Music Review : Deacon Blue
Eventalaide 22nd November 2019

LIVE REVIEW – Deacon Blue
The Gov -Wednesday 20 November 2019

Words Geoff Jenke

Celebrating their 30th Anniversary, Deacon Blue flew into Adelaide on a 44-degree day. I wonder what they were thinking about the weather, coming from winter in Scotland, although they did tell us during the evening, they had enjoyed telling their friends back home freezing, about the heat.

The previous evening it was Ireland’s turn with U2 at Adelaide Oval, but this evening, it was all about Scotland. There couldn’t have been a Scotsman left on the street of Adelaide, such was the crowd at The Gov for the show. At times however, I felt like I could have used an interpreter to understand what was being said.

Kicking off with Circus Lights from the 1989 album When the World Knows Your Name, it was immediately apparent this audience knew the songs. Voices were raised from the start, along with hands. Raintown from 1987 came next and during the third song Bethlehem Begins, singer Ricky Ross told us that “tonight will be the best time of your life”. Judging from the reaction to this comment, many people at this evening would be agreeing with him.

Backing and occasionally lead, vocalist, Lorraine McIntosh never stopped moving all evening, bouncing around the stage like an Energiser bunny, banging her tambourine nonstop. Her voice is beautiful, especially as she segues into Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend during Chocolate Girl. It is also powerful in her backing of Ricky’s lead vocal being determined and succeeding, to be heard.

The first big sing along came with Loaded when Ricky asked us if we were ready to sing with them. That is like asking a Scotsman if he likes whisky. When you tell a Scotsman you want voices, you get them, loudly.

The band delivered songs from most of their albums with a generous 23 song set. Real Gone Kid received a boisterous reception and the crowd were helping the band with the “woo -oo -oo -oo -oo’s” along the way. Your Town’s tribal beat pounded around the main room of the Gov and set closer, Dignity, had the audience singing the song for the band as Keyboardist, James Prime’s chords cascaded around the room.

There was no way the crowd were going to let them go and the band came back for a generous 4 song encore which naturally included the favourite and stand out song of the night, Fergus Sings the Blues. Ricky also pointed out the pictures on the walls, of bands who had played The Gov and flippantly told us “it is a little known fact, Jimi Hendrix had played The Gov”. (No, he didn’t). An obscure Bruce Springsteen song, Light of Day, originally performed in the movie of the same name by Joan Jett, closed out the evening.

But wait, there is more. With people leaving the venue, the band came back with acoustic guitars for a rendition of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young, with various members of the band each taking a chorus vocally.

On a hot 44-degree day, this was the cool down song the band needed after an extremely hot, musically and temperature wise, 2-hour plus set. A perfectly delightful evening.