RockAndRollGlobe.com: "Flowers for Andy Rourke" (September 27, 2024)


Flowers for Andy Rourke​

How Blitz Vega rose from the ashes of The Smiths bassist’s tragic passing

September 27, 2024 Lily Moayeri
1000018190_Glitch.jpg
Andy Rourke (Image: Kav Sandhu)
The hidden lights tucked around Kav Sandhu’ shelving keep changing colors, rotating through all the hues of the rainbow.
Sandhu is home in Surrey in the UK for the moment, one of the places he takes up residence, the others being nearby London, New York and Los Angeles. He’s wearing oversized, yellow-tinted glasses, shielding his emotions. But as he speaks about his late bandmate and friend of 25 years, bassist Andy Rourke, most notably of The Smiths, Sandhu’s voice shakes every so often. Finally, he just breaks down. A few tears make their escape, catching Sandhu by surprise.
His reaction is understandable. Northern Gentleman, the album he and Rourke were working on under the name Blitz Vega is nearing its release date of Sept. 27 on Sandhu’s FutureSonic Records. That day is almost exactly one year since Rourke’s passing. The album was recorded over a period of seven years in multiple locations around the world. Rourke’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis arrived early in the recording process, but his attitude and determination to complete Northern Gentleman made him even more of a legend in the eyes of his bandmates, particularly Sandhu.
1000018189_Glitch.jpg
Blitz Vega Northern Gentleman, FutureSonic Records 2024
Sandhu has always been legend adjacent. He’s been in bands or worked on projects with members of New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and Primal Scream, to mention just a few. He met Rourke early in his music career, when he was still a teenager and playing a gig in Manchester with his then band, where Sandhu’s vision and dedication were apparent.
“[Rourke] came into the dressing room after the show and was really complimentary,” Sandhu remembers “He was very kind and made us feel really good about what we were doing. The impression he made that night lasted. Someone who had done so much and was exceptionally talented was so humble and so kind and had time to appreciate new music and people coming into that world for the first time, it really impacted me. Every time I came across him over the years, he was always the same. Genuinely one of the kindest, most talented musicians in the whole pack.”
The two reconnected backstage at Coachella in 2007 when Sandhu was performing with the Happy Mondays. They kept in touch and in 2016 began writing songs for what would eventually become Northern Gentleman. The driving force for Blitz Vega was as a live band, but when Rourke was diagnosed, the 30 dates they had already booked were scrapped. They played less than a handful of dates with Rourke. Instead, they refocused on recording.
1000018188_Glitch.jpg
Andy Rourke and Kav Sandhu of Blitz Vega (Image: Lexi Bonin)
“There were no periods of sadness,” says Sandhu of the seven years of on-and-off recording. “[Rourke] was always smiling and joking and laughing. He’d have an operation, fly to L.A. and we’d be in the studio. Not once was [his illness] mentioned. He’d been completely sober for five years by this point. He was never an out of order, crazy rock ‘n’ roller or anything, but when he became healthy, you got to know the real Andy. There was nothing clouding that. It had a really good influence on me.”
The camera was rolling from the first day of recording to the last moments of rehearsing for the final show, with the idea of turning it into a documentary or docu-series, or behind-the-scenes clips—all of which is still in the works. There is a wealth of footage, which brings with it a perspective for Sandhu which he, of course, didn’t have when things were happening in real time.
He says, “The one thing that made me feel happy about what we were doing was how much joy playing and recording those songs gave Andy and how happy he was when he was doing it — even though he had this thing hanging over him all the way through. It was not something he ever wanted anybody to judge him on. It wasn’t something he discussed. When he guested with Johnny Marr in New York in 2022, it became fairly obvious to the outside world.”



Marr plays guitar on the early single, “Strong Forever,” which is the first time that the former members of The Smiths have recorded together since the group’s disbandment. Northern Gentleman has obvious references to The Smiths, but it is an amalgamation of music from the north of England. “Hole in my Heart” has shades of The Charlatans, “Disconnected” gives nods to The Stone Roses and “Lost & Found” smacks of early Oasis. The through-thread on Northern Gentlemen is musicians having a good time playing together.
It was after Rourke’s passing that being in the studio became difficult for Sandhu. He has spent Rourke’s final days with him at the hospital, playing him the album on headphones and taking down notes from Rourke on his phone. Rourke was very specific about what he wanted and Sandhu was meticulous about following Rourke’s direction.
“It was hard to finish,” Sandhu admits. “I was trying to convince myself the best way to deal with it would be to just get on with it. Then I realized I probably needed to take a break for a bit. I took three weeks to get my head together. It was difficult to go through Andy’s notes, but once I was able to, it felt like a positive process because it’s exactly what he wanted. It actually makes it easier because you don’t have to make the decisions. Anything Blitz Vega now, I’m not making the decisions. Andy’s made it quite straightforward and I’m doing it. All I am doing is making sure I do him proud.”
 
It certainly looks like the behaviour of a shallow opportunist, doesn't it? Optics don't seem to be Morrissey's strong suit, as the spectacular own goals and falsehoods revealed during the reunion/greatest hits/trademark debacles have shown.
Do we really need to turn every single thread on this site into an opportunity for kicking M in the balls? I don't even disagree with you - but we already have threads about the reunion and trademark mess. And the management debacle. This one is a nice reflection about Andy, it doesn't need this shitposting.

It is also absurd to me that someone could interpret Morrissey's acceptance of the reunion offer as some snub of Andy. The offer from AEG never mentioned him, for a start. Realistically, even if he had not passed, Andy had been far too unwell to tour for a long, long time and Morrissey & Marr will have known that. The suggestion that Moz was basically waiting for him to die before he said "Yes" is preposterous.
 
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Flowers for Andy Rourke​

How Blitz Vega rose from the ashes of The Smiths bassist’s tragic passing

September 27, 2024 Lily Moayeri
1000018190_Glitch.jpg
Andy Rourke (Image: Kav Sandhu)
The hidden lights tucked around Kav Sandhu’ shelving keep changing colors, rotating through all the hues of the rainbow.
Sandhu is home in Surrey in the UK for the moment, one of the places he takes up residence, the others being nearby London, New York and Los Angeles. He’s wearing oversized, yellow-tinted glasses, shielding his emotions. But as he speaks about his late bandmate and friend of 25 years, bassist Andy Rourke, most notably of The Smiths, Sandhu’s voice shakes every so often. Finally, he just breaks down. A few tears make their escape, catching Sandhu by surprise.
His reaction is understandable. Northern Gentleman, the album he and Rourke were working on under the name Blitz Vega is nearing its release date of Sept. 27 on Sandhu’s FutureSonic Records. That day is almost exactly one year since Rourke’s passing. The album was recorded over a period of seven years in multiple locations around the world. Rourke’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis arrived early in the recording process, but his attitude and determination to complete Northern Gentleman made him even more of a legend in the eyes of his bandmates, particularly Sandhu.
1000018189_Glitch.jpg
Blitz Vega Northern Gentleman, FutureSonic Records 2024
Sandhu has always been legend adjacent. He’s been in bands or worked on projects with members of New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and Primal Scream, to mention just a few. He met Rourke early in his music career, when he was still a teenager and playing a gig in Manchester with his then band, where Sandhu’s vision and dedication were apparent.
“[Rourke] came into the dressing room after the show and was really complimentary,” Sandhu remembers “He was very kind and made us feel really good about what we were doing. The impression he made that night lasted. Someone who had done so much and was exceptionally talented was so humble and so kind and had time to appreciate new music and people coming into that world for the first time, it really impacted me. Every time I came across him over the years, he was always the same. Genuinely one of the kindest, most talented musicians in the whole pack.”
The two reconnected backstage at Coachella in 2007 when Sandhu was performing with the Happy Mondays. They kept in touch and in 2016 began writing songs for what would eventually become Northern Gentleman. The driving force for Blitz Vega was as a live band, but when Rourke was diagnosed, the 30 dates they had already booked were scrapped. They played less than a handful of dates with Rourke. Instead, they refocused on recording.
1000018188_Glitch.jpg
Andy Rourke and Kav Sandhu of Blitz Vega (Image: Lexi Bonin)
“There were no periods of sadness,” says Sandhu of the seven years of on-and-off recording. “[Rourke] was always smiling and joking and laughing. He’d have an operation, fly to L.A. and we’d be in the studio. Not once was [his illness] mentioned. He’d been completely sober for five years by this point. He was never an out of order, crazy rock ‘n’ roller or anything, but when he became healthy, you got to know the real Andy. There was nothing clouding that. It had a really good influence on me.”
The camera was rolling from the first day of recording to the last moments of rehearsing for the final show, with the idea of turning it into a documentary or docu-series, or behind-the-scenes clips—all of which is still in the works. There is a wealth of footage, which brings with it a perspective for Sandhu which he, of course, didn’t have when things were happening in real time.
He says, “The one thing that made me feel happy about what we were doing was how much joy playing and recording those songs gave Andy and how happy he was when he was doing it — even though he had this thing hanging over him all the way through. It was not something he ever wanted anybody to judge him on. It wasn’t something he discussed. When he guested with Johnny Marr in New York in 2022, it became fairly obvious to the outside world.”



Marr plays guitar on the early single, “Strong Forever,” which is the first time that the former members of The Smiths have recorded together since the group’s disbandment. Northern Gentleman has obvious references to The Smiths, but it is an amalgamation of music from the north of England. “Hole in my Heart” has shades of The Charlatans, “Disconnected” gives nods to The Stone Roses and “Lost & Found” smacks of early Oasis. The through-thread on Northern Gentlemen is musicians having a good time playing together.
It was after Rourke’s passing that being in the studio became difficult for Sandhu. He has spent Rourke’s final days with him at the hospital, playing him the album on headphones and taking down notes from Rourke on his phone. Rourke was very specific about what he wanted and Sandhu was meticulous about following Rourke’s direction.
“It was hard to finish,” Sandhu admits. “I was trying to convince myself the best way to deal with it would be to just get on with it. Then I realized I probably needed to take a break for a bit. I took three weeks to get my head together. It was difficult to go through Andy’s notes, but once I was able to, it felt like a positive process because it’s exactly what he wanted. It actually makes it easier because you don’t have to make the decisions. Anything Blitz Vega now, I’m not making the decisions. Andy’s made it quite straightforward and I’m doing it. All I am doing is making sure I do him proud.”
What a fecking great article. Andy is missed greatly.
Andy was one of Johnnys mates and I do not think he was ever a close friend of M. Andy seemed to respect and like M a great deal.
 
Do we really need to turn every single thread on this site into an opportunity for kicking M in the balls? I don't even disagree with you - but we already have threads about the reunion and trademark mess. And the management debacle. This one is a nice reflection about Andy, it doesn't need this shitposting.

It is also absurd to me that someone could interpret Morrissey's acceptance of the reunion offer as some snub of Andy. The offer from AEG never mentioned him, for a start. Realistically, even if he had not passed, Andy had been far too unwell to tour for a long, long time and Morrissey & Marr will have known that. The suggestion that Moz was basically waiting for him to die before he said "Yes" is preposterous.
Brav the feck O

Marr came and asked M to tour as M and Marr, not as M, Marr and Andy. So if the haters are going after M, surely they should go after Marr. No one should be blame M or Marr for attacking Andy as none of them have.
 
Do we really need to turn every single thread on this site into an opportunity for kicking M in the balls? I don't even disagree with you - but we already have threads about the reunion and trademark mess. And the management debacle. This one is a nice reflection about Andy, it doesn't need this shitposting.

It is also absurd to me that someone could interpret Morrissey's acceptance of the reunion offer as some snub of Andy. The offer from AEG never mentioned him, for a start. Realistically, even if he had not passed, Andy had been far too unwell to tour for a long, long time and Morrissey & Marr will have known that. The suggestion that Moz was basically waiting for him to die before he said "Yes" is preposterous.
The only people on this site are the low IQ, people with shockingly profound and deep rooted psychological problems, and people whose bitterness about a singer whose records they once bought is a security blanket of hate for them for some reason. Everyone else who has passed through here, I would imagine in most cases leave or have left once this website has permanently ruined any fandom they may have once had.

Why it should matter to any fully grown adults here, let alone people who are old enough to have grandchildren, whether Morrissey did or did not get in touch with someone he was in a band with 40 years ago is what’s preposterous.

When i was 32, i heard one of my friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. We never fell out, she never brought a smack addiction into a contractual business relationship with me, and she never sued me. But I hadn’t spoken to her and we hadn’t been in each other’s daily lives for 7 years at that point, and I didn’t consider it was the moment for me to come out of the woodwork so that she and her family would feel like they had yet another person to answer to, to provide answers for the same questions everyone was asking them for the billionth time, or to generally have to spend time on.

Later, I heard from her older sister that they had to publicly request that they didn’t want anyone reaching out anymore because it was something they were dealing with as a family, and that was it. Everything else was a distraction, and everyone else represented time to them; precious time that they had to spend thinking about, or talking to people outside of their family, - which regardless of how well intentioned, is not what they wanted to have to spend their time on.

You’re right that the comments about Morrissey on this thread are nothing short of completely idiotic, when those same people could be spending their time typing something positive about Andy, instead of speculating something negative about anyone else.
 
Do we really need to turn every single thread on this site into an opportunity for kicking M in the balls? I don't even disagree with you - but we already have threads about the reunion and trademark mess. And the management debacle. This one is a nice reflection about Andy, it doesn't need this shitposting.

It is also absurd to me that someone could interpret Morrissey's acceptance of the reunion offer as some snub of Andy. The offer from AEG never mentioned him, for a start. Realistically, even if he had not passed, Andy had been far too unwell to tour for a long, long time and Morrissey & Marr will have known that. The suggestion that Moz was basically waiting for him to die before he said "Yes" is preposterous.
Yeah, I agree with you. It's interesting that when someone dies, they suddenly become beyond reproach and beatified lol.

Rourke/Joyce sued The Smiths - did you hear? Someone wrote a book about it (or at least a few chapters too many).

Both relinquished their right to ever be a part of The Smiths again thereof - nobody denied anyone a payday - they already saw to that themselves.

Promoters clearly recognise that too.

The 2008 conversations between M&M are interesting in what might have been, but I am glad they never went further.
 
Yeah, I agree with you. It's interesting that when someone dies, they suddenly become beyond reproach and beatified lol.

Rourke/Joyce sued The Smiths - did you hear? Someone wrote a book about it (or at least a few chapters too many).

Both relinquished their right to ever be a part of The Smiths again thereof - nobody denied anyone a payday - they already saw to that themselves.

Promoters clearly recognise that too.

The 2008 conversations between M&M are interesting in what might have been, but I am glad they never went further.
Did they legally relinquish their rights to ever be part of the Smiths again? I hadn't heard that.
 
Do we really need to turn every single thread on this site into an opportunity for kicking M in the balls? I don't even disagree with you - but we already have threads about the reunion and trademark mess. And the management debacle. This one is a nice reflection about Andy, it doesn't need this shitposting.

It is also absurd to me that someone could interpret Morrissey's acceptance of the reunion offer as some snub of Andy. The offer from AEG never mentioned him, for a start. Realistically, even if he had not passed, Andy had been far too unwell to tour for a long, long time and Morrissey & Marr will have known that. The suggestion that Moz was basically waiting for him to die before he said "Yes" is preposterous.
Yes 👍
We really do need to carry-on kicking Silly Steven in the balls.

Benny 🇬🇧 :knife:
 
The only people on this site are the low IQ, people with shockingly profound and deep rooted psychological problems, and people whose bitterness about a singer whose records they once bought is a security blanket of hate for them for some reason. Everyone else who has passed through here, I would imagine in most cases leave or have left once this website has permanently ruined any fandom they may have once had.

Why it should matter to any fully grown adults here, let alone people who are old enough to have grandchildren, whether Morrissey did or did not get in touch with someone he was in a band with 40 years ago is what’s preposterous.

When i was 32, i heard one of my friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. We never fell out, she never brought a smack addiction into a contractual business relationship with me, and she never sued me. But I hadn’t spoken to her and we hadn’t been in each other’s daily lives for 7 years at that point, and I didn’t consider it was the moment for me to come out of the woodwork so that she and her family would feel like they had yet another person to answer to, to provide answers for the same questions everyone was asking them for the billionth time, or to generally have to spend time on.

Later, I heard from her older sister that they had to publicly request that they didn’t want anyone reaching out anymore because it was something they were dealing with as a family, and that was it. Everything else was a distraction, and everyone else represented time to them; precious time that they had to spend thinking about, or talking to people outside of their family, - which regardless of how well intentioned, is not what they wanted to have to spend their time on.

You’re right that the comments about Morrissey on this thread are nothing short of completely idiotic, when those same people could be spending their time typing something positive about Andy, instead of speculating something negative about anyone else.

Did you write a very public laudatory eulogy after her death?
 
“The only people on this site are the low IQ, people with shockingly profound and deep rooted psychological problems”.

I can barely believe you started your own contribution with that. Nevertheless, I concede you went on to brilliantly support your argument.
 
Why do you think Johnny is so angry with him that he turned down a huge payday for a reunion? It’s what Andy always wanted.
There was apparently a very recent offer, Moz accepted and apparently Johnny didn't even responded
 

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