Stevie Mac - The Pavilion, Belfast
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The Pavilion, Belfast
Sunday 16th September 2012
, for me, has always been about the electronic beats- whether it be with or work with , I have always massively enjoyed his indulgent electro pop. Walking into the Lagan Sessions tonight, I quickly see this will not be the case. Seemingly exclusively acoustic, I am instantly curious how my electro local hero will get on.
Following an opening by the night's (strangely matched) organisers, totally irreverent and comical Steve and serious, heartfelt Dave, Stevie takes to the stage with nothing more than his acoustic guitar. I am curious to hear this, given that Stevie Mac is a man I have down purely as an electro artist.
The opening track, 'Cleansing Fire', showcases that Stevie is more than capable of achieving depth through acoustic stylings. Nonetheless, I can't help thinking. when he breaks down to just vocals and percussive guitar, that I would really like to hear him with a full band.听He understands, and more importantly is really good at layering music, so should exploit this with a group.听
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'Across The Wire' is a new track, taking from the hopefully upcoming EP. Unusually about telecommunications (really, I can only think of 'Telephone Line' by ELO also in this category), Stevie delivers an acoustic song about this electronic subject. It isn't my favourite song of the night, but the chord progression in the bridge instantly catches my attention. As a big fan of key modulations, the key change is brilliant. Fire in a few wee minor keys, and I am ON YOUR TEAM.
My electro local hero showed his face a little bit in the next track. Reminiscing about a Jacques Le Cont gig in The Limelight, Stevie catches my attention once more. 鈥淚 love Jacques Le Cont!鈥, I squeal quietly. The song that follows, 鈥淭he Dancefloor Gently Deserts鈥 is so heartfelt and thoughtful that I feel genuinely ashamed of myself for thinking about nothing more than getting my coat at the end of a gig.
The penultimate song, 鈥淏onnie and Clyde鈥 is a self confessed dock of the hat to Springsteen. The change of pace and style is toe-tappingly great, and seeing Stevie's clear love of The Boss is really enjoyable to watch. Stevie finishes with 鈥淪end Her To Me鈥, a totally sweet song about bad boyfriends neglecting awesome girlfriends, and how Stevie reckons if 'you don't worship the ground she walk n', send her to him. For me, the vocal reminded me hugely of Steve Toner (another wee heartfelt vocalist) and The Queer Giraffes.
All in all, I was impressed seeing another side to Stevie, a guy who clearly knows his music. I prefer his electro stuff, but that is nothing but personal taste - he's great acoustically too. The event itself may have put me off a bit as well. With more promotion and a slight loosening of 'THE RULES', it would be a class wee spot to go to listen to local acoustic talent. In the meantime however, I will be sticking with Ken Haddock in the Empire.
Cat Anderson
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