By Jack Lowe
Mac DeMarco returned to Glasgow on Sunday night on excellent form, with a show that walked the line between the sublime and the ridiculous.
The Canadian singer-songwriter is back in the UK following the release of this May’s ‘Here Comes the Cowboy’, and he went some way to embodying the free-spirited ideals of the wild west.
Throughout the show, a massive projector screen displayed visuals of Glasgow comedian Limmy’s ‘Falconhoof’ character, vintage body building shows, and live footage of the band – contributing to the weirdness of the whole affair.
The nods to Scotland went further than Limmy, with the band members drinking Glasgow’s infamous Buckfast Tonic Wine on stage.
DeMarco took to the stage decked out in his usual style, which was emulated by many of his dedicated supporters in the crowd.
Throughout the night, Demarco and the band meandered through a setlist featuring a wide array of his studio output, with the likes of ‘Salad Days’ and ‘My Old Man’ getting huge reactions from an eager audience.
For those that had been with DeMarco the longest, the inclusion of ‘Rock and Roll Night Club’ – the titular song of DeMarco’s first record – was extremely welcome.
There was also time for a new song, ‘I Like Her’ which we may expect to see released in the future.
Musically, DeMarco and the band behind him don’t put a foot wrong, and clearly love playing for an energetic crowd. Three separate renditions of the blazing guitar solo in ‘Freaking out the Neighbourhood’ rendered a rapturous reception from the Glasgow crowd.
Many artists can come to Scotland and give passing marks about the place, but DeMarco and his band seem to thrive in, and obviously have a lot of time for the country. This was perfectly exemplified by bass player Jon Lent’s assertion that he “fucking loves Scotland” and a high energy cover of The Proclaimers classis ‘Over and Done With.”
For those who had seen DeMarco before this may have been a slightly tamer affair, but the showmanship and quality music on display was enough to make sure the audience will be back next time around.
