Real McKenzies Still Rock

04/05/09 1:47pm

by Steve McLean (CHARTattack)

I went to Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern on Saturday night to see The Real McKenzies, and they put on another great show filled with drinking songs, more serious material and serious drinking songs in support of last year's Off The Leash.

All the band members had their shirts off by the fourth song and, while it may not have been totally attractive, it showed the passion and energy they put into their music.

The group started with a short acoustic set, some of which was better than the punk material that followed only because some of the guitar parts in the electric repertoire were a bit too metallic for me. The two bagpipers aren't the strongest the McKenzies have ever had, but singer Paul McKenzie is still at the top of his game — though the looks of his scrotum when he lifted up his kilt disturbed a few friends — and sill ranks among the best frontmen in rock 'n' roll.

McKenzie gave me a couple of sweaty hugs following the show and tried to buy me a beer after last call, but it wasn't to be.

In some of the worst routing I've heard of since I met the late Who bassist John Entwistle in a New Orleans bar in 1998 and he told me the previous stop on his tour was Minneapolis, The Real McKenzies then hit the road around 3:30 a.m. to head from Toronto to Saskatoon.