What a great lineup this was, for the Mackenzies’ long overdue return to the Barras – their first visit since 2019, of course postponed since last December due to you-know-what.
In front of a growing crowd, Glasgow’s Lola in Slacks were on first, and gave their most confident performance that BM has yet heard. Always doing it their way, with no particular scene associations, it is fair to say they are no spring chickens but their experience shows in their nuanced and slightly dark take on blues-pop. The group comprises Louise on breathy but resounding lead vocals plus others on guitar, bass, drums and keys. The tracks are resolute and gorgeous with some definite nods to French chanson and Americana.
Young Calum Easter then made an appearance at possibly his biggest stage to date. Tonight he eschewed the usual accordion for an electric guitar and, accompanied by a live drummer, blasted through some tracks from his current album ‘System’, among others.
This somewhat more jarring than the usual instrumental backing and may have been designed to cut through the inevitable background noise and chatter at a larger gig. It certainly suited CE’s voice. Clad in his now trademark white suit but with less between songs chat, he gained the attention of the audience and surely a few new fans as well.
GMM were majestic, imperious even, tonight. At a gig which like so many others had been cancelled at least once, they took the audience by the scruff of its neck and produced a bravura performance, although it was also packed with variety.
The new familiar line-up of Metcalfe on vocals, Kelly on drums, Fin on bass, Rhona Scobie on keys, big John and Jim Brady on twin guitars and Tippi on backing vocals is now a formidable but very sinuous live machine. John arrived onstage first, walking with callipers but without human assistance, a ridiculously broad grin on his face, lighting the room and causing a spontaneous outburst of joy from the almost capacity audience.
After the others assembled it was straight down to business with “Her Master’s Voice”, followed swiftly by cut after cut of vital, essential songs mainly from the first two albums.
‘Hammer and Tongs’ material tonight got four outings but we also got the still scalding ‘ace to Face’, John on vocals for cover ‘The Way I Walk’, a slightly rarer airing of ‘Niagra’ which Metcalfe drew out for much audience participation and the welcome runs through the “greatest hits”, still provoking wild audience reaction even though many of us have now heard GMM play these several times since 2018 when things restarted…
The encores of ‘Goodwill City’ (“we never thought this song would come to mean something else” quipped MM) and set closer ‘Goodbye Mr Mackenzie’ were also very welcome and sent the audience satisfied into the night.
This was probably the most dramatic and convincing GMM performance that BM has witnessed to date, and on the day of Martin Metcalfe’s 60th birthday, this really was some achievement.