More on: Mark Ronson

Date: 25/10/07
Rating:

Tonight's gig comes a day after Mark Ronson's triumphant performance at the BBC Electric Proms. Well, reports said it was - we're only seeing what Ronson has to offer tonight at Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Ronson's band come on to the stage one by one, each joining in on the overture as they pick up their instruments. Everyone is looking extremely dapper in a 1920's gangster kind of way, and eventually the man himself takes to the stage, and the crowd is on their feet. There's a huge party atmosphere in here tonight, with a crowd that could best be described as 'mature". Probably the only age group that would dare to shell out for various singers doing cover versions of random songs. The audience is clearly more than happy to have a night out with their karaoke versions, and thus the entire night has the feeling of a work's Christmas do, with staff dancing to a house band. Harsh, but how else is it going to come across?

The touring is on the strength of Ronson's 'Version' album, which works incredibly well on record as background music, or when one of the songs turn up on the radio. The covers of tracks such as Radiohead's 'Just' have a slyness about them, a bit of a cheeky wink. It just does not translate to the show - it's lost completely, and the overall effect is, well, a bit cringeworthy. The instrumentals work quite well, though, such as opener 'Apply Some Pressure'. There's a fair amount of plugging of the guest vocalists' own music tonight, which amusingly incites some grumbling from the crowd. When Daniel Merriweather introduces one of his own, original numbers, someone shouts "where's Mark Ronson, we came for Mark Ronson" in a most disgruntled fashion. Oh the irony. Alex Greenwald gets away with his 'California' though, which is hardly surprising.

The London stint of this tour is bound to attract some special guests, but Lily Allen is not on hand for 'Oh My God', and neither is the original singer Ricky Wilson, who joined Ronson at the Electric Proms. Tawiah has an oustanding voice, but it's a song that needs a personality behind it. Lily lends a lot of charm, and her version is the album highlight; it's a shame it can't be recreated tonight. A strange rumour starts to circulate in the crowd that Stevie Wonder is going to appear. That would've been impressive, but Sean Lennon is our only VIP of the night, who is joined by the whole entourage for 'We Can Work It Out'. 'Stop Me' closes the show, and is by far the most popular song of the night.

Ronson has a right easy life on tour when you think about it - just stand to the side with a guitar and introduce some chums. He just doesn't have enough onstage charm or wit to compere the night - something needs to justify his name on the ticket, and he almost comes across a promoter in a live capacity. The audience doesn't care about such matters, and a good time is had, regardless of the quality or integrity lacking in the concept of Ronson's work.

Becky Reed

Mark Ronson Official Site
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