Tom McCartney - Photo by Lois Webb
Saturday nights can often be difficult to grab people’s attention in bars and pubs, but as soon as Stacey McMullen graced the stage, there was barely a person that didn't take notice. With his unique and original take on such genres as samba, folk, blues, and many more – he can even rap - his set felt so addictive, you never wanted to leave, not even for a quick toilet break, just in case you missed something special. His jacket, replicating Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, added to his incredibly cool and comfortable stage demeanour, which meant that not only could you not take your ears away from his music, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. His diverse range in musical skills make this guy a great starter for a Saturday night gig, and an exciting musician that could easily headline his own gig in the future.
After people took advantage of the short break, and topped up their drinks, they began nudging themselves closer to the stage again ready for Louis Antoniou & The Blue Jay Ways. After the awesome first support act, it seemed everyone was in anticipation for the next head-bopping band, and before they even reached the second verse of their first track, the audience were already tapping their toes and ruffling their hair. The sound coming from the band was just as clean as on their recorded tracks, but with even more of an atmospheric feel to get the crowd well and truly involved. All three guys seemed to ooze sass on the stage, especially with their outfits, including some spectacular shoes and sideburns that I’m sure had all men in the audience very jealous. The trio also treated the older audience members to a mini Only Fools and Horses set, performed so well, even Del Boy himself would have been proud. With the band coaxing the crowd closer to the stage, everyone was well and truly ready to let their hair down for the final time of the night during the set of the headline band.
By the time Tom McCartney and his band had set up and were ready to rock out, the crowd had grown to a rather hefty amount of people. They band certainly made an entrance with the amount of members, to the point of struggling to fit them all on the stage, but the sound that came from them when they began made it all worth it, and got the whole crowd nodding their heads along.
There may have been a fair few musicians, but the whole band was completely in sync. They absolutely nailed the bluesy, folk style, managing to add their own stamp onto it, even during the more acoustic sounding songs. The maturity to the sound of the group made it hard to believe that there was such a mix of ages, and the power of Tom McCartney’s voice himself could have you fooled into thinking he’s much older than he is. Although the headliners had to finish before their set was over due to Rough Trade’s closing time, they were impressive enough to have kept the crowd wanting more.
Tom McCartney launched his Kicked Outta Town single at Rough Trade Nottingham on Saturday 23 January 2016.
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