His name was above the title. And he did stand centerstage. But it’s clear that basking in the glow of the spotlight doesn’t came naturally to Johnny Marr. Most telling of all was the way he stepped back, away from the crowd, rather than striding forward toward his eager fans when he took the occasional solo. This is Marr’s way. And 20 years into a successful if often unassuming career as a Brit-pop guitar hero — first as Morrissey’s songwriting partner in the Smiths and then largely as a hired gun in other artists’ projects, from Matt Johnson’s the The to Bernard Sumner’s Electronic — he’s not about to change. Drawing attention to himself isn’t on his agenda.

But that didn’t stop the Boston debut of Johnny Marr + the Healers, a studio trio featuring Zak Starkey on drums and Kula Shaker bassist Alonza Bevan that has been augmented to include a utility guitarist/keyboardist for this tour, from drawing a capacity crowd to the Paradise last Friday, and neither did the fact that their debut disc, Boomslang (ArtistDirect), won’t be in stores this Tuesday. Boston has always been receptive to emerging British artists, and as the musical man behind Morrissey’s maudlin moods, Marr is Brit-pop royalty. Smiths fans, meanwhile, have been primed for a proper Marr solo album for more than a decade.

If anything, Marr appeared bemused by the desperate cries of "Johnny" the crowd lobbed between songs. There were also a few shouts for Zak, and every now and again a Brit-pop devotee screamed "Kula Shaker!" to reassure Bevan. The band politely absorbed the crowd’s energy and sent it flowing back through the PA speakers as a warmly melodic, electrified pulse of well-crafted neo-psychedelic grooves. As he switched among a red SG, a black-and-white 12-string Rickenbacker, and a gold-top Les Paul, Marr offered a clinic in post-punk British guitar, from the echoing atmospheric riff that accented "The Last Ride" to the crisp and tuneful arpeggios that opened "Caught Up" to the subtle lite-funk rhythms of "You Are the Magic," with a wah-wah solo and some slide guitar thrown in for good measure. The Stone Rosey liquid flow of Boomslang gave way to more aggressive, dynamic, dramatic arrangements that brought to mind Dusk, the disc Marr guested on for the The. But as a singer and a frontman, he didn’t have it in him to take command of the stage with the confidence and intensity of a Matt Johnson. So though there was plenty to admire and even enjoy about his first Boston set with the Healers, there was also a sense that Johnny Marr is still searching for a voice of his own.