A review of MIR at The Eagle on the 27th of April.
This is my first visit to The Eagle as a venue and I like it. It is small and black, simple but effective and with a sound system that packs a real punch. Saturday night with MIR was the perfect match, take one small venue and a band that are really enjoying themselves on stage and you’re guaranteed a great night.
The rock solid rhythm supplied by Sheep on bass and Chris on drums allow the twin headlights of Mir (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Chippy (lead guitar) to really shine – and tonight they are on full beam and coming right at you. There may well be a couple of medium paced numbers to let you catch your breath, ‘Rainbows’ and a cover of The Chefs ‘Love on the Wind’ spring to mind, but after that there are only two speeds, fast and faster.
Given that they have only been together for just over a year it seems odd to talk about those songs that really anchor the set in such terms – but that’s precisely where things are at with MIR. They kick off the evening with the song that gives the title to their new E.P. – ‘Soul’ – and bookend the set with new tune ‘The Gavel’. If in between I didn’t get to hear ‘Lonesome Train’, ‘Secret’, ‘Trouble’ or ‘Old Number 7’ then I’d have been disappointed. But all is well, and by the end of the evening if you’re not grinning like a fool then your record collection has far too many boy bands in it.
I’m beginning to think that there is some innate anthropological impulse that insists on the genrefication of just about everything and alas it is especially difficult to avoid this in a music review. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff that has me defaulting to the word ‘eclectic’, but this is simply not the case with MIR. They wear their rock and roll with a strong hint of blues influences firmly on their sleeves with an honesty that might make some folks blush. Frankly, it’s refreshing.
Hot off the press, MIR will be supporting Shooglenifty this coming Friday 3rd May at the Picture House in Dingwall. Thereafter they are appearing at the Southside Festival on 18th May in Glasgow, the week after that the Y not Bar in Thurso and then on 25th June supporting Martin Stephenson in Glasgow
You can read our recent interview with MIR.
