At war with the establishment, putting themselves in reckless danger and succumbing to terrible habits, these unreliable figures are dependably entertaining
By his own admission Donald MacLeod is a gambler, though not the sort you see nudging pay-lines on a puggy or betting on the number of drop-ball re-starts in a football match. The thing he has made a career out of taking a punt on is musicians – ones he likes, primarily, but also ones he thinks other people will like and will pay to come and watch. He is, if you haven’t already guessed or don’t already know, a rock promoter and nightclub boss, that special breed so vital to the rock ecosystem. Someone once said of flamboyant American impresario Bill Graham that he was a cross between Mother Theresa and Al Capone. It’s true of all successful promoters to a greater or lesser degree.