Under the name The The, British songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Johnson was the maverick of the new wave in the 80s. He approached his music as true concept art, but at the same time catchy songs like This Is The Day and Infected were unrelenting floor fillers at every new wave party. In the new century he recorded a number of soundtracks for his brother Gerhard Johnson and also released
… a film about his own life, but no new work by The The was forthcoming. Perhaps The Comeback Special is a prelude to this, although it contains live recordings that are already three years old at release. In 2018, Johnson toured as The The with a quintet. In the process, his best-known songs experienced - for his purposes - stripped-down performances. Infected, This Is The Day, Uncertain Smile, Heartland... Songs that still come out well live, while nostalgia does the rest. (MR)more
