It was a group effort featuring gifted multi-instrumentalist Eric Sanderson and Ilford-born drummer Rob Allen, who revelled in his homecoming in front of family including his cabbie father, who plays himself in Augustines’ video for Cruel City.
The audience also became part of this performance with a singalong to the chorus of Juarez and an obliging vocal contribution while McCarthy took a swig during Philadelphia (The City Of Brotherly Love).
“I’ve been waiting all my ****ing life for tonight,” said the singer, who even got a bit teary. He also got increasingly sweaty as he clambered around and sang with such heartfelt intensity you feared for his health.
Yet there was something contrived about the encore, which lasted an hour and featured the band popping up in the middle of the audience.
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1/168
It was a ragged, crowd-pleasing finale that seemed less pleasing as it dragged on. But Augustines deserve their belated success, which should propel them to even bigger venues in 2015.
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