Deacon Blue : The Spirit And
Loyalty Of Liverpool Our Liverpool Fans Never Fails To Amaze Us
Liverpool Echo 14th September 2012
LIVERPOOL bands will tell you that Glasgow is always the best date on any UK
tour. Their home crowd aside, Scouse musicians queue up to sing Glasgow’s
praises as a city of music. And it seems it works the other way around.
We just can’t get enough of that Caledonian sound, and in particular husband and
wife team Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh of Deacon Blue.
“It’s no secret we always love playing Liverpool,” laughs Ricky.
Deacon Blue - Wages Day on MUZU.TV. “The spirit and loyalty of our fans here
never fails to amaze us. That’s why we’ve been back the last three years
running. The city will always have a special place in our hearts.”
Is it like playing in Glasgow?
“They are passionate – which is certainly true of Scottish audiences too. They
also make each gig a real event – that is very important.
“Liverpool is the first place where I saw a Deacon Blue record on a jukebox, and
the only city where you can go for breakfast in the hotel to see Margi Clark and
Michael Portillo in the dining room.”
Ricky has been playing gigs in Liverpool right from the start of his career, but
one gig in particular stands out.
“It was 1989 at the Royal Court,” he explains. “It was just a month or so after
Hillsborough and was a very emotional night. I’ll never forget the flowers
piling up on stage and the audience singing, You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
At the moment Ricky says he’s listening to a wide range of bands.
“I am loving We Are Augustines, The Vaccines, Admiral Fallow and Dylan Le Blanc.
I’ve also just got a copy of the new Bob Dylan album, which is great.
“At the moment I’m listening to Roberta Flack singing Bridge over Troubled
Water.
“There are plenty of great new bands out there too – check out Robin Adams, Cold
Specks, Those Darlins, and State Broadcasters.”
What can we look forward to from the live show?
“It’ll be a great night out which makes you want to come back again,” he says.
“We have two new players – Gregor Philp on guitar, Lewis Gordon on bass, and
also a bunch of new songs to play.” Jade Wright