Minutes before McCann started their set in NHC Music I was
frantically looking for the numbers of either MacGyver or Mr T as their
expertise in making something from nothing would have been helpful.
Due to a mix up in communication the band were semi electric
rather than full on acoustic and the set up in-store doesn't accommodate that.
Someone, anyone, appearing with a soldering iron, a kettle
plug and a degree in electrical engineering would have been a godsend at that
moment, but it wasn't to be.
However as I muttered under my breath repeatedly that the
show must go on the gods of rock and roll must have heard me and nudged the
band to very graciously say ‘don’t worry about it’ before they then proceeded
to give everyone an example of a master class in how to entertain.
To say that they were well received would be an exercise in
stating the obvious.
There was no slow introduction as the band deal in delivering
a jolt of the good stuff straight to you.
Even with the full flow of them being partially contained by
operating without a large PA backing them up the power they put out would be
enough to light up a small town.
Give them the full works and they could generate enough to
make a wind farm owner blush.
Steeped in decades of appreciation of good music they are the
sonic alchemists who are taking multiple strands of influences and moulding
them to their own will before then weaving those golden threads into an
impressive tapestry of their very own.
If you are a music lover, and have a large collection of
releases covering multiple genres, then imagine someone taking them all and
melting them down to ultimately press an album that sounds like an over arching
representation of everything you love.
That’s what McCann sound like.
Well they do to me.
Sprinkled through the set of originals were some crowd
pleasing covers from the Clash, Icicle Works, Depeche Mode and The Cult.
All played with passion and tailored to the bands sound
rather than being note by note facsimiles of the originals.
This allowed everything to flow rapidly from the start of
the set to the rapturous end without the quality levels rising and falling as
can occasionally happen.
Especially when a band throw in a well played classic and expect
it to sit comfortably with their own lesser known material.
This is the second time I have seen the band perform since
they reformed and both sets played, while different, have been a gig goer’s wet
dream.
So keep your ears to the ground as they are on of the
current crop of not to be missed bands that are doing the rounds.
Maybe this time around they will reap the benefits they so
richly deserve.
I tip my hat to these guys. So should you.
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