Review : Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Nottinghamshire Live 29th November 2018
'I wasn't alone in being transported back to my teenage self '
For a band who have sold six million albums and enjoyed twelve top 40 hits in the UK, Deacon Blue seem to have flown surprisingly under the radar. Colleagues and friends I spoke to ahead of their Royal Concert Hall show knew little of the Scottish pop rockers, with no-one being able to name more than the odd song. Indeed, many stared at me with a blank expression when I mentioned their name.
There has been no such lack of interest in their 30th anniversary tour, however. Such was the demand for tickets in Nottingham that even the choir stalls (the 'Trent End' as singer Ricky Ross christened them) were packed.
It's easy to see why Deacon Blue are so successful, having scored two number 1 albums in the UK. Their brand of soulful pop rock has stood the test of time, and Raintown remains one of the defining British albums of the late 1980s. Classics from that period including Chocolate Girl and Loaded still sound terrific and I'm also sure I wasn't alone in being transported back to my teenage self on hearing the beautiful and melancholic When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring).
Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh still sound great together, and the driving piano of hits Wages Day, Fergus Sings The Blues, The Believers and the superb Real Gone Kid were all highlights. Indeed, I've seen many a Concert Hall crowd sit through an entire gig, whereas this audience were on their feet within five minutes of this show's start – an absolute testament to the band's live capabilities
A full two-hour set was brought to a conclusion with the massive Bacharach and David cover I'll Never Fall In Love Again and the iconic Dignity before the six-piece returned for a lovely acoustic cover of Always On My Mind – another song synonymous with the late 80s.
Quite honestly, this was one of the best received pop/rock shows I've seen at the Concert Hall in recent years, packed full with brilliant songs performed by a band who are as good now as they have ever been. If you've still not heard of Deacon Blue, seek them out immediately.