BBMak, the British trio that topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic in the early 2000s, recently recorded a three-song acoustic set at the Isaac Bell House as part of the Newport Mansions’ ongoing “Sessions” music video series.
The video will be released Wednesday, July 30, on the Newport Mansions YouTube channel (@newport.mansions).
The Isaac Bell House, a National Historic Landmark built in 1883 and widely regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of Shingle Style architecture in America, provided the backdrop for the performance.
Formed in Liverpool in 1996, BBMak consists of Mark Barry, Christian Burns, and Stephen McNally — the band’s name drawn from the first letters of their surnames. Unlike many of their contemporaries, the trio wrote their own material and played their own instruments, drawing comparisons to The Beatles and Oasis. Their debut single “Back Here” topped charts in the U.K. and Japan before cracking the top 20 in the United States. Their 2000 debut album “Sooner or Later” went gold in America and ranked as the top-selling U.S. album by a U.K. act that year, outselling releases from Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, and Radiohead. The band disbanded in 2003 and reunited in 2018, releasing their third studio album “Powerstation” in 2019.
Previous “Sessions” videos have featured indie-folk duo The Ballroom Thieves at Marble House, American roots trio The Wood Brothers at The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, and local roots folk act Laden Valley at The Elms. All are available on YouTube.
