Goodbye Mr Mackenzie

As I explained in a previous blog where I videoed The Filthy Tongues, I met the singer songwriter from that band, Martin Metcalfe, back in 2011 when he told me he used to be in Goodbye Mr Mackenzie.

Well, as it was 30 years since their Good Deeds & Dirty Rags album and they announced a short Scottish Tour to celebrate it.

I had Jimmy Cliff and Mark Knopfler tickets for the same nights as their 2 gigs at the Edinburgh Liquid Rooms and the nearest one to me apart from them was the Dunfermline one but it was sold out before I managed to buy tickets for it.

I sent Martin a message asking if he would liked to be interviewed about the gig and tour and he said ok, but then I mentioned my ticket problem and so he put me on the Guest list. Good man.

He is fairly busy these days so I didn’t chase him up about how exactly this interview would take place but I took my video camera along as I am sure he wouldn’t mind me filming the gig for posterity.

I took my Tripod into the gig and I arrived early to try and get a good vantage point. There was a table down the front with a lady sitting at it with a chair either side of her so I asked if one was taken. It wasn’t and so I sat down and started chatting to her. Turns out her name was Wendy and we were joined by her husband Paul, not long after.

They were very pleasant company to be with and Paul even suggested I swapped seats with him so that I could be nearer the stage.

The first act will support them in the Liquid Rooms as a full band called Siel Lien but on this occasion it was just their Singer and Bass/Guitar player.

PJ Mollys was the venue in Dunfermline and it was very loud in its welcoming to the band when they appeared onstage. Obviously this band meant a lot to people back in the 80’s.

I myself had heard of them but never really listened to their music. The night before the gig I played the Good Deeds & Dirty Rags album and was completely blown away.

As I said to Wendy and Paul I don’t think I have heard an album from the past that good that wasn’t a big hit. For sure, they should have been more well known than they were but not everything in life is fair.

It was the backing singer Shirley Manson, who had the most success in terms of popularity with her band Garbage but for tonight her parts were done by the support bands singer Marie Claire White.

Martin certainly looked like he was enjoying singing those old songs again and the audience response was very enthusiastic to say the least, so that probably helped.

The bands guitarist Big John Duncan has got MS and they didn’t think that he would be able to make the gig but after what Martin referred to as a Gargantuan effort he made the tour. He was the main man in The Exploited and also a guitar tech for Nirvana, even playing onstage with them one night in New York.

The crowd members were very eager to shake his hand as he got offstage.

There was a big painting of the recently deceased Keith Flint which I can’t tell you if it was there before he died or was put up as a tribute. Still, Punk not Dead!

Here is the bar from the outside with the ‘Sold Out’ message on the Chalk Board. I am just glad I have contacts. 🙂

Here is nearly the full gig except for some of the last song when my battery died and I had to change it quickly.

I managed to find a recording of it from the previous nights Gig in Dundee so I added that to the end of the playlist.

I popped my head into the changing room of the band after the gig to see if it was possible to go ahead with the interview but Martin looked busy so I just said hello, awesome gig and left.

Maybe I will catch up with him some other time for a chat. Possibly at this event.