MUSIC

Academy, Bristol (Mon 12 Sept)

Mr. Big were always a rather odd proposition. Briefly (Mr.) Big in the late 1980s when grunge was waiting in the wings to poop the party with its plaid shirt and sour face, they never really fitted with the cock rock and hair metal of the times, despite scoring huge hits with those obligatory ballads that sat comfortably alongside 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' but were entirely unrepresentative of their music. A 'supergroup' comprising a whizzkid guitarist (Paul Gilbert), a superstar bassist (Billy Sheehan – voted Best Bass Player in the Known Universe by Bass Nerd magazine for 150 consecutive years), a pretty boy vocalist who could actually sing (Eric Martin) and, er, a thoroughly competent drummer (Pat Torpey), they were done for by the inevitable ego-driven implosion nearly a decade ago. But unlike so many of their contemporaries, the re-formed Mr. Big have no trouble pulling an audience in 2011, probably because of their awesome reputation as musicians.

The first thing you notice is how high the bass is in the mix. Hell, even Chris Squire doesn't play this loud. I guess that's Sheehan's way of saying, "This is still my band, and don't you guys forget it." Little wonder Gilbert feels the need to break out his party piece early – playing guitar with his trusty cordless drill during opening song 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy' – and subsequently performs the ELP arrangement of Aaron Copland's 'Hoedown' as a rather astonishing solo. But, mercifully, this isn't just a two-hour dick-measuring contest. The other curious thing about Mr. Big is that, on record at least, they eschew the kind of prog-metal one might anticipate in favour of melodic rock, with all that musicianship being placed at the service of the song. Now sure, sometimes this sounds rather like those occasions when Yes tried to write four-minute pop ditties, with the simple structure straining under the weight of the urge to fill every space with arpeggios and odd time signatures. But three songs in, they nail all those four-part harmonies in the gorgeous metal psychedelia of 'Green-Tinted Sixties Mind', reminding us of the acute pop sensibility underpinning much of their best material. Mega-hit 'To Be With You' still sounds like a nursery rhyme next to the onslaught of 'Colorado Bulldog' and 'Addicted to That Rush', mind. The second encore sees them all swap instruments twice, which is just showing off really, with Torpey and the freakishly tall, stick-thin Sheehan taking lead vocals for a cover of 'Smoke on the Water'. Yep, it's all been a tad indulgent in places, but balanced by some great songs. And nobody here is complaining. This, after all, is an audience that produces their cameraphones during the bass solo rather than scurrying off for a piss. (Robin Askew)

Copyright Robin Askew 2011