Should have provided a post mortem on the above - on August 26th - before now, but better late than never hopefully.
It was a cracking night all in all. Thanks to some good local press and radio plugs, and a lot of coercing of family and friends, we managed to rustle between 75 and 100 people (the number swelled over the first hour I think). The SoM boys loved the theatre and were having great fun experimenting with the acoustics when I called in during the sound-check.
In retrospect my choice of Hannah Robinson as support was a mistake, and probably unfair both to her and a good section of the audience. Those who turned up purely for a 'rock show' found her solo set of bluesy folk numbers altogether too tepid and too much of a contrast, but she rallied towards the end with a lively rendition of '16 tons' and a couple of more lusty numbers, so not a complete disaster.
SoM opened with the now customary curtailed 'Many Are Called' leading into the title track from their own album, accompanied by the sound of seats creaking as all round the room people were suddenly sitting up straighter and paying serious attention. Ego and Circle followed before a Deke interlude comprising 7171, Ride & The View and Fools Like Us (Did they also do Fireplace....? I honestly can't remember. The whole gig passed in a fog of joyful delirium for me to be honest) then Guiding Hand, Otherside, Short Sharp Shock, Bananas and for the encore Spun Rock!
The applause was loud and sincere after every number, prompting Richie to offer thanks for 'making six Welsh boys very happy.'
There was a bit of a light show involved, provided by an enthusiastic volunteer rather than an expert I suspect...but it helped with the overall ambience; and the sound was excellent apart from the usual issue of the keyboards being way too low in the mix. (I saw Gareth Thorrington many times in the Man line-up....but don't remember ever actually hearing him!!)
At the conclusion I emerged from my own personal ecstacy to take soundings from lots of the folk who'd been seeing and hearing a band with MAN DNA for the first time in their lives...and the response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. One mate had gambled and brought 10 of his close and extended family with him. Nine were blown away and the one diessenter - his youngest daughter - has been subsequently disowned by the rest! Another guy whose last gig was Toyah - several decades ago - was so moved he quickly acquired CD and T-shirt, and he wasn't the only one.
I confess to having taken a little while to adjust to SoM's more compact, simpler rock formula, and will always yearn for the extended psychedelic meanderings of yesteryear, but I am now completely bought in. The live experience is different, but no less exciting - a fact much aided by the current and hopefully on-going inclusion of Man and Deke classics of course - and George and co' must be much encouraged by the fact that so many 20-somethings seem to be enjoying it just as much as we dinosaurs.
I was struck for the first time by just how well the telepathy is working twixt George and Glenn, and by the prospect of that becoming as famous and celebrated a partnership as another I could mention!
Finally...if anyone else is thinking of trying to lure SoM to their neck of the woods with the same kind of collaborative venture with the venue that this one was; maybe with a bit of crowd-funding to subsidise their appearance, I would heartily recommend it. Getting the word out and rallying sufficient numbers can be bloody hard work, but with Man's 50th Anniversary next year offering a handy hook for press coverage, you could be performing a useful service in helping raise the band's profile across hitherto uncharted areas of the UK.
I am already plotting strategy for getting them back to Ferndown next year.
