It's The Smiths v Girls Aloud

Katherine Faulkner

January 09, 2010

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Girls Aloud

A SHOWDOWN is brewing between Manchester legends The Smiths and pop superstars Girls Aloud.

Fans of both acts are battling it out on social networking website Facebook to get them to number one in the second week of February.

Girls Aloud fans want the group’s single Untouchable to top the charts. The song, which was released in April last year, was the group’s only single not to top the charts.

But a Smiths tribute band, The Smiths Indeed, have started a rival campaign to give the Mancunian band their first ever British number one on the 25th anniversary of one of their most successful records. The tribute act want How Soon Is Now to reach number one to celebrate the February 1985 release of Meat Is Murder, the band’s most successful album.

The group backing Girls Aloud is more than twice as big, with 7,333 fans.

But The Smiths group was only launched on Tuesday and has so far attracted 3,127 members – nearly 1,000 a day.

The campaign has been backed by ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce.

The Smiths Indeed lead singer Jurgen Wendelen, 32, said he thought The Smiths’ chances against Girls Aloud were ‘very good.’

Liverpool-based Mr Wendelen said: "I don’t rate Girls Aloud’s music at all.

"It is manufactured – it doesn’t come from anywhere, it doesn’t say anything. If anyone deserves a UK number one it is The Smiths.

"Their contribution to British culture is outstanding.

"The Smiths’ music was created out of a need to say something real through music and that is what we need now in the charts."

How Soon Is Now is considered by many to be the band’s best song, but was released as a B-side and never reached number one.

Mr Wendelen said: "It would be fantastic to get it to number one to celebrate the Smiths and their enormous impact on music."

The Smiths formed in Manchester in 1982 but never released a single that charted higher than at number 10 in Britain.

The top spot will go to the single bought or downloaded the most times between January 31 and February 6.

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Bigmouth strikes again, Manchester (09/01/2010 at 09:59)

Love The Smiths, as my name suggests! Best British band ever in my opinion.

h h (09/01/2010 at 10:35)

Why do newspapers never get their facts straight before printing?! The Girls Aloud campaign is for Top 10, not #1.

chopchop (09/01/2010 at 10:43)

I heard a rumor that Marr played some guitar on a Girls Aloud album?

The ASBO, RN (09/01/2010 at 12:00)

The Smiths versus Girls Aloud!? Quite frankly there's no comparison!

moo mooson (09/01/2010 at 12:07)

Yes it's true Johnny Marr played on a track on Girls Aloud's last album :) So I don't think The Smiths themselves would be quite as disparaging about them as this tribute act singer is

Bigmouth strikes again, Manchester (09/01/2010 at 12:27)

I think its more to do with writing the wrongs done by radio 1 all those years ago, who decided people would like to hear music by Phil Collins and the like, so they decided not to play The Smiths. Its not a campaign against girls aloud. They just have a single out at the same time. I'm sure girls aloud wont be talked about or selling out world tours in 25 years, as Morrissey does on his own with his solo work, or Marr with The Cribs and various other musical projects. Quite simply....legends!

Tim1980 (09/01/2010 at 13:12)

"The campaign has been backed by ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce."

Of course he'd back it - it'll help pay for a few more nights of quaffing champaigne in the Northern Quarter with his mate Bonehead while they both desperately hope people recognise them...

Michael Kelly (09/01/2010 at 13:29)

To be quite truthful I would sooner have Grandad by Clive Dunn at number one than either of those two

joanne card, manchester (09/01/2010 at 13:42)

if the smiths ever had a number 1 hit i would be devastated.....
pop charts. pppffffftttttt!!!!!!! the territory of manufactured nonsense
I'm voting for Girls aloud so I just might die with a smile on my face afterall.

a lesson in pride , Manchester (09/01/2010 at 14:44)

I will lend my support to The Smiths although I think their best song is There is a light that never goes out.

It may be 34 yrs but it will never be 37yrs. (09/01/2010 at 15:57)

Either band finger and throat comes to mind.

A. Coates, manchester (09/01/2010 at 16:46)

be great if how soon is now got to number 1. Give The Smiths the number one they so rightly deserve

lilmoxie, Detroit (10/01/2010 at 03:49)

Is this real? I can proudly say I couldn't name one Girls Aloud song. Or member. Or record. Surely this is a joke.

RED2THE CORE (10/01/2010 at 12:49)

The smithsare imply outstanding in they never had a no 1 and i dont think they was bothered the were voted by nme as the most influential band of al time with great music and song writing.
There will never be another be a band to touch them ever again.

Guten Tag, Manchester (10/01/2010 at 13:52)

"How Soon Is Now?" A wonderful record that came out the same time my sweetheart binned me. In the middle of the dance floor in the Cyprus Tavern, tear in my eye, dancing along alone to the haunting melody! I certainly won't be backing any of this, too many painful memories! Boo-hoo!

Ace Riley, outsidethebox (10/01/2010 at 14:30)

How can you compare these two bands the smiths are original in every way they wrote and honed their own style and tell me how many bands have you seen like the smiths? and yet the girl band was/and is just another designer way of making money from a "Plastic group of girls" talentless and souless.How many local clubs and pubs did the girlband play in ?????answer none.To compare a second rate designer band to a local inventive group of music masters. is a non starter.

stu (10/01/2010 at 15:48)

'The song, which was released in April last year, was the group’s only single not to top the charts.'

Another glaring error here.... Girls Aloud have actually had only 3 number ones, and they've had 19 singles not make the top of the charts!!!!

Viva Fergie. Manchester is RED, Mancunia (10/01/2010 at 16:21)

The Smiths, please

tiggerluc, somewhere in shaw (10/01/2010 at 16:25)

No contest really.

Cardinal sin menting g**ls al**d and THE SMITHS in the same sentence. See cant even bring meself to type them both in the same sentence. What next Ms Cole & Co being photographed outside Salford boys club?

Anthony Cutt (10/01/2010 at 17:32)

I love Morrissey & The Smiths but come on, How Soon Is Now is 25 years old! What would be the point of getting it to number one now? More to the point, what's the point of shelling out 75p to buy a song you already own (and knowing Smiths fans like I do, owning it on several formats)?

tiggerluc, somewhere in shaw (10/01/2010 at 21:47)

Joanne - i assume your comments were tongue in cheek as g**ls a***d are manufactored themselves.

Antony - Rage Against Machine song is about 15 years old, and stuffed that suggar filled palp The Climb something rotten (thankgod)

Pandora (11/01/2010 at 02:15)

Both overrated rubbish, so what is the problem?

Pushkin (11/01/2010 at 12:32)

I wouldn't open my curtains if either of them were playing in my garden.

Toneless yodelling or homogenised muzak - what a choice?

Mrs Jammy, Sitting on the settee (11/01/2010 at 16:50)

Well, theres only one way to find out...................FIGHT!!!!!

Come on The Smiths!!

LCG, SALE (11/01/2010 at 20:15)

"How Soon Is Now is considered by many to be the band’s best song, but was released as a B-side and never reached number one".

Has anyone mentioned how awfully wrong this comment is?

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