Deacon Blue

Following a slightly cool start with some newer material, Ricky Ross and co proved they’ve still got it after 26 years and had everyone out of their seats and dancing to ‘Real Gone Kid’. Deacon Blue’s recent songs don’t quite have the punchiness that made the 80s and 90s hits such classics, but it is to their credit that they don’t just roll up and roll out all the same old numbers. They came across as a band that is very much still going strong – with a new Christmas song played for the first time tonight – and Lorraine McIntosh’s voice is every bit a stunning as it ever was. They know their audience like old friends though, and there was plenty to sing along to as well, with old familiars such as ‘Chocolate Girl’, ‘Your Town’ and ‘Fergus Sings The Blues’ all putting in an appearance. By the time they played ‘Dignity’ I suspect the audience could have managed the whole song without any help from the band at all.

Brighton Centre, 1 December 2013

Rating: