Snigdha Nag

Favourite track: 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'

The Queen Is Dead is, of the great albums of the 80s, the most enduringly relevant today. Dark themes permeate music and lyrics: melancholy, frustration, alienation, stagnation, rejection and hopelessness. However, there is solace. In friendship, embracing difference, melodic brilliance, driving rhythm, books, humour, love and harmony. Playing at the height of their powers, I love the band's cohesion. There Is A Light... is a perfect creation of the Marr/Morrissey partnership; soaring, happy/sad, beautiful. The title track rages on behalf of those left behind by Thatcherism, which is as true in these days of austerity as ever. A justifiably bitter postcard from the "Northern Powerhouse".