Into Live Music Review: Proud Mary
I’d heard about Proud Mary here and there over the years, but had never properly checked them out, so when the opportunity arose to see them at Glasgow’s Oran Mor, I grabbed it with both hands.
Their performance took place on the same stage as the iconic ‘A Play, a Pie and a Pint’ series. Though those boards have been treaded on by professional and aspiring actors alike, I hadn’t as yet seen a band there, so this was a double first for me.
Although I didn’t know much about Proud Mary’s back catalogue, I knew they were a bluesy rock five-piece from Manchester, that the tour had been badged ‘reunion’, and that they were the first band to be signed by Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash label back in the early noughties. Due to this, I surmised that it was highly likely they’d be professional and solid. And I wasn’t wrong. I had wondered if the low ceiling at Oran Mor might have compromised their sound. I only say this as I’ve been to gigs where the band, despite playing well, sounded awful, due to their set-up not suiting the venue. This was certainly not the case here though – everything was clear and distinctive, with plenty of energy and stage presence from the band. It was also at exactly the right volume – loud enough to feel it in your bones but not ear-splitting to the extent that detail was lost and ear plugs were needed. Ideal, really.
As the band have been together since 1998, albeit with periods of hiatus and inactivity, I expected the same level of performance you’d expect from five guys who’d been playing in five-a-side football leagues for the past 28 years – and whilst that might seem like an odd analogy, it’s how they came across. Everyone knew what everyone else was doing, each playing to their strengths throughout and never getting in each other’s way. I remember Noel Gallagher saying of the 1996 Knebworth shows with Oasis that he had rehearsed the set so much that he could go to the show as a fan. It’s clear that this level of attention to detail has been absorbed and applied by Proud Mary too.
In short, the gig was an hour and a quarter of proper ‘baws oot’ rock, with Greg Griffin commanding the stage like a true pro. Sometimes when rockers get to a certain age, they need to hold back a little, or change key to protect their voice, but this wasn’t the case with Griffin. He was prominent and could be heard perfectly well over distorted guitars, pulsy bass and pounding drums. Naturally, because they’re from Manchester, a tambourine featured too, but thankfully it wasn’t overplayed, needless or annoying, instead adding an extra sparkle to an already full sound.
Every guitar lick and solo from Tony Auton’s guitar contributed sweetly, demonstrating his obvious proficiency. He also looked like he was really enjoying himself, as did the rest of the band. Having been together so long, undoubtedly there will have been bits of friction along the way, so it was great to see five guys who’d known each other for ages have fun doing what they do best.
Although they were all pretty much new to me, the band played a few new songs throughout the set, making sure to play fan favourites too, including 2001’s ‘Very Best Friend’, a singalong number they’ll have played countless times but can still enrapture crowds with. The fresher tunes sounded every bit as good as older material, so this suggests there’s plenty more to come from Proud Mary in the future.
Some might say that the songs are a bit samey, which I guess they were in terms of tempo and genre, but that’s exactly what I expected. Though crucially each had enough distinction to hold interest and entertain for the duration of the performance. After all, a band who have supported Neil Young, Oasis, Paul Weller and The Black Crowes, are one who know what they’re doing – and the stages they’re on and crowds they play to really deserve to be bigger.
Dickson Telfer
@DicksonTelfer
Photos courtesy of L.Allen