As we were coming down the stairs, PAT McMANUS finished singing Back in the Saddle and launched into his guitar solo. It sounded like a 70's boogie blues rock number that kept on going while we put our coats in the cloakroom and went to the loo and got our drinks and still the solo went on widdling away. Eventually, as we found a spot on the dancefloor they brought the song to a close and Pat flashed his 500 megawatt smile at us and thanked everyone.
He then told us the next song would be an instrumental called Juggernaut and it was just that: a juggernaut of blues-y rock with lots of the sort of stage movements tailor made for American arenas in the days when Pat led the Mama's Boys. In mitigation, it also had hints at the sort of live workout you'd expect from Rory Gallagher in his heyday.
For the next song Pat introduced a couple of special guests. On keyboards was Keith Weir of The Quireboys and he was up there for most of the set, while on vocals from the Mama's Boys was Pat's Brother John for Runaway Dream. I guess it was one of the big tunes they had, but to be honest I never really heard any of their stuff unless it was on the radio or at a club. Also, John seems to have lost whatever singing voice he had as while the band were muscular and talented beyond belief his singing was thin, weedy and just not up to the job.
Pat then gave us a long intro to explain how Rory Gallagher came from one side of Belfast and was one of his heroes. If he was still around, he might now sound something like Pat does on Return Of The G-Man: a song that (to my ears) sounded like a cross between Laundromat and Bullfrog Blues and as funny as Pat's old cliched moves were to look at and as dated as the sounds he makes are, it didn't half rip along and sounded like a good tribute to Rory.
He then switched to an acoustic for Last Thing at Night: a song that made him sound suspiciously like Gary Moore even if it was another well received Mama's Boys song. A good part of the crowd sang along before Pat brought the band back on and paid tribute to Gary Moore who was from the other half of Belfast from Rory. Apparently Pat was somewhere in the middle so that they could play his tribute to Gary called Belfast Boy, even if it had more than a hint of the Parisienen Walkways about it. Not to mention another long solo that was only curtailed when Pat picked up his fiddle to play a solo on the fade out.
They then closed with one more Mama's Boys song (Needle In the Groove) that he got his brother up to sing alternate parts on while thanking us all for our attention. Pat came across as a totally nice guy still stuck somewhere in the 70's but still a phenomenally talented guitarist who I guess plays in the States and Germany a lot.
After the break it was time for THE QUIREBOYS who came on stage slowly with the first three of them launching into an intro while the rest of the band got up and Spike made his entrance and launched into Tramps and Thieves and sounding every bit as good as you'd want them to. They've acquired a new bass player since I last saw them a couple of years ago and while I don't know his name, he's a guy I'm used to seeing propping up bars at various rock clubs over the years. Actualy, if memory serves me right the last time I saw him play he was in Paul D'ianno's Killers. Either way he sounds much better in The Quireboys.
They went almost straight into There She Goes Again which got most of the crowd singing along and Spike grinning while he sang. Then came a good version of Hey You as the band played like a well oiled machine, but then this was the penultimate night of the current tour ahead of recording the new album (or is it during recording the new album?) Whatever, we hadn't been Misled no matter what Spike may have sung about, having had a little while he raised his glass to us.
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Spike Dedicated Too Much of A Good Time to any of our fallen friends who hadn't made it this far. It was a great version with some really good piano parts from Keith Weir pushing the song along. Spike then brought Pat McManus back up to play fiddle on Roses & Rings which is about the slowest song in the set. The fiddle complemented it no end.
White Trash Blues sort of sums up where The Quireboys saw themselves for much of there career. It rollicks along and got everyone going before they slowed it down a little bit again on One For the Road that (again with Pat on fiddle this time trading licks with Guy Griffin and Keith Weir). Pat stayed up for The Last Time wherein Spike threw his mike stand around a little.
Louder actually doesn't sound louder than the rest of the set and is one of the less memorable songs. Perhaps it needed some fiddle on it? Instead, Spike pulled Pat back up again for the band's huge hit Mona Lisa Smiled. That will always make a Quireboys crowd go mad and this time saw a group of guys hugging each other for the whole song! They then went as close to punk as they ever get and strayed from the normal Faces-style rock and roll with This Is Rock & Roll which is, of course, the title of the band's Facebook site and a great song and rallying call as Spike thanked us for helping to keep Rock and Roll alive.
He then annonced a new song Mother Mary. It sounded pretty good and a quintessential Quireboys song which is no bad thing. It took us straight into Sweet Mary Ann (Pat on fiddle again) and had most of the crowd in sing along mode, as did set-closer 7 O'Clock where Spike insisted Tyla from Dogs D'Amour join him onstage and he also suggested they do a tour together so who knows? At any rate, it was a great version with them taking alternate verses for most of the song.
The crowd didn't exactly go wild at the end of the set but with a little encouragement the band came back for a nice slow, sing along version of I Don't Love You Anymore with some nice fiddle playing from Pat McManus who may as well have been up there for the whole set. After a bunch of thank yous and some band introductions, they finished the night with a raucous version of I Love This Dirty Town that was dedicated to both Newcastle and London. On this form, the new album should live up the hardcore fans expectations. No bother at all.
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