Johnny Marr on his favourite new bands

Photo: Press

The influence of Johnny Marr is largely immeasurable. Not only did The Smiths inspire countless bands in the generation that followed them, but then there's the impact of the bands born of their echoes too. That's before you even consider the domino effect of his work with The Cribs, Modest Mouse, The The, The Healers, Electronic and beyond.

But what Marr looks for in new music is that same spark of originality that first landed him a place in the hearts of millions. That knack of reinterpreting the music before you into a whole new language.

In short, Marr has no time for any old bullshit.

"Too many people sound like they're singing in school assembly," he sighs, lamenting the rise of the yoghurt advert 'pseudo-folk'. We echo his despair, before adding that the trend of bands' taking to the stage front to bang floor toms as a substitute for authenticity is equally as depressing.

He chuckles in agreement: "Ryan Jarman had a phrase for this - 'superfluous band members'! I quite like that. I think five people in a band is plenty, mate. There's nothing quite like a good, flash, concise guitar-built song with hooks and interesting ideas, but all wrapped up in four minutes and can sound really good coming out of the speakers in a pub at 10 o'clock on a Friday night. It's not 'fix me' music."

But an ear for proper new music, Marr certainly has - and that isn't always easy thanks to the sheer volume of music available in these modern times. "It's just that it's possibly harder for certain people to get heard because there's so much stuff to compete with - stuff that isn't always good," admits Marr. "I never look back, and I like living in the modern world, but one of the useful things about back the was the original indie labels. I mean early Rough Trade, Factory, Mute - the people that were running them had the role of curator, if you like.

"They were not only promoting and developing your Joy Divisions, Cures, Depeche Modes, Smiths, etc etc, but curating all of the good music. The problem with it being such an open game now is that everybody can get out on the starting line, and not everybody is as good as some others. It can be harder for good people to get heard.

"There are loads of great bands about, but there's also a lot of shit around, as we all know. I'm often asked about Facebook and Myspace and Soundcloud, these things definitely are a leveller. Right from the off, I was definitely happy that they took the shine off a lot of these big, shiny, mega-bands, but I know there are really good people out there who are trying to get gigs but are second or third down on the bill."

So to shine a light on what's worth hearing through all the noise and act as curator himself, we asked Johnny Marr to pick his favourite new and emerging artists.

"Mimicking Birds, I don't really like introspective music but these guys are the exception to the rule. Very, very beautiful."

"I like Menace Beach very much. They are a really good example of a self-sufficient culture that I admire."

"Childhood I like. Lacuna is a brilliant record."

"Palma Violets, they've got a new record coming soon which I'm excited to hear."

"I'm a fan of Savages as well, I thought their first album [Silence Yourself] was really good, and they're really great live."

"Telegram are pretty good too I think. I've always known that there will always be young people making great music. I've never had any doubt about that. It will always continue, for many reasons. Now is just a good a time as any."