Average White Band - 26.04.2024 - The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Credit for this page goes to: Matt Isaacs

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10 years ago when the average white band played the Manchester academy, I got the opportunity to interview founding member, bassist and co- lead singer Alan Gorrie. I told him I couldn’t make the gig as I was flying to stevie wonder in New York . ‘I’ll excuse you “, he joked . A decade later with a farewell tour announced, I had no excuses this time. As I’d never seen live before , I just had to go ...

Along with founding guitarist Onnie McIntrye ,this well drilled and deeply skilled outfit turned the fairly subdued Manchester venue into a riotous party with absolute top notch musicianship added for good measure

The show was in two halves . The first set was dedicated to the first two albums, 1973’s ‘show your hands ‘ and the iconic 1974 eponymous classic known as the ‘white album’ due to its cover . I strongly felt this was to acknowledge their late drummer Robbie Macintosh, who tragically passed away just before the 2nd albums release shortly before they became huge.

Highlights of the first half included show opener ‘I just can’t give you up’ , Gorrie’s take on the music business’ the jugglers’ from the first album , ‘the world has music ‘ also from their debut saw Gorrie dedicating it to co writer Leon Ware. This showcased the bands amazing drummer Rocky Bryant.

The rarely placed ‘TLC’ which was a mellow extended  jam proving their sharp musical chops. The instrumental ‘Macewans export ‘ saw Gorrie switch to guitar and keyboardist Rob Ayers switch to bass . This also applied to ‘You got it’ which was recorded in Miami 50 years ago this week , just immediately before Aretha Franklin was due to record there . ‘No Pressure there then ‘ Gorrie deadpanned.

However it was their energised take on the Isley Brothers ‘work to do’ which closed the first half which set the pace for the rest of the evening. The second half  began with a flawless ‘when will you be mine ‘ with Alan playing that tasty guitar whilst harmonising with singer Brent Carter . Brent is an amazing singer and nails Hamish Stuart’s parts perfectly and adds a wonderful traditional r and b vibe to those classics ..

Many of the fans wanted to hear AWB’s take on ‘walk on by’ and they weren’t disappointed. A funky ‘cut the cake’ made way for a truly magnificent reading of the ballad ‘A love of your own ‘ Alto saxophonist Cliff Lyons shone throughout the night particularly on this . Tonight’s performance of this much loved showstopper didn’t disappoint .

From here on in the classics rolled out thick and fast . My personal favourite ‘Atlantic Avenue’  and the Chaka Khan immortalised ‘whatcha gonna do for me ? ‘ delighted and enthralled. An astonishingly beautiful ‘queen of my soul ‘ did likewise. Brent Carter sang his heart out on this ...

A slinky and pulsating ‘put it where you want ‘it brought the main set to a resounding climax. No prizes for guessing what the encores were . The sing along to ‘let’s go round again’ nearly drowned out the band . The evergreen and extended  ‘pick of the pieces’ blew the roof off. The band’s musicianship was off the scale .

Onnie McIntyre spent the night of the left hand side of the stage soloing and playing lick after iconic lick . Tenor sax player Fred Vigdor honoured the late Molly Duncan in breathtaking measures and the aforementioned Cliff Lyons much more than justified why Roger Ball recommended him to the band when Ball retired in 1996.

The only downside to this magnificent night was that I only managed to book one night of this farewell tour . If I ever meet Alan Gorrie again, I will gladly tell him that Manchester show was certainly on par with that Stevie Wonder show I missed the AWB show for . No excuses required .