REVIEW: MAD DOG MCREA AT FALMOUTH PRINCESS PAVILION (16/03/12)
A good cheese or fine wine are all said to improve with longevity. The same could be said about Celtic, folk rock, gypsy jazz rogues Mad Dog Mcrea. Not quite as smelly as a Stilton or as ripe as a Bordeaux, Mad Dog are most certainly as pungent and never seem to fail in turning the average, head nodding appreciator into a jiggery, shape throwing magician. After many a curly whirly jig, indecent black flies and endless attempts at answering the most pivotal question at any Mad Dog gig, am I drinking enough? I have subsequently reached the verdict that Mad Dog Mcrea be it in rain, recession or sheer repression, manage to get any crowd jumping and jigging at every outing.
The Princess Pavilion in Falmouth hosted my latest Mad Dog supplement, although this time I had the slightly surreal pleasure of witnessing the performance from behind the scenes. As a photographer it was high time I took on capturing a Mad Dog performance, this did inevitably make for a far less intoxicated event than usual, but the effect was far from sobering. I have watched the band perform for years, in fact since I was twelve. At the ripe old age of twenty-three I have come to witness changes in band personnel, but have yet to see any kind of demise or change in Mad Dog Mcrea’s passion and energy. Front man Mike Mathieson and penny whistler Dan Crimp have been the bands stronghold over the years and have consistently provided us with such an iconic stage presence any fan is familiar with. The red and black top-hatted anarchist and waist-coated pied piper are your bread and butter Mad Dog and have been for a long time.
Princess Pavilion offers you one of those fantastic intimate occasions, where the acoustics are great and the band are close but personal space is not as “sardine” as you might expect. It didn’t take long for Falmouth and Cornwall’s finest to get going either. Right from the off you could feel the vibe of the crowd grow in a driving swell of movement and bounciness. They were brilliant, everything a band would want in a crowd, Mad Dog do seem to implore such vibrant applaud and bring it out of you in some kind of musical exorcism that is near impossible to withhold!
Since releasing their latest album The Whirling Dervish a year ago, the band have been able to offer a new range of live songs and a variety of sets that do consequently provide a degree of freshness. The music itself was extremely tight and well refined, you could hear each instrument and it’s delightful contribution soar in every song. At numerous occasions one would shine above the rest and then equally a song later they all presided in harmony. It’s all well and good playing instruments perfectly, but providing a performance is something completely different.
Mad Dog Mcrea have this surging rhythm to their song choice and stage presence. You can really feel pace and energy build through the crowd and band as the set unveils itself. Amidst such frantic exuberance you are swiftly and suddenly lulled into a mellow calm and delicateness where everyone has a chance to admire and take breath (as they inevitably did for Mike’s beautiful version of Christy Moore’s Beeswing). Of course after this little respite you know that more shenanigans wait around the corner as the set builds to an empathic climax.
Special mention deserves to go to Devil’s Cauldron and it’s pumping drum led beat from Pete Chart who managed to deliver exemplary tightness in every song. Climb A Hill and its rich and rampant buccaneering fiddle provided by Nicky Powell left everyone in awe as she tore into notes with sheer gusto. Dan Crimp’s raw penny whistle and flute playing prowess was admirable as ever throughout and at times is quite ridiculously brilliant. Damien Scarr is a very welcomed addition to the band’s lineup and introduces a deep bellowing pulse from his double bass, let’s not forget cameo Girls Aloud moments from an unlikeliest of vendors, he’s no Cheryl Cole put it that way, but his version is arguably better.
Graham Anderson on banjo and mandolin supplies the band with a fantastic array of sound offering added diversity through his delicate riffs and fast rhythms. Finally onto Mike Mathieson, lead vocals, guitar and crowd inspirer. Mike’s voice is nothing less than tremendous from sound check through to the closing songs. His vivacity and striking stage charisma most certainly caps off the “performance” side of things, with one glare, smile or whoop he can ignite the crowd into some raucous hoedown. In seducing charm and wit Mike can’t help but warm a crowd and most certainly exempt himself from any occasional uncouthness. By the end of the night in Falmouth the crowd may have been led to believe he was working for some guitar fixing company promoting their services with all the restringing going on, although by the third fatality he decided to kill two birds with one Jolly Beggarman and sing at the same time, impressive to say the least!
This year Mad Dog Mcrea have branched out from their South Westerly comforts and are currently on tour around the UK, with shows in London’s Soho, York and Stratford- upon-Avon just a few destinations so far. So if you fancy putting my claims and verdicts to the test or are inquisitive enough to see what shapes you can possibly throw, or you merely just want an amazing time full of dancing, laughing, singing and of course sweating, look no further than Mad Dog Mcrea, I promise you won’t regret it.
Words and photo: Aaron Parsons
