My guess is that MK loves to play all kinds of gigs, the showcases included. Or else he wouldn't do it.
How can I say that?
Most musicians love to play in front of any audence, the challenging ones included. Challenging audiences often give them (us) an extra kick.
MK says that he is one of the fortunate few that does what he loves to do, namely play gigs.
I think he has total controll over his carere.
When MK is not smiling when he is playing, it's not because he is in a bad mood (not always, anyway), but because he is consentraing hard on what he is doing.
Guy says that the showcases are fun.
Remember: MK is an independent artist with a lot of money. He doesn't need to make records or play gigs for a living. It's all bonus for him. But, of course, he needs to sell records to finance the tours (according to Guy).
I don't think MK does try to take the fans' perspective at all, not us Knutties' anyway. Why? Because it's impossible to please us, with all our different and strange ideas. Therefore he just does what he wants to do.