Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths, live in London (Photo: Andy Crossland for Live4ever Media)
Johnny Marr has shared the first extract of his collaboration with actress Maxine Peake.
The Priest pairs up Marr’s music with Peake’s spoken-word delivery, and is accompanying a short film of the same name which was filmed in Manchester.
“I still remember being stood outside where we were meeting,” Peake has told The Guardian of their initial meeting, “being on the phone to my fella – and, literally, there were beads of sweat on my top lip. I said: ‘I’ll probably only be 15 minutes.’ And then five hours later, I emerged.”
“I was asking her about getting into character, rehearsals, working with directors,” Marr added. “We clicked straight away.”
“I want it to be a good listen. As a musician, that’s my priority, no matter what the subject matter is. I always want to honour that. Ultimately, that’s my job.”
This will be followed in the not-too-distance future by Marr’s third solo album.