The Marco Mendoza Trio – Bannermans – Edinburgh- 4th June 2024

A warm yet windy night in the Scottish capital this evening. As soon as I step foot into the gig room of the venue I can feel the energy and the audience antici……………………….
pation for the arrival of the main man, the myth and the legend, Marco Mendoza.

Marco makes his way through the throng, bass in hand casually striding through as his bass pumps through the PA.

What follows is an exquisite 90 minutes of the most smile-inducing rock n roll that only The Marco Mendoza Trio can play.

The current tour is to promote his latest album New Direction, which is a banger of an album that contains no bad tracks and one that I highly recommend owning a copy of. It’s a true feel-good record.

Opening with Take It To The Limit (the first track of the album) before diving headlong into the title track New Direction and we’re already off to a blinding start.

Marco also pays tribute to a ‘cat’ that has meant a lot to him and taught him so much. It’s also why Marco is able to play music in front of an audience he genuinely cares for. So it’s no surprise he pays tribute to Ted Nugent with a sublime rendition of Hey Baby.

It’s obvious that there is a general setlist of songs to play, however, Marco loves to go off script and it’s a testament to his UK band consisting of Chris Allan on drums, and guitarist Drew Lowe that he’s able to do so, and do it well. 

A stunning rockie version of Give Peace A Chance with a Marco crowd wander was goose-bump-inducing.

I could wax lyrical about this show as it’s one of the best gigs I’ve seen so far this year (& I’ve seen a fair few this year already).

Marco Mendoza is a musician who needs to see on stage before you die. He’s a wonderful showman, a superb human being who genuinely cares about people who come to shows. He ensures he gets photos with those who want one and signs EVERYTHING he can. Nothing is too much trouble. 

See The Marco Mendoza Trio as soon as you can.

The front-of-house sound was huge and the bass was tickling my genitals in a way that was almost indecent. 

Bannermans is a fantastic venue and a great place to visit. The bar is well stocked and the bar staff are always up for a bit of a natter when they can.