Review & Photography by Robert Barrett

There was a wonderful time in the late 2010s where Mac DeMarco was touring almost non-stop. UK fans were especially lucky getting regular performances yearly. Known for the rowdy behaviour on stage and crazed fans off stage there was always something to love about a Mac show.

Then Covid hit, and Mac took time off his non-stop schedule, taking the time to mature as an artist and as a person. The music became softer and the lyrics mature. However with the rise of tik tok and Mac’s rediscovery by younger fans, the fanbase almost never changed. On the first night of the UK tour, Birmingham based fans were locked in to witness a new kind of Mac show.

Macs handpicked opener Tex Crick opened the show. His smooth sound almost washed away with the slightly rowdy crowd. This was a Saturday night in Birmingham after all.

Mac gave the crowd a simple wave as he entered the stage, which was enough to set the overhyped crowd off. After a brief band introduction, the melancholy “Shining” kicked off proceedings.

A sea of phones rose up the moment the synth from “For the First Time” chirped up. One of the latest Mac songs to go ultra viral on Tik Tok. It was great to see the love from young fans for what had once been an album track.

One of the biggest changes from previous tours was macs stage presence. Gone were the more outrageous theatrics and guitar tomfoolery. Replaced with an odd but enthralling tweaked out “Frank Sinatra” impression.

Occasionally a guitar made a appearance round his neck, such as for the endlessly charming “Freaking Out The Neighbourhood”. Alongside it some of the old Mac humour peeked out from behind the curtain (Mac mentioning him and Daryl might meet the fans later fully naked for example).

A couple of big hitters including the classic “My kind of Woman” closed out the initial set, with Mac and the band popping on for the final track “Nobody”. No extended drunken encores past curfew, or excessive Mac crowd surfing. This was a new type of Mac show for a new audience, and you know what, there ain’t nothing wrong with that.