Hello,
Now this is what I call a biased review:given how high I hold Mac's back catalogue this was always going to be written through rose-coloured shades.
As it goes,it really was a special show.Playing to a less-than-capacity crowd,in less-than- stellar surroundings made no difference to this band-they delivered,and then some.
The four of them are such seasoned campaigners that they rolled-up in a rented Mercedes van that'd seen better days,disembarked and carried their own guitars in and after a quick set-list discussion,strolled onstage.No muss,no fuss,but you could almost feel the love in the room for Mac,and no wonder because he seems like the most personable bloke in the world.
Instead of the audience making him feel at home,it was the other way round!Between each song he'd explain who wrote it,or the circumstances as to how a particular song came to be or just be funny...as he said at the start,
"...Right,we're gonna have a lot of fun tonight!".
And we did.Whether they played Small Faces tracks like "Get Yourself Together" or Faces gems like "Cindy Incidentally" or "Your So Rude",or songs from The Bump Band,they were all delivered in a raucous but fresh way.What really surprised me was how great Mac's vocals were:raw but strong!
I think it's fair to say he knows his way around a Hammond,too.What was funny was hearing him slate the keyboard/electric piano he was alternating with as he ran through the gimmicky pre-programmed sound effects.He loves to laugh.
Talking briefly with him after the show he said how much he missed his own Hamond,"Betsy" whom he's owned for almost 40 years now!
He also paid tribute to Stevie Marriot and Ronnie Lane in particular:he speaks of them in the present tense as though they are never too far from him.Touching stuff,and never mawkish.The other members of The Bump Band are dynamite too.They are the kind of band that you wish would keep on playing,but after 90 minutes it was all over.
Mac then invited the audience to stay behind for a meet'n'greet,to the security staff's slight displeasure.Hah!
After about half an hour I got his attention for 2 or 3 minutes,and he didn't disappoint then either.I know that these occasions are also about shifting some product too but he was happy to chat,sign stuff or pose for a dodgy photo.Just a genuine bloke.
No apologies for the slightly deranged look in my eyes-I couldn't believe it!
Cheers,
Si.