Registered Historical Facts* is my regular series on Morrissey and the Smiths’ appearances in pop culture.

Make-Up Is A Lie by Morrissey (2026)

Make-Up Is A Lie

Morrissey teased us with signing with Sire in December 2025 … then teasing some more with the full album track listing… and then teasing the date of January 9th, 2026.

Due to Spotify leaks (time zone) fans have already downloaded the new single “Make-Up Is A Lie” and made it available to stream and download to other fans. I have listened to the song, and I have to say that I like the Spanish flair of the music, but the lyrics are somewhat of a let-down. I felt it sounded a little too repetitive, for my taste.

For those who are no familiar with Morrissey’s songwriting style, which dates back to his collaboration with Johnny Marr for The Smiths, Moz would listen to the instrumental and then come up with the lyrics to line up with the song. There’s a few tracks that Morrissey never came up with lyrics, one of which is called “Money Changes Everything”. Instead, Bryan Ferry took that song and wrote lyrics for it and released as “The Right Stuff”… so you can see (or imagine) what the evolution of that song might sound like if Morrissey had written lyrics for it.

I’m certain that a week or two after June 9th, you’ll hear more about Morrissey’s new album under Sire Records… which brings me to possible cancellations of Morrissey’s upcoming tour dates. Here’s my theory: since they want to promote the new album, I would imagine that the band has to learn the new setlist and how to play the new songs for their 2026. This may explain why January 3rd (Rancho Mirage, CA – The Show at Aqua Caliente) and January 6th (San Diego, CA – San Diego Civic Theatre) were cancelled or postponed. I know the official reason is “adverse reaction to a prescription medication”, but c’mon do you believe that?

With my theory in effect, I think perhaps January 10th (2026 San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center) there’s a high possibility that it will be postponed… however, I can also see that the date must go on as Morrissey could take advantage of all the press and debut his new single live and would serve to promote the new single. As with previous cancellations, it is really, really hard to predict what Morrissey will do or not do next.

According to San Antonio Current, the January 10th date is “so far, we are told it’s still on, but we know that could potentially change.”

Update: The album, also called Make-Up is a Lie will be released on February 27, 2026.

Uncut Magazine (Feb 2026)

Uncut Magazine

There’s an interview with The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce in the latest issue of Uncut Magazine (cover date of Feb 2026). You can read an expanded interview on their website:

I played with him in 2011. He was doing a Smiths tribute night at Band On The Wall and he asked me to play two or three songs in the encore. I said to him about a soundcheck, just to run through the songs, and he said, ‘Fuckin’ ’ell, don’t you know Smiths songs?!’ He had a very Manc sense of humour, taking the piss a lot. There was always a one-liner or a quip coming out of him. Every time I saw him, he always had a smile on his face. He’s the kind of guy that you’d always want in your band in terms of keeping spirits up, but he’s also a wonderful bass player. There’s a Primal Scream track that Mani played on called “Uptown” from Beautiful Future, and that’s the pocket right there. There’s no flim-flam, it’s just the same thing over and over again, but that’s the bassline, and Mani’s playing is just stupendous. It’s perfect.

That’s pretty cool, I didn’t know Joyce and Mani (from the Stone Roses and who died in November 2025) are friends and have played together. I suppose if you’re in a band from Manchester, you might know everyone in the music scene!

* The title comes a line in The Queen is Dead:

So, I checked all the registered historical facts
and I was shocked into shame to discover
how I’m the 18th pale descendent
of some old queen or other
has the world changed, or have I changed?

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