January 27, 2013 18:41

Mike Joyce: 'The Smiths reunion could still happen'

Band's drummer says vision of reformation came to him in a dream

Mike Joyce, former drummer in The Smiths says he still believes the band could reunite.

Despite suing ex-bandmates Morrissey and Johnny Marr over missing royalties, eventually being awarded £1million, and the fact it's been 26 years since the quartet last played together, he thinks if all four members were in the same room, they could come to an agreement.

In an interview with The Sun, he said: "I actually had a dream that Morrissey, Johnny, Andy (Rourke) and me were all in the same room and we actually agreed to do a tour. Morrissey said, 'What song shall we open with?' and we replied in unison, Hand In Glove. That’s what the show should open with. Then I woke up laughing."

Joyce, spurred on by The Stone Roses reunion in 2011, thinks The Smiths would sound better than ever. He explained: "It would sound great. I'm a better player than I was. Morrissey's voice is still incredible, Johnny is playing great. With the equipment and PA systems 30 years on, if we got up on stage and played, it would sound incredible."

He went on to explain a promoter had recently asked him why the four-piece don’t just reform, earning them millions. "I said, ‘You’re asking the wrong man'," said Joyce. "I don’t think about it every day. But if they asked me, I'd probably say yes. If you put everyone in the same room it’s amazing how things can turn around."

Last week, Joyce gave a lecture to budding musicians at an open day for BIMM Manchester, a new rock college offering degrees in the music industry to talented teenagers.

He said: "I wish we had something like this when The Smiths were starting out. Nobody told us about the pitfalls of the music business. We might have avoided the problems we encountered."

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