, and no-one knows what to expect. It's been so long since I'd gigged.

"I wasn't really that interested in touring, despite what people may believe. The assumption in The Smiths was I was the touring head and Morrisey didn't want to do it. But I was always the studio-rat.

"But I love the idea of playing live and this energy, this tribal thing, just entertaining people and letting them forget their trouble for an hour and a half. And everyone's been kind of nice towards us."

And of Healers' new material, he said: "The album is pretty much done, but because we went out on the road it's got heavier. It was kind of heavy anyway, but we're going to re-record a few tracks after these gigs and finish it as quickly as we can. I've been talking to a few labels, but I've got to find someone I like. Which is pretty difficult really."

To hear the full interview with Johnny Marr from the Carling Weekend Leeds Festival, Click here.