Big Mac’s Wholly Soul Band
The Stage said ; 'An explosive start to the evening was provided by Big Mac's Wholly Soul Band. This is the way to play soul and Motown-a full ten piece band, great brass section, girl backing singers, pulsating rhythm section and Big Mac himself on lead vocals-not only great musicianship but also a great performance. I am not surprised that it is one of the most popular outfits in South Wales, as it was absolutely superb. If you book corporate functions or summer balls and want a great dance band, you could do a lot worse. This is a truly hot band.'

Big Mac’s were formed in 1990 as the house band for the legendary Hollywood Club in Newport. Within months of their formation The Commitments film was released and the band, being of a similar size and specializing too in 60’s Soul music, were inundated with work, constantly playing in every club, pub and eat house in South Wales. In a short time they were supporting The Commitments at a number of venues and were soon welcoming offers of work that took them to holiday camps, five star hotels and nightclubs both in the U.K. and abroad.
The line up is that of tenor sax, trumpet and trombone, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, two dynamic female vocalists and charismatic frontman Mike ‘Big Mac’ McNamara. Mike is a Soul singer in the purest sense of the word, thus the band, though more than adept at producing the raw edged originals of Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Otis Redding and James Brown, are also proficient in the more polished spheres of black music, Motown, Philly, Funk and those glorious vocal harmony drenched ballads. Vocalists, however, are only as good as their backing band permits and Big Mac has The Wholly Soul Band… easily the best in the business.
The Band has played Cairo, Tenerife, Germany and Dublin as well as settings here in the U.K. as diverse as The Café Royal and The Marquee Club. Such far reaching appeal is witness to the band’s adaptability and versatility.
The band is fully self contained with lights, p.a., transport, road crew and a highly efficient sound engineer capable of gauging the needs and requirements of every audience, venue and event.
To date Big Mac’s have appeared on the bill with a vast number of top names, from Edwin Starr, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds, Van Morrison, The Pasadenas and Jools Holland to Go West, Dodgy and Shed7.
Appearances on t/v and radio shows, touring, playing, rehearsing and performing have all served to polish the bands act, repetoire and musicianship without ever diminishing its energy and enthusiasm. There are a great number of bands possessing a similar set and structure but none with such inspired authenticity. As awed members of The Commitments said… ‘We’ve found Wilson Pickett!’
From its very beginning the band has been immensely popular, building a rock solid reputation. They are a firm favourite at weddings, festivals, corporate events and social gatherings where a first class, energetic and wholly infectious good time act is required .
Agents, event organizers, management companies, hundreds of ecstatic newly weds and countless satisfied audiences will confirm that Big Mac’s Wholly Soul Band are really ‘where it’s at!’