Meg Mac invited us all to her party on her latest tour. The tour, celebrating her fourth studio album It’s My Party, is an intimate theatres tour and the show reflects this, sitting somewhere between a regular gig experience and a theatre show.
Flanked by her two backing singers, Hannah and Dani, Meg took us on a journey from the very beginning of her musical career to how we ended up being guests at her party. My first observation was how much Meg’s voice is made for live performances. There’s a power and a resonance that just brings out something more in her songs that you don’t get from the studio versions.
I loved the concept of the show. Centred around a 12 person ‘party’ table taking over much of the stage, you do initially wonder how visually interesting it will be – like there’s not a lot of space here to do things – but Meg sat at, sat on and stood on the table at different points throughout the night and this really was a masterclass in minimalist theatre as much as it was a music show. The space was used wonderfully, they never stopped moving. This was further augmented by using the lights to great effect to encapsulate the mood throughout each song.
She really did start at the very beginning with her taking us from the first song she recorded, Known Better right through to the present day with eight songs from her latest album defining the second half of the set list. Interspersed between all of the tracks were anecdotes of her journey and it really did give “an evening with…” vibes, feeling much more intimate and personal than a typical concert.
The party element was weaved beautifully through the night. VIP guests received a party bag on arrival, and I never thought I’d be able to say I played pass the parcel at a gig, but now I can. And of course, towards the end of the show, she invited people up to the table to join her party for real! In creating and executing this theme so perfectly she set the crowd up for a truly memorable, one of a kind evening.
Personally though, the most incredible part of the night was her performance of Saint Philomène where she built up the whole song on a loop pedal while seated on the centre of her party table (twice, because the pedal broke the first time). I love seeing artists’ processes and this was a little glimpse into Meg’s.
Meg is an excellent vocalist and live performer. She’s also passionate about what’s she’s created for this tour. It’s born from a desire to create something more, from a vision of where her album ended up and quite frankly, from having a bit of fun. It works and it’s great because she’s so invested in it, and so proud of it. This isn’t some flimsy gimmick that’s been glossed over an otherwise adequate show, it’s the threads from which she’s built this live performance. It’s one of those ideas that only works because she’s clearly lived and breathed this for weeks to bring it all together and it’s truly a show worth watching.
Find out more about upcoming tour dates and get your tickets here.