Thornton Hough Village Club and Bar

Another spectacular gig at Thornton Hough Village Club & Bar last night. It’s been a while since we were treated to an evening in the company of Mr Ian McNabb at THVC – which is the finest venue in the whole of the North West if you want to really experience live music in its purest form. 

Ian played two sets as he usually does here and the crowd were up for singing and joining in right from the off. With a beautiful collection of guitars and a back catalogue going back <mumbles> years you always know you are going to hear something you love, maybe with a slight twist, or a new story to introduce it. Liverpool Girl got an upgrade of mass sound effects from the audience (by Ian’s instruction) – I was in the fog horn section 😂. 

It’s hard to pick a favourite song from Ian. There are songs that devastate my heart – Evangeline and Before All Of This – both of which were in the setlist last night, but mercifully not one after the other – thanks Ian 🥰 Sorry for sobbing. But there are also songs that make me smile (aforementioned Liverpool Girl) and songs that evoke such strong images (Film Noir Star).

I don’t think I’ve heard Camaraderie for such a long time and it’s one of my favourites. All the other classic songs were in the setlist (which I shamelessly stole at the end of the night 😇). 

As always Hollow Horse touches me like few other songs do – it’s a call to arms, a rallying cry, something that makes me think of the many gigs I’ve been to, stood with my arms around one of my Icicle Works compadres belting out that song like it’s our last day on earth. 

In all a wonderful evening surrounded by good friends in the company of one of the finest musicians I’ve ever had the privilege to call my friend.

I’ve added links to all the songs I’ve mentioned but please consider going to Ian’s website and purchasing something direct from the artist. https://www.ianmcnabb.com. Ian’s latest album, If It Wasn’t For The Music has just been released this week.