What is it about soul music that appeals to women ? I did a quick head count on Friday night and the girls seemed to be outnumbering the boys by about two to one. Is it the simple time signatures, the undemanding lyrical content or straightforward sin-a-long choruses ? Now I love a bit of Stax or Motown as much as the next man , but usually the next man turns out to be a woman.

 

We’d been expecting a decent turn out for Big Mac’s arriving at the club I was greeted by the sight of thirty or so single women slamming back the Breezers in the Lounge. Obviously all on a mission.

 

Gradually the crowd grew to uncomfortable proportions until every seat and table in the club was taken. Thankfully the band had brought their own humper / sound tech to look after the mixing duties and in their wisdom the band decided to forego a soundcheck.

 

The gig kicked off in fine fashion with the brass section entering from the back of the hall while blowing their instruments. Following their arrival on the stage the full band kicked in with a version of James Brown’s Living in America. Predictably the dancefloor became rather crowded and remained so for the rest of the night. Mainly women of course.

 

And now for a few small gripes….

 

I last saw Big Mac’s about 15-20 years ago and I’m pretty sure that they’re still playing the same set.  For such a musically talented band I’d have expected them to have enough material in the locker to drop in the occasional surprise. With 10 minutes of their set left to go it was easy enough to guess what their final few tracks were going to be , I’d been ticking them off in my mind.

 

The guy doing the sound for the band had earlier told me that he’d been looking after Big Mac’s for the last 10 years. Without doubt the guy gave them the flattest, muddiest and most sparkle-free sound that’s ever come out of our system. I spent most of the night standing behind him biting my lip and reaching for the EQ whenever he wasn’t looking. Maybe their time on the hallowed corporate and wedding circuit has removed any edge that they once had.

 

Setting aside those minor quibbles you’d certainly have to say that the band were very slick and they whipped the crowd up on the dancefloor very nicely. Apart from a few of our more cantankerous regulars complaining that they couldn’t have their normal seats, the night went off extremely well.

 

Let’s hope that we see a load of new faces back next week to get grooving to some Floyd.

 

At last the penny seems to have dropped, by booking a recognised band that play a set of well known songs the club was full to capacity on a regular Friday night, which proves people will come out in their masses and it doesn’t have to be a Racing cars Xmas special to lure them in.

So the question has to be asked, ‘Why not do it more often’

There are many Tribute bands out there who you could book that will get the crowds in:
R E M, Oasis, Foo Fighters, Purple, Chilli Peppers, Bowie etc, and there are several of the same band to choose from, so you don’t have to pay stupid money, after all Big Mac’s Wholly Soul Band are not cheap and if you can afford them surely some of the above bands should be in your price range.

A few months ago it was written on the Blog that the club could not sustain dwindling attendances, so a high profile Tribute night once every 3 months could maybe bring in the BIG crowds to offset the small regular crowds that turn up faithfully week in week out to watch the local bands the District put on.

No doubt I will be criticized for suggesting you try this, but look at the door takings you had last Friday and you will find it makes sense.

Mike, I more or less believe that you hit the nail on the head in describing the performance of BIG MAC'S WHOLLY SOUL BAND - i certainly was looking forward to seeing them live for the first time and they did not disappoint - especially the excellent lead vocalist who came across with a great voice that recalled both Joe Cocker & James Brown (and the female backing vocalists delivered too, more so when they took the lead also), but saying all that the music could have had a bit more punch to it as it seemed to just drift in the background throughout the set - the brass section was really good, but a bit more lead guitar action and instrumental breaks would have brought it to another level (...i'm a Hard Rock pig...), and i guess they'll be churning out the same set list for many more years to come... all-in-all though both band & crowd appeared to really enjoy themselves and it's a shame that it's not always this lively at the District... Terry, i have to agree in that booking a high profile tribute band every few months it certainly cannot do the Friday night any harm... it was fantastic to see such a large turn-out and the great response that the band received - even if not musically to everybody's taste (but that's another story)... here's to PURE FLOYD next week...:)