Merrymouth @ MAC Theatre, 24th May 2015

The final night of the Merrymouth tour, in their home city, a day before Simons 50th Birthday; It had all the makings of a really special night, and it didn’t disappoint!

The boys from Merrymouth have been on tour for the past month and were finishing off with a second visit to the intimate MAC theatre located in Cannon Hill Park. Last year when they played the same venue they were promoting their then newly released album Wenlock Hill. This time around, without a new album to promote and the added pressure of showcasing new material Simon, Dan and Adam did what they do best… playing great songs and having a great laugh too.

The doors opened at 19:45, and the band took to the stage at 20:00.  There was no support act, but that didn’t matter; it was clear that the crowd was only there to see the main attraction. Unlike the previous tour, the band were not accompanied by a violinist, which at first I thought may be a little disappointing, but if anything this drew the focus more to the band and emphasised what truly great musicians the trio are.

They opened with the haunting ‘Holy Day’ and went straight into ‘The First Rites Of Spring’ both taken from their first album Simon Fowler’s Merrymouth. Simon’s vocals were on top form as usual, as were Dan and Adam’s backing vocals, which set the tone for the rest of the evening.

The band have always been known for their banter during their set and their interaction with the crowd, but this evening this was taken to a new level. The band seemed very relaxed and to be genuinely enjoying the occasion, talking about their love for folk music, times when they were younger, gay pride (which was being held in the city on the same night) and they even sang happy birthday to a lucky audience member.

The catchy ‘Salt Breeze’ went down a storm with the crowd as they clapped along, and the band giggled throughout it. It seemed that every time they looked at one another it raised a smile, again demonstrating the special bond between the group. That was then followed by the beautifully sang ‘Sweetest Words’. Simon sounded and looked visibly emotional when he dedicated ‘Six O’Clock Waiting’ to his partner, who the track had been written for, but was unfortunately unable to make it to the show.

Dan’s stories about the tour went down brilliantly with the crowd and fellow band mates alike, though his terrible Northern Irish accent wasn’t quite on par with his story telling and was certainly overshadowed by Simon’s. Adam refrained from doing any impressions himself, but did make up for this with his proficiency on not only the piano but also the squeezebox, which he played on the tracks ‘Midst Of Summertime” and their cover of the stranglers ‘The Duchess’ both taken from their second album Wenlock Hill.

Not to be out done by Adam’s squeezebox skills Simon showcased his talent on the ukulele, which he accompanied by a spot on impression of George Formby. Dan and Adam regularly swapped positions at the piano; Dan showing his talent as he played the moving ‘Blink Of An Eye’, which had the audience captivated. There were also great covers of both Bob Dylan’s “Where Have All The Flowers Gone’ and ‘I Am The Resurrection’ by The Stone Roses.

The night was rounded off perfectly when Dan and Adam got the audience to sing happy birthday to Simon who would be celebrating his fiftieth birthday the following day. He then duly returned the favour by performing a spine tingling rendition of ‘The Circle’ followed by the upbeat ‘If You Follow” which saw an audience clap-along lead into a huge ovation as the lads took a bow.

It was a great gig to end the tour and it seemed that the band enjoyed themselves just as much as the audience! You could go and watch this band perform beautiful songs and be blown away, and you could just as easily go and watch them tell stories and jokes all night and be as equally impressed. With Merrymouth you get the best of both. The only criticism I could find is we have got to wait until 2016 until they tour again! A mesmerizing night in a great venue from a top band.

Review: James Wood

Photographs: Steve Kilmister

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