THE SWEET & KIRA MAC
A blockbuster of a ballroom blitz!
On Tuesday night, I went to see Hugh Cornwell expecting to see a brilliant performance from a living legend. It was, ahem, not a brilliant performance and he came across as anything but legendary. Tonight, I go to see The Sweet expecting some cheesy fun that is, well, a bit rubbish. Yes, it was cheesy in places, yes it was fun but it was anything but rubbish.
But that is for later. First we have KIRA MAC. Normally fronting a full band, tonight Mac is backed up by an acoustic guitar. Mac has a very strong voice, kinda hitting the middle ground between Alannah (Black Velvet) Myles and Bonnie Tyler. Between songs, she is an engaging and entertaining. The music is a decent, if unoriginal, mix of country soul and blues. It’s not really my thing but Mac will be coming back to Norwich – with the full band - for a headline show next year and it’ll be interesting to see how the electric experience compares to tonight’s show.
And now to THE SWEET. The thirteen song main set and two song encore show Sweet to be a much, much better band than many – me included – might expect. Of the classic line-up that enjoyed an almost peerless run of hits in the early to mid-70s, guitarist Andy Scott is the last man standing. The current line-up includes Bruce Bisland – in his 30th year with Sweet – on drums, lead vocalist Paul Manzi, bassman Lee Small and Tom Corey on keys and guitar. All of the instrumentalists are great but Bisland may be the secret weapon. He is absolutely rock solid on drums. Sneaking a view from behind the onstage mixing desk, the economy of movement that produces such a heavy drum sounds suggests a mastery of the one-inch punch.
Of course, the classics get played. From opener Action to main set closer Fox On The Run, the band’s energy levels barely let up. There are the classics - I mean, how can you go wrong with New York Groove, Hell Raiser, Teenage Rampage and Wig Wam Bam? – and there is cheese – Little Willy – but there are a couple of moments that don’t do it for me, too. Everything is a touch too 80s American AOR for my tastes and Set Me Free strays too close to Darkness-style cod-metal for comfort. The AC/DC style boogie of Windy City is a welcome surprise, however, and the encore of Blockbuster and Ballroom Blitz showcase Sweet at their gloriously overblown best.
The majority of the audience is of, ahem, advancing years. That is not surprising. What was surprising was that a fair few of the crowd were in their late teens and were not only singing along but were word perfect to songs, some of which were probably hits before their parents were born. And that shows the evergreen appeal of a great band, playing good time rock music and having a blast doing it.
