Malcolm Mortimore 1952-2020
We're heartbroken to report that Mal, our John McVie, passed away after a short struggle with
cancer a couple of weeks ago.
He was a pretty instant choice when we formed the band, and it became rapidly apparent that he was a perfect fit, tasteful and melodic baselines you could hang the Titanic off. So a lot of weekends in the noughties were spent in a couple of MPVs and Anne's car, bringing the Mac to the pubs and clubs of Eastern England and further afield with the rest of the band, Rika and often Richard, our regular sound engineer. Mal had a collection of sometimes hair-raising memories (honestly, from some of them it's a wonder he survived) about his time gigging in the 60s and 70s, that brightened up the long drives.
Anne christened him (and he loved it) "John McVague", due to the every so often questions like 'where's Mal?', 'does Mal know what time we're picking him up this time?' etc.
Our love and prayers to Jan, Grant, Alley, Becky, Scott, Bethany and the rest of the growing Mortimore clan which he so clearly loved.
The video below is how we want to remember him (and thank you so much to Paul for finding this and that Mal had a chance to see it). I (Mike) have got it playing as I type this - Mal with that array of rings he always wore, back by the drum kit, fingers almost lazy on the strings, solid as a rock and grinning as he plays. I can't help but smile as I listen, too. He was a damn fine bassist, and one of my inspirations.
Rest in peace, old friend, and God speed.
LIVE VIDEO!!!
Thirteen years after it happened! Our good friend Paul Simpson has not only unearthed his video of our gig at the Moses Gate in Farnworth from July 2007, he's actually bought a machine that'll play it, and uploaded it for us. Catch us at ... pretty much as good as we got, despite Anne's broken leg, for almost two hours of Mac classics!
Fleetfoot Mike are no more. Like the real band (in many ways!), we're off doing other things.
- Mike is off in a darkened studio, still working on that difficult third solo album;
- Anne is cosily settled in an old house in a village, with four cats and an infinite supply of tea;
- Tim is keeping himself financially afloat touting his not-inconsiderable talents to any and every band that'll have him;
- Annie is exploring green and sustainable issues, while scribbling lyrics in one of an endless supply of notebooks;
- We're not quite sure what Mal is up to, as his boat hasn't put into port recently;
- and Rika is back in Germany, and we miss her.
We will, though, leave this site up as a reminder of the fun we had.
These days, Fleetwood Mac are remembered for radio-friendly hits like "Everywhere" and "Little Lies", but it wasn't always this way. In what many fans consider their heyday, between the arrival of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (for the 1975 release of "Fleetwood Mac") and the "Mirage" tour in 1982, Fleetwood Mac were an energetic, live, raw rock band weaving the three-part harmonies of Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie over the solid rhythms of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. Their live shows, featuring Buckingham's searing lead guitar, Chris McVie's tasteful keyboard playing and Stevie Nicks at her mystical best, laid the foundation for the multi-platinum sales of 1977's "Rumours".
The band recreate the on-stage energy and dynamics of Fleetwood Mac in the "Rumours"-era, from classics like "Don't Stop" and "The Chain", through less well-known material such as "Blue Letter" and "Over My Head", to showstoppers like "Rhiannon", "I'm So Afraid" and "Gold Dust Woman". The material, arrangements and performance details have been painstakingly researched and the equipment carefully chosen to recreate the trademark Fleetwood Mac sound.
Between them, Fleetfoot Mike have decades of experience playing live, apart and together. They share a fondness for rock in general, Fleetwood Mac in particular, and have a mutual musical understanding that rivals that of the original band. Catch them at a gig, be transported back in time to the days when Fleetwood Mac were one of the biggest live acts on the planet, and hear some of the best rock music of the time the way it was meant to be heard.
Live.