Hear Morrissey Debut Four Songs, Claim UKIP Leadership Election Was Rigged In BBC 6 Music Session

Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP

Hear Morrissey Debut Four Songs, Claim UKIP Leadership Election Was Rigged In BBC 6 Music Session

Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP

Next month, Morrissey is coming back with his new album Low In High School. And today, BBC 6 Music aired a live-in-studio session that Morrissey taped with his band at the Maida Vale Studios. In front of a raucous crowd, Morrissey played a 13-song set. As Pitchfork points out, the set included the new single “Spent The Day In Bed,” as well as four as-yet-unheard new tracks: “I Wish You Lonely,” “When You Open Up Your Legs,” “Home Is A Question Mark,” and “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up On The Stage.” He also covered the Pretenders’ “Back On The Chain Gang.”

But the moment of the show that people will probably discuss the most was not musical. As the Quietus points out, Morrissey made a statement that sure seemed to be in support of Anne Marie Waters, a right-wing, anti-Islamic UK politician. Waters is the founder of the anti-Islamic group Sharia Watch UK, and she has publicly said that Islam is “evil.” Waters had recently run for the leadership of the UK Independence Party, losing narrowly to Henry Bolton. And Morrissey seemed incensed that she’d lost.

Talking to the crowd between songs, Morrissey said, “I was very surprised the other day, it was very interesting for me to see Anne Marie Waters become the head of UKIP. Oh no, sorry, she didn’t, the voting was rigged. I forgot.” Then after a moment of silence from the crowd, Morrissey continued, “You don’t get it, do you? You obviously don’t read the news.”

Elsewhere in the set, Morrissey also made a statement in solidarity with the people of Catalonia, who tried to vote this weekend on whether they wanted to declare independence from Spain. Spanish police attempted to shut down voting and beat and injured many who were attempting to vote. Morrissey told the crowd, “We say free Catalonia from Spain, free the bull from Spain, free everybody from Spain!” He also sang sections of two of his songs in Spanish.

You can hear the full show here (it starts around the two-hour mark) and watch a clip below.

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