Music Critic Bethany Carter goes through her top 5 TV music performances ranging from The Smiths to Fontaines D.C
All music lovers find great joy in watching their favourite musicians perform on TV, especially since we cannot see any of them live at the moment. It is a way for us to further our listening experience in a more intimate light. All of the performances in this article span from 43 years ago up until this year. Most earned their spot on this because of the profound effect they have had on me, others just for the sheer genius of how the performance was conducted. Here are my top five favourite TV performances of all time:
The Smiths, ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’, The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1986
Very few bands can pull off a live performance such as this. Arguably, the song sounds better here than the recorded version. Morrissey’s impressive vocals are much more evident here and, of course, his typical on-stage dancing is always a pleasure to watch. ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ is one of The Smiths most iconic songs and in this performance, it is filled with an energy unheard before. Also joined on stage by temporary member, Craig Gannon, this is a performance to see them in the prime of their glory. Every TV performance The Smiths made was iconic, so the most difficult part was picking just one. I chose this performance merely because it was live, and it is a crime to make such a talented band ever mime their songs.
Patti Smith, ‘Because the Night’, The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1978
The Old Grey Whistle Test had some truly brilliant acts in the time it was running. Another being Patti Smith performing ‘Because the Night’. This one is definitely more of an awe-inspiring type of performance. The song was originally written by both Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen, and the genius of the two is explicitly evident in any version you hear of it. Patti Smith looks ahead of her time here. The clothes she wore were simple yet striking. It is something people would still wear today; seeing her at first glance you could not have guessed this was recorded in the 70s. An overall outstanding performance that will have its place in musical history forever.
New Order, ‘Blue Monday’, Top of the Pops, 1983
For those of us who catch up with Top of the Pops on a Friday evening, you may have seen this one recently on ‘The Story of 83.’ The mess-ups are what makes this performance one of the best, or at least a comical performance for fans of New Order. It is universally acknowledged that despite the fact it is one of their most iconic performances, it could potentially be their worst. For all of the different sounds going on, they pulled it off without it being a total disaster. ‘Blue Monday’ is the best-selling 12” single of all time and to be in this crowd experiencing hearing it live the same year it was released would be something remarkable.
Declan Mckenna, ‘The Key to Life on Earth’, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, 2020
Declan Mckenna is an indie gem for this generation. ‘The Key to Life on Earth’ is a song from his latest album, Zeros. In this performance, Declan plays completely on his own. Every instrument you hear in this performance is played by him whilst, of course, he also sings. This is a great performance to see how talented the 22-year-old artist truly is, giving off major Paul McCartney vibes in this acoustic performance of one of his best songs. With just under 60,000 views on YouTube, this performance is severely underrated and if you have not already checked it out, I cannot encourage it enough that you do so. (Honourable mentions to his Zoella poster).
Fontaines D.C., ‘A Hero’s Death’, The Tonight Show, 2021
Fontaines D.C. are an up-and-coming Irish rock band who stunned the world last year with their second album, A Hero’s Death. This performance in particular is very different from the other performances in this list, due to the environment in which it is recorded. Lead Singer, Grian Chatten, walks through an old Irish pub whilst his band is dotted around the scene. This is a live performance, yet the song sounds almost identical in quality as it did in the final recorded version. Fontaines D.C. are not a band to be swept under the rug, and if you haven’t already checked them out. I seriously recommend it.
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