A Smithsonian institution?

They put the miserable into Manchester and now the impact of Eighties band The Smiths is to be studied at a conference in their home city

The songs of the quartet, led by singer Morrisseywill be explored by academics from around the world during a two-day symposium called Why Pamper Life's Complexities - a line from their hit This Charming Man.

The conference takes place at Manchester Metropolitan University on April 8 and 9.