Scottish pop-rock band Deacon Blue hit Manchester’s O2 Apollo with a tour-de-force performance as part of their “To Be Here Someday” 30th anniversary tour. Coming to prominence in the late 1980s through hit singles like “Dignity” and “Chocolate Girl” from their debut album “Raintown” and even bigger singles from their second album, “When The World Knows Your Name,” like “Wages Day,” “Fergus Sings The Blues” and their most well-known song “Real Gone Kid,” Deacon Blue have garnered much experience on the road over the last thirty years and it showed in their set.
The gig began with support act Blue Rose Code (a reference to the TV series “Twin Peaks”), a trio of acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and keyboard. Singer Ross Wilson thanked the audience in attendance and wryly remarked, “The real music fans come to see the support act!” before opening their set with the song “Grateful.” Wilson’s voice was powerful and full of soul and was ably supported by his fellow band members. The music was very country-soul tinged, perhaps more so on their next song “One Day At A Time,” which was a song about recovery and featured two acoustic guitars interplaying guided by some nice keyboard work. As the band’s set continued, it was evident that Wilson had a very powerful voice (akin to the early style of Van Morrison’s solo works) and that his guitarist can play some graceful, Mark Knopfler-esque guitar flourishes. As the support set continued, the song “Nashville Blue” had a very laid-back vibe to it, while “I Will Lay You Down” was a very intimate song of love and support. Their closing song, “Red Kites” started off with a guitar and keyboard sound wash which was reminiscent of the work U2 were producing in the mid-1980s (specifically, “Where The Streets Have No Name”). As the song built towards its climax, it was evident that all three members seemed genuinely thrilled to be performing as there were smiles all round. Deacon Blue certainly chose a fitting support act.
After a brief interval, Deacon Blue took to the stage. Visually, the set boasted strong lighting and video screens which played footage behind the band as they played their songs. The band opened their set with “I Was Right And You Were Wrong” which boasted an epic guitar solo from guitarist Gregor Philip, powerful backing vocals from Lorraine McIntosh (whose voice has lost none of its edge in thirty years), while Ricky Ross strutted around the stage with a commanding presence. Many in the audience were thrilled with the opening number but it was the second song of the night, “Raintown,” which got the audience up on their feet, singing “Rain down, rain down,” to the song’s chorus. It was clear that Ross knew how to interact with the audience, often venturing to the front of the stage to high five audience members and compliment them on their choice of t-shirt (“Nice Big Country shirt there! Oh, Bruce Springsteen – good choice!”)!
The third song, “For John Muir” from their 2014 album “A New House,” was a gentle song, during which Ross addressed the audience: “We’re going on an adventure. Who’s with us?” The audience cheered in support and the band launched into a rapturously received “Wages Day” which sounded even more pertinent than it did back in 1989. While their set was drawing on work from across their career, most of the audience knew every word to every song. When the band played “Chocolate Girl,” Ross went into a slightly self-deprecating speech about how the band have found themselves still going after thirty years before the band segued into a cover of Carole King’s “You Got a Friend” and then back to Chocolate Girl and the transitions were seamless.
Before the band’s rendition of “Loaded” from their debut album, Ross paid tribute to former band member and co-writer of that song Graeme Kelling, who sadly died in 2004 from cancer. The audience appreciated the dedication and the song was warmly received. This was followed by a spirited, fiery cover of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” with Ross sneering the lyrics as well as Dylan did on the original recording. McIntosh got the chance to showcase her vocal prowess by taking lead vocals on the gentle “Cover From The Sky.” After performing “The Hipsters,” a song which Ross admitted in an interview was his love letter to the band, he revved the audience up for a massive singalong to “Real Gone Kid.” As the band launched into the song and Ross and McIntosh’s vocals crashed in, it sounded as though the last thirty years had fallen away and the audience had been transported back to the late 1980s – it sounded as fresh as it did back then, with excellent drumming from Dougie Vipond and the graceful keyboard work of James Prime. The final songs of the set played up the nostalgia factor, especially during “Your Town” when the video screens showed footage from the band at the height of their commercial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The final song, “Town To Be Blamed” had one final audience singalong followed by rapturous applause and a standing ovation as the band left the stage.
With a response like that, the band naturally came back for an epic five song encore. Starting with a cover of the Burt Bacharach song “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” with Ross and McIntosh’s vocals interplaying wonderfully, the audience were encouraged to sing with Ross on the second encore song “Dignity.” “That’s What We Can Do” was solidly performed and ended with Ross making amusing jokes at his expense when he pretended to read tweets from the audience (“We’re in the front row and we’re a bit disappointed because we were expecting Cliff Richard!”, “Hi Ricky, we’re in the balcony and even though we’re far away, we can still see the bald spot on the back of your head!”), the final one – “We’re in the stalls and have one question: ‘Can this white man sing the blues?’” – gave the impetus to launch into a rousing rendition of “Fergus Sings The Blues.” This looked like the end of the show as the band walked off stage, until Ross spied an acoustic guitar on the stage, at which point he re-assembled the band and they performed a cover of “You Were Always On My Mind,” where every band member got a go on vocals.
The gig was strong proof that after thirty years, Deacon Blue still are a force to be reckoned with and have a devoted fan-base who support them all the way. While their biggest hits generated the most enjoyment and singing along, their newer material still provided their fans with much to admire. No-one will have left the show underwhelmed – it was as a successful celebration of the band’s extensive career as it could have possibly have been
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Reviewer - Andrew Marsden
on - 7/12/18
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