Mad Dog Mcrea with support Sheelanagig The Wharf, Tavistock, Devon, 20/09/13

Mad Dog Mcrea with support Sheelanagig
The Wharf, Tavistock, Devon, 20/09/13

Drink fuels sound and souls,
Fast hands and hearts take the stage,
Feet will not be still.

Last night I had the privilege of seeing two fabulous bands breathe much needed life into what is widely perceived as a wilting venue. Tavistock Wharf’s tale is one that seems to be upsettingly common in live music venues. It began life with promise. Its large premises, fine sound rig and an intelligently chosen cadre of acts meant that for a decent amount of time it flourished. The venue also made the effort to put on plenty of local bands and this offer of exposure proved a catalyst that created a vibrant music scene in Tavistock and the surrounding villages for some time

Unfortunately this didn’t last. Whatever the underlying reason was, the Wharf began to rely more and more heavily on uninspired cover bands to fill its schedule. Over time this caused its credibility and crowds to dwindle. This was further exacerbated by the bar and restaurant changing management to a third party.

All this has resulted in a venue that these days rarely lives up to the potential it did, and still should, have. Last night’s gig proved an exception to this. Hordes of fans packed the place and they eagerly devoured the barbeque on offer in order to provide them with the fuel they knew they would need. The selection of food was slim but of good quality and reasonably priced. The bar also offered an acceptable selection of beverages but the prices here seemed to be a little more erratic.

At roughly 9pm people made their way to the stage. The sizeable room soon became crammed with eager spectators and Sheelanagig started their set. It’s an interesting name for a band to be sure but it does seem to be one that becomes easier to say the more inebriated you become. A fact that has undoubtedly been a boon for a band on tour with notoriously heavy drinkers Mad Dog Mcrea. I did research the actual meaning of the word and it is ever so slightly risqué so I have omitted it from the body of the text. If you wish to know have a look at addendum 1 at the bottom of this article.

This 5 piece consisted of fiddle, guitar, double bass, drums and flute player who also switched to banjo for a number of tracks. Right from the get-go they filled the place with energy and before long had the crowd warmed up and tapping their feet. The style of music definitely had folk influences, but also felt Eastern European at points and Sheelanagig seemed committed to drawing from a wide variety of musical styles. This was encapsulated by the fiddle player exclaiming about how one track was a “14th century medieval rock” number.

The performance and banter were wonderfully chaotic, but this didn’t seem to get in the way of what was a very tight and polished group of musicians. The scruffy style and amateur dramatics didn’t detract from the fact that these guys could really play, both individually and as a group.

There were plenty of memorable moments throughout the set. One such moment came when the flutist took it upon himself to teach the audience to skank to a song with a strong ska-style offbeat rhythm, another when we learnt of a tune titled “Vlad the Inhaler.” Yes, you read that correctly. The lyrics conveyed the story of a vampire drug addict which is certainly a creative subject matter.

This was my first time seeing the band and I would thoroughly recommend you go to see them if you get the chance. They put on a performance that raced through your body like a shot of strong alcohol and loosened the audience up perfectly for when Mad Dog Mcrea took the stage after a short break.

For those of you who haven’t heard of the headlining act before I am very glad that I am now ending your ignorance on the matter. This rock tinged folk band are local legends in the South West and have been relentlessly gigging for what seems an eternity. Fronted by Irishman Mike’s distinctive accented vocals and larger than life personality they are a group who never fail to put on a great show.

The bands line up has always been in a state of flux and for this gig Mike was joined by a bassist and whistle player who also dabbled on the flute. The main band also contained a fiddle player and drummer, both of which were young but didn’t suffer from any lack of musical talent. They were also joined briefly by a Banjo Player and more extensively by a man playing the spoons. These kitchen utensils don’t often find their way up on stage but there was no denying that they sounded great and the chap even managed a spoon solo during one song.

Mad Dog Mcrea fans would have recognized plenty of favourites amongst the tracks played. “Am I Drinking Enough?”, “Duck Street”, “Stupid Things” and “Black Fly” all made an appearance. They also powered through “Johnny No Legs” and they really unleashed their Fiddle Player during “The Devil Went down to Georgia.” These last two tracks also benefited from brief sidetracks into some famous songs you might not have expected. The former included an explicit version of “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson and the latter dabbled in the chords from “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.

As Mike mentioned on stage there were people who had come from as far as Manchester and even his homeland of Ireland to see this gig and I don’t think they would have regretted the journey for a moment.

The only negative point I can really think of is that the levelling wasn’t quite as good for Mad Dog as it had seemed to be for Sheelanagig. The sound tech can be forgiven somewhat due to the chaotic nature of the songs and changing line up. It is also a challenging thing to keep on top of adjusting the volume of individual musicians in a band which allows each to take the centre stage throughout their performance.

All in all it was a great show. Two bands brimming with talent and charisma took the stage and did a fabulous job of entertaining the heaving crowd. The Wharf shone like the gemstone it has the potential to be and I challenge anyone who was there to have lasted the whole night without dancing.

1: Sheela na gigs (Síle na gcíoch in Irish) are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva.