MIKE RUTHERFORD AND FRIENDS ARE RECHARGED AND READY FOR GLASGOW
After a break of four years, Mike Rutherford and his Mechanic friends are back on the road, as he puts it “Refuelled, recharged and reconditioned”. Tonight, the extensive UK tour stops off in Glasgow at the plush surroundings of The Royal Concert Hall, giving the band ample opportunity to prove the tag line of being recharged and reconditioned isn’t just paper talk.
The blurb on the tour poster promises all the hits plus a drop of Genesis, and having nine MATM studio albums to pick from plus the Genesis catalogue, it could have been a really long night, not that the audience would have had any complaints, however at around 19:45 the band took to the stage and we were off and running. Opening track Get Up set the tone for the evening. In the absence of Paul Carrack and the late Paul Young, vocal duties are now jointly taken care of by the Canadian born Tim Howar and Andrew Roachford. The magnificent track A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold followed on with Another Cup Of Coffee next. Band introductions by Rutherford include a standing ovation for Nic Collins on drums, son of Genesis drummer Phil. Other stage members on the tour include Luke Juby on keyboards and Anthony Drennan on guitars.
The quote on the poster regarding a drop of Genesis was covered initially with Jesus He Knows Me, from the 1991 album We Can’t Dance. Musically perfect, the vocals were covered by Howar, who lacked the star qualities of original singer Phil Collins, but nine out of ten for attempting a near impossible feat. He did do an admirable job in interacting with the front rows of the auditorium to be fair. Silent Running vocals were taken by Roachford, who’s R & B range is without question. The band took a quick break and returned for a short acoustic session.
Wonder included a snippet of Invisible Touch, where Follow You Follow Me would be the third visit to the Genesis songbook. One more to come in the shape of I Cant Dance once the loud guitars were plugged back in. A chance for Roachford to take centre stage now with a rendition of his big 80s hit Cuddly Toy, which really got the crowd on their feet. Four tracks to go, and probably the four songs the band are most famous for. The Living Years penned by Glaswegian BA Robertson, All I Need Is A Miracle, and Over My Shoulder, before an encore of Word of Mouth would conclude proceedings.
A terrific evening of music from a band on point, this was a set full of top tunes and great musicians. Fans of Genesis should be here to catch one of their heroes live before he calls it a day whereas fans of good music should be here just to catch a great show. Top marks all round.
Review & Photographs by Stephen Wilson
