Johnny Marr releases video for the song Upstarts

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Solo album The Messenger due 26 February

Johnny Marr's signature guitar sound is in full bloom on his new song, Upstarts
Johnny Marr's signature guitar sound is in full bloom on his new song, Upstarts (Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Corbis)

Johnny Marr, his signature Fender Jaguar guitar and his impossibly cool haircut are all in fine form in the video of his new song Upstarts, which you can view above.

Marr has already premiered a couple of cuts, along with a video for the title track, of his forthcoming album The Messenger, but Upstarts is the disc's first official single. The full-length album drops 26 February.

Since leaving The Smiths, Marr has played with a variety of other bands, such as The Pretenders, Modest Mouse and The Cribs. The Messenger is the guitarist's debut as a solo artist.

Describing Upstarts to Stereogum, Marr said that it's a "lighthearted description of leaving school and getting screwed and not knowing enough to engage in some productive political discourse but still being wise enough to throw up your middle finger and say 'Fuck you.'"

Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.