AN HOUR of tales involving Britpop behemoths Blur and Oasis, with mentions of Suede and Ride and beginning with walk-on music by my first-ever music love Madness?
OK, where do I sign?
There was a fair hit of nostalgia in this show for me, even though Mr Macleod was, in my humble opinion, unnecessarily harsh about Tomorrow’s World.
The subtitle of Andy’s story – A Failed Rockstar’s Guide To Success – sums it up in a nutshell.
After trying and failing to achieve the indy rock triumphant triumvirate of a hit record, an appearance on Top Of The Pops and headlining Glastonbury with his band The Pointy Birds (yes, I know) he thought he’d cracked it by spinning being a gig promoter at the Camden Falcon into managing the next big thing – an all-female Norwegian three-piece who looked like Abba and sounded like Nirvana.
I know, even I could tell they had as much chance of making it big as a babysitting business during King Herod’s reign.
But that doesn’t detract from a funny and touching tale that takes us to the London heart of the Britpop scene, even though the record shop Andy used to work in as a “vinyl misfiler” achieve more fame than he ever did by appearing on Oasis’s smash-hit debut album What’s The Story Morning Glory.
The highlight of the show for me was Andy’s rendition of one of his early songs that was “enhanced” by the band’s Moog synthesiser player – think a pleasant enough Oasis-esque ditty ruined by BBC Radiophonic Workshop-style honks and parps.
And herein lies the nub of it. This is a pleasant enough hour in the company of a nice guy with some decent tales but, like his two stabs at success in the music biz, it never really achieves critical mass.
I feel like a man kicking a puppy saying that as Andy clearly loves what he’s doing, and says he loved every minute of his previous visit to the Fringe a few years ago with the story of his imploding band.
Well, I saw a very early performance of that show, too, and the improvement is vast though still somewhat amateurish. For someone who has spent his life trying to be onstage he doesn’t seem entirely at ease up there.
But what do I know? Andy’s show is, on the surface, about failing once again but he has parlayed his experiences into a lecturing gig and is now hugely enjoying himself as the lead singer of a Cure covers band so winner, winner, chicken dinner.
That said, I’m sure he misquotes the lyrics to Boys Don’t Cry…
Andy Macleod’s Soho Days and Camden Nights, 14.25 , Just The Tonic Mash House – Cask Room from August 6-17
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/andy-macleod-s-soho-days-and-camden-nights
