Ian McLagen The Cluny Newcastle 13 August 2011
David and I went to see Ian McLagen of the Small Faces and Faces fame at the Cluny last night. It was great to see a legend playing in an intimate setting. Mac has just completed a set of dates with the Faces, and is out, along with the bass player from his Bump band Jon Notarthomas, touring the clubs of the UK and Ireland, before returning to Texas, where he now lives. His set consists largely of his own songs from recent albums, along with a Small Faces song and a few Faces songs.
He arrived on stage shortly after 9pm and started the set on his own with a song written for his old mate Ronnie Lane, Hello Old Friend. This was followed by Loverman and Been A Long Time, both songs from his recent albums. His keyboard playing is spot on and he looks and sounds great, his rough vocals sounding not unlike his former band mate Rod Stewart. He was soon joined by Jon Notarthomas on bass and gave us the Small Faces B side Get Yourself Together; a song which he explained he had forgotten, until he was reminded of it by Paul Weller.
Faces songs Cindy Incidentally, which Mac wrote with Rod and Ronnie Wood, and Glad and Sorry, a Ronnie Lane song, were also played. One of the encores was The Faces Debris, from A Nods as Good as a Wink, another Ronnie Lane, written for his dad. The set was littered with great banter with the audience and some snippets of stories, including one about Keith Moon, a pink Rolls Royce with speakers on the outside (!), an inflatable doll, and a mad midnight drive through Glasgow in the 60s on a Small Faces/Who tour. Its great to have the chance to see a legend in a small club setting. He also promised more Faces dates in 2012 and said that they should try to get to Newcastle for a show; I would love to see that come true.
Ian McLagen website
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