Normally when someone shouts "Fire" in a crowded area, someone is either shot or everyone dashes for the door in terror.

On this occasion, a woman's dream must have come true. For in all my years of going to gigs, I've never seen an artist respond to a crowd calling for a song by actually playing it. It's just not the done thing.

Well, Ian McNabb threw the rock and roll text-book out of the window at the seafront Concorde 2 venue in Brighton on Monday (October 21). As he came on to stage for the encore of his electric set, the call went up from the front row for "Fire" also known as "Fire Inside My Soul." McNabb heard it, announced to the band that he was changing plans, and counted them in. And the crowd went off!

Despite the release of his new album, our hero didn't trouble the audience with any numbers from it during the electric half of his show. I believe he played a few in the earlier acoustic set, but as I was touring the seafront trying to find the venue, I can't confirm this.

I do know that, considering the show only attracted about 200 diehards, the band put up a good showing and displayed genuine enthusiasm in trying circumstances.

McNabb referred to the audience of being like a Japanese crowd...a burst of applause which dies to nothing, and then silence as the band prepare for the next song.

We laughed, he laughed and downed a pint of Guinness in one go...pure genius!

Roger Kasper

26 October 2002.
This review Copyright © 2002, Roger Kasper. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission.