BBMak’s Soul Sets It Apart From Boy Bands

It could be easy to mistake BBMak for a so-called boy band. After all, the photogenic, youthful British trio gets its handle from the first letters of its members’ last names. The group had an opening slot on Britney Spears’ summer tour. And its mostly young, mostly female fans screamed really loudly during its concert at the Palace on Sunday.

However, the lads of BBMak played instruments, and they did not dance a step. And the R&B; influence on their smooth, romantic pop stemmed more from a classic-soul place than a hip-hop one. They offered no insights during the 70-minute show but harmonized sweetly and came across as genuinely charming despite all the cliches popping out of their mouths.

Stationed in front of a giant Union Jack, lead singer Mark Barry and guitarists Christian Burns and Ste McNally performed most of their debut album, “Sooner or Later,” aided by another guitarist, bassist and drummer. The songs were all about love--finding it, losing it, wanting it, missing it--but such mournful numbers as “Ghost of You and Me” had some emotional oomph as, unlike the average boy group vocalist, Barry sang as if he actually had an inkling of what heartbreak’s all about.

He also provided the band’s distinguishing personality quirk by briefly playing bagpipes and Irish whistle. Still, despite some appealing moments with such propulsive, anthemic tunes as “Unpredictable” and “Still on Your Side,” BBMak didn’t leave much of an impression.