Fleetwood Bac are widely regarded as the country’s most authentic Fleetwood Mac tribute band, rated highly by Peter Green’s biographer, Martin Celmins, and considered by The Times newspaper to be one of the top five tribute acts in the UK.
They were the first Fleetwood Mac tribute band to fully replicate the classic 1970s line-up of Buckingham, Nicks, Fleetwood, and the McVies, John and Christine. The feeling was that we were in for a special night.
Once the group took to the stage and the lights came up, it was clear that each member was inhabiting their role, having taken on the look and persona of the original band. For this review, then, I’m going to refer to the group by their Fleetwood Mac first names.
They opened with ‘The Chain’, a brilliant choice, as it gave each of them the opportunity to find their groove early: Mick’s drums, Lindsey’s guitar, and mixed vocals before Stevie approached the microphone for the lead. Instantly recognisable, her costume blended elements of bohemian, gothic, and romantic styles. And those boots! John’s growling, ominous, and now iconic, bass riff took the song home. The audience were hooked.
‘You Make Loving Fun’ and ‘Dreams’ from Rumours and ‘Say You Love Me’ from the eponymous Fleetwood Mac album followed, before Lindsey asked if there were any Peter Green fans in the theatre, as they wanted to play three of his songs from the original line-up. Obviously, there were, and the version of ‘Oh Well’ that followed was arguably the highlight of the first half, with Lindsey’s outstanding guitar playing to the fore.
Tango in the Night’s ‘Little Lies’ was next, before Christine had her moment in the spotlight. Well, two of them, actually. The rest of the band left the stage, and she sang ‘Songbird’, playing the keyboards herself. ‘Silver Springs’, the infamous Rumours track that never was, followed, before Stevie and Lindsey sang ‘I Don’t Want to Know’, the old Buckingham/Nicks song that had replaced ‘Silver Springs’ on Rumours. The chat between the musicians reflected the history of Fleetwood Mac, with Stevie giving Mick grief about the previous two songs. The first half of the set finished with Rumours’ ‘Second Hand News’ and Tango in the Night’s ‘Seven Wonders’.
The second half of the show really belonged to Stevie and Lindsey. The former returned to the stage with a trademark top hat adorned with feathers and a rose. She put everything into ‘Gold Dust Woman’. Lindsey introduced two Peter Green tracks, ‘Green Manalishi’ and ‘Need Your Love So Bad’, that allowed him to showcase his expressive and technically impressive playing style. Stevie returned to centre stage to sing the deeply personal ‘Gypsy’, a song dedicated to her late friend Robin Anderson. Lindsey’s ‘Big Love’ was next, then Stevie sang ‘Edge of Seventeen’, with the audience on their feet clapping and singing along. She really appeared to be the mystical, timeless enchantress who transcends eras.
The audience stayed on their feet for ‘Tusk’, ‘Rhiannon’, and the show’s closer, ‘Everywhere’. The encores were crowd favourites ‘Don’t Stop’ and ‘Go Your Own Way’. Fleetwood Bac certainly lived up to their pre-show billing, a celebratory homage that transports you back to the Rumours era. They offer an exceptionally polished performance, with instrumental and vocal depth, stagecraft, and a clear respect for the original band’s complexity and drama.
Reviewer – Adrian Cork
On – 25.07.2025
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