T in the Park: Deacon Blue bring plenty of Dignity to 'teen birthday party'
STV 13th July 2013

Over on the Main Stage, Deacon Blue felt like an inspired choice for T in the Park – even if they didn’t initially appear too sure themselves.

"We kind of feel like we've been invited to a teenager's birthday party, and we're still having a good time," explained singer Ricky Ross, who turned out to be a cheeky, engaging and massively fun cheerleader for the crowd who had assembled before the group – the audience soon waving their arms in the air to the upbeat melodies powered by the snappy rhythms of drummer Dougie Vipond.

The band's Lorraine McIntosh was a bright, bubbly presence as she danced and sang throughout, their greatest hits such as Fergus Sings The Blues, Real Gone Kid – introduced mischievously and misleadingly by Ricky as a “challenging” traditional Gaelic song played to get arts funding for T – and Twist and Shout received rapturously and ideally suited for the sunny conditions.

In a year where there seems more Scottish bands than usual on the main T stages, it was a pleasure to see Deacon Blue acquitting themselves with such verve, and it's fair to say the "teen birthday party" was won over by the end of their set – and that a whole new generation was turned on to their many charms.