MacBand - Three Tuns
The Mac Band brought the house down as usual at The Three Tuns in Sutton Coldfield, Saturday 24th July but fortunately they're redecorating now. With their lively renditions of famous covers and lots of visual interest they soon won over the crowd. Pretty girls ended up as their backing singers and some people borrowed their percussionist, Brendan's, hats and bongos.
The sound was very loud and driving in a long thin room which made audience-watching inevitable if you weren't at the very front.
People, I noticed, soon made the transition from watching to jiggling to pogoing. As they danced, one ingenious old chap in red slipped from one empty chair to another like a sneaky voyeuristic weasel as a lady with her head against the monitor signalled her friend that the music was loud but her friend waved her hands in the air like she just didn't care.
Not being young with a life like an open book, I liked their 'Lady Madonna', 'All Right Now', and the chorus of 'Hey Jude'. However, their 'Delilah' was a hoot as a large, bald man in a suit sprang to his feet to make love to his wife in appreciation when it started.
With their new and very talented young guitarist, Mike, The Mac Band now has something to offer fans of blistering, screaming solos. Impressively shredding his way around the fret board, this is a young man who - whilst he doesn't have a funny face like Bren the percussionist - brings rock virtuosity into play. Adrian, the drummer, Mike's dad, was justifiably proud of his success as people applauded his great solos.
I'd been happy peeping around the young ladies shaking their booties and pointing at alternate walls with their elbows until I heard Mark's singing on Prince's 'Kiss' and simply had to get up to see who was out-camping the original. It was he. As numbers ended he'd confide with the crowd, chattily, 'That was exciting, wasn't it?' or 'That was nice.'
The drums and bass together were driving the dancing with a big no-nonsense sound all evening whilst the curiously bespectacled John McCarthy on keyboards produced massive synth sounds so authentic you wondered where the brass section was standing.
At the end of the evening the audience was screaming, 'We want more!' and the Mac Band didn't disappoint. Older gents like myself and the seat-hopping weasel man would have known all the sixties material, but often the crowd got very excited at modern songs. There was a good version of 'Cars' and people roared along with 'Valerie'.
Bob, the lead singer, is always excellent and gave a rock-solid performance. There seemed more harmonies than I remembered from previous gigs too.
Overall, having seen The Mac Band a number of times in recent years, it was clear that this is a very experienced and professional outfit, loud and confident, playing a compelling set. The audience warms to them and they're good at encouraging support. It was also interesting that their sound has evolved and matured so that they're now not just crowd-pleasers - they're playing a raft of truly impressive pop and rock standards tighter and better than ever before.
Highly recommended if you like to jiggle and boogie with your mates.
MacBand - Sonia & Ryan's Wedding Reception
Just a quick thank you for the awesome set you put on at our wedding
last night. The stage was fab, the music was perfect and everybody commented
on how much they enjoyed the band.
We'll come and see you play at a local gig when we get back off honeymoon.
Sonia & Ryan
MacBand - 'Party In The Park' - Dunstable
Just thought we would email you about how thankful we were for letting us use your equipment
for the party in the park. We had a great time although the weather let it down a bit.
We watched some of your set and thought your energy and vibe on stage were great as well as the music :)
Also thanks for the advice:)
From Breaking Culture
MacBand - The Yenton pub -
Morning All,
I just wanted to say a massive thank you to you all for Saturday night. (I'm going to get so much grief for doing this!). Jezza and I don't get out that
often these days - due to 2 small people at home - and I have been going on about the band since last year. Luckily he too thought you were fantastic
and we had one of our best nights out ever on a Saturday at the Yenton. So thank you so so much for a great night and we are looking forward to
seeing you again soon!!
Laura (the one with the scary hair!!). xx
PS - off to get a tambourine now and do some practising!!!
MacBand - The Kingsley
The MacBand were on form, November 28th at a newly refurbished pub, The Kingsley By The Canal, in the Minworth area, where they played their excellent set of covers with great enthusiasm. With their strutting master-of-camp bass-player pouting and boggling wildly, their bespectacled wizard keyboardist, many-pedalled lead player, sledge-hammering drummer, ingeniously clattering and hamming-it-up percussionist, and excellent vocals, this is a band to book. They're available for civic functions, military luncheons and policemens' truncheons. There were young people sitting in the 'impress us for we're not easily swayed' seats who were leaping around like mad Morris dancers by the end of the evening. Nearly everyone in the place joined in on the regulation 'Mustang Sally' as well as 'Valerie', and 'Hey Jude'.
Everyone had a great time dancing. My wife had me up... which is unusual these days.
MacBand - Walsall Golf Club
Atriumphant return to Walsall for the Maccies on a cold wet Saturday in November 2009... read comment from the Golf Club Members' forum:
On a cold ,wet and miserable night the last thing I wanted to do was venture out but my wife insisted that we musn't let paul murray and liz betts down after the gargantuan effort they had put in to sell tickets for the return of the MACBAND. Despite my protests of being too old trevor and gill pinnegar collected us at 7.30. and off we went ;the club was full with at least 120 people and only by courtesy of stuart mcnee retaining a table for pensioners were we able to sit down.
I must confess I reckon i didnt know at least 60 of the audience but was immediately comforted by coming across a table packed with venerable seniors including steve ellis ,geoff tart ,geoff lees and phil wright.
New stewardess marie was zooming about with hot plates whilst richard moorhouse mopped his fevered brow trying to keep up with bar orders.
I thought it started a little slowly but maybe by way of setting an example our president phil white and his wife janet were soon on the dance floor displaying shades of 'fred and ginger' Richard lambert , treading the boards very gingerly, was soon demonstrating hitherto unseen dance steps suitably accompanied by margaret wright and then everyone joined in .
The next 2 hours went by in a blur including the songs where MACBAND invited the audience to participate on stage ;despite protestations from all who knew me I again seized my chance and hammered out catastrophic vocal versions of several tunes aided and abbetted by chris and dave hopkins ; furthurmore I felt darren harper excelled on the drums and paul murray's voice had a sound all of its own.
Though no expert the MACBAND have an enormous musical talent and to be able to get 100 or so people of ages from as young as 17 to 70 plus requires a special talent.
I admire bob the lead singer but my favourite is mark ,on bass guitar and vocals who is the closest thing to pete townshend ;some of his histrionic jerking movements suggest an extreme case of st vitas dance but boy can he play .I did flummox him however when i asked if could play anything by michael holiday or guy mitchell !
the 'piece de resistance ' was an encore of MUSTANG SALLY when the vocals were taken over by phil cooke and richard lambert ;needless to say they massacrered the piece and cleared the dance floor quicker than a cannister of zyklon b .
all in all a tremendous night ;a lot of younger people and a lot of newer members and members guest ; everybody well behaved ,well dressed and a terrific atmosphere .
well done again to paul liz and all the other helpers who made it such a good night ....... by Terry Henwood
Paul, Liz, Dave et al - thanks for a stunning night of entertainment. One of the best nights we've had at Walsall GC (and i've been to 19 Woody Do's). My guests certainly got a different view of "Stuffy" Golf Club events and will no doubt be first in the queue for future productions.... by Philip Cooke
Although a bit long in the tooth for the Macband it is good to see such good reports coming from the younger elements of the club.A social event is all about having a good time and if this can be done at a reasonable cost so much the better.The President and his lady enjoyed it .A trip down memory lane for two old rocker and jivers....... by Brian Perkes
YOU HAVE TO GET THAT BAND IN FOR THE CHRISTMAS PARTY!! THEY ROCKED BIGTIME!!...... by Richard Hampton
