Presenting the music of Captain Beefheart without the man himself could seem a thankless task, such was his mesmerising stage presence, but decades of seclusion and a final private death for Don Van Vliet means any reunion with his musicians never came to pass. So, ten years on from initially regrouping without their erstwhile mentor and occasional tormentor, Beefheart’s Magic Band, or at least a composite version of it, are touring his material again. And why not, when Trout Mask Replica steadfastly remains regarded as one of the finest and most original rock albums of the past fifty years.
The Magic Band’s core on this tour is Rockette Morton on bass, Feelers Rebo on guitar and John “Drumbo” French providing a remarkable vocal simulacrum of Beefheart as well as settling behind the drum kit every now and then, while additional hired hands on guitar and drums beef up the sound.
Suitably enough, there’s a fair gathering of ageing freaky types in the audience tonight and The Magic Band receive a rousing reception when they finally appear at 9pm, Drumbo maintaining how glad he is to be in Auld Reekie despite being from Southern California and clearly suffering from the Scottish winter weather.
The gnarled clamour of “Circumstances” and “Lo Yo Yo Stuff” prove their dextrous musical chops still exist, but the first half of tonight’s set drifts into passages of aimless noodling and Morton taking an extended bass solo just four numbers in feels unnecessarily indulgent. There’s also the occasional lapse into plodding blues-rock and while Drumbo gives his vocal all, the vital element of danger which Beefheart’s manically jabbering and pop-eyed persona supplied is missing from the performance.
Still, following a somewhat over-extended interval, The Magic Band return to give their all in a blistering second half. A crushingly raucous “Electricity” and final blast of “Big Eyed Beans from Venus” prove that, while The Magic Band may be their own tribute group, no-one else could play these songs quite as they still do.