This review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2017. Source: GiggingNI Rarely do established musicians’ side projects take off quite like Mike Rutherford’s. As a founding member of Genesis, the English guitarist’s venture with Mike + the Mechanics produced a fantastic catalogue of pop rock albums and even a US no. 1 single with ‘The Living Years’ in 1988. However, despite a hiatus and drastic lineup changes, the now six-piece are back on the road with their Word of Mouth Tour, and Belfast’s Mandela Hall is the first stop on their UK and Ireland leg. The night’s support comes in the form of Ben McKelvey , a confident young lad who emanates genuine excitement to be warming up the crowd for such legends. Armed with simply an acoustic guitar and flanked by his so-called ‘boxman’ Marc (who drums with his hands on the box he sits on), he introduces his first song ‘Work for Free’, dedicated to the headliners. The pair plays vigorously and with a makeshift s
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