Tuesday 21/07/09 Morrissey @ Brixton Academy, London

Not in the least bit fazed by the sky-high expectations of the fans in front of him, Morrissey strides out on to the Brixton Academy stage, looking every bit his 50 years but still exuding that indescribable charisma of his younger days.

Preceded by unlikely but fabulous support act Doll and the Kicks, Mozz owns the stage within seconds and, backed by a impressively tight band (variously playing drums, a giant cymbal, a trumpet, guitars and keyboard), lunges straight into This Charming Man. Unlike other gracefully ageing stars (Jarvis Cocker springs to mind),  Morrissey is not afraid to revel in his past glories and several songs from The Smiths era are pulled out of the bag, although they are respectably interspersed with his more recent solo efforts. And let’s face it, everyone was secretly hoping to hear some oldies.

Despite belting out lyrics heavy with self-pity, cynicism and heartbreak, he is clearly in good humour tonight and interrupts himself on several occasions to crack jokes. “Any requests? No? That’s good”, he says at one point, ignoring the song names shouted in response. This is, after all, Morrissey, and we'd be disappointed if he had gone all nice on us.

Morrissey’s newer music can start to sound a bit sub-standard and samey when filtering through such a booming sound system, but this is compensated for by the more passionate numbers such as Irish Blood, English Heart and I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris, which Morrissey seems to actually throw his arms and all his energy behind. More than once Morrissey throws off his sweat-soaked and rather conventional-looking shirt, looking at the crowd with an apologetic look that says it all; This man is aware of his years but that won’t stop him sharing them with his lifelong followers.

The venue is lit up with the kind of atmosphere that only radiates from a room full of genuine fans, and although the gig finishes relatively early there are no complaints from the crowd, much of which is teetering around the middle-age bracket.

Morrissey finishes the night with a bang, treating us to the unforgiving, powerful The First of the Gang to Die. Everyone leaves the night behind contented, satisfied that they have witnessed one of indie’s true legends, slightly mellowed but remaining stubbornly in his prime.

Morrissey @ Brixton Academy in photos: