Andy McKee - Guitar wizard hits the Komedia in Bath!

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Any friend of Prince is a friend of ours!!! 

I must admit to not knowing quite what to expect with an evening of acoustic guitar and no band, not an event that I normally attend but always worth expanding the horizons. Although it still felt odd wandering into the venue and it just being one man, Andy Mckee on the stage. Early on the set there was a tune based on Fleetwood Mac's ‘Never going back Again’ and I did have the slightly mischievous thought that with no vocals and band it was a bit like the version to be played in lifts.

He is obviously an extremely talented guitarist and the show felt like a night for those guitar players who wanted to see a master at work. Many were filming the shows on their phone, obviously hoping to review the footage and be able to emulate it I their sitting rooms later. Not being a guitarist myself I wonder if I was not really appreciating it to the level I could, I was very impressed by the use of the whole instrument to make percussion sounds and give one acoustic guitar a real depth of sound.

Andy is a very good story teller between songs, which I think is necessary in this sort of act, or there would not voice heard for two hours. One story that stood out was when he opened for Prince after being asked personally. I am not sure many people would say no to Prince, but it transpired that he been asked to wear a fifty foot cape with the universe painted on it, that job was later taken by a model leaving Andy to just do his guitar. My editor at Music Trespass is a obsessed Prince fan so I better not say anything bad about Prince or I will find myself out on my ear, but I am sure he would have enjoyed hearing stories from Andy about the time he toured with the legend of Funk.

There was a lot of emotion portrayed through the music with ‘Rylan’ being about a friends daughter that died that had a real sombre feel, I was personally amazed by how that could portrayed on one instrument. Similarly but on a happier note ‘The Reason’ was a wordless lullaby dedicated to his son. The stand out track for me was his version of Toto’s ‘Africa’ he got all the energy of that classic tune and it really lifted the whole room. Overall it was a new experience for me and being brutally honest two hours was a bi much for a non guitarist like me to really appreciate it, but if you are an axe wielder I suggest you get along and see somebody at the top of their profession.

Review by Jon Cooper and photo's by Steve Owen of Icarus Photography 

Check Out! a Video of him performing the Toto hit 'Africa' Below...