Nottingham Post

It’s more than just one last hurrah as Del Amitri triumph

- By KEVIN COOPER

YOU wait 19 years for a new album and then a pandemic comes along forcing everything to be put on hold.

But this week Del Amitri were finally able to give a live outing to this year’s comeback album, Fatal Mistakes, together with some of their hits and some obscure tracks from throughout their career.

Dressed all in denim, frontman Justin Currie set the scene for the evening with opener When We Were Young before introducin­g new songs Musicians And Beer and All Hail Blind Love which were very well received.

The audience showed their appreciati­on for the effortless­ly melodic favourite Always The Last To Know, which came early in the set.

The emotional Driving With The Brakes On served to remind just how good Del Amitri are, as did an exquisite version of one of Currie’s and Harvie’s greatest songs, the fantastic Move Away Jimmy Blue.

With new song You Can’t Go Back being a real highlight, they began their run-in to the end with Here And Now, and fanfavouri­te Spit In The Rain, which had the crowd singing along.

With Currie’s voice being superb – soulful, true and affecting – throughout, they ended the main set with Stone Cold Sober, which saw him spitting out the words with as much venom as he did when he recorded it more than 30 years ago.

For the encore, Nothing Ever Happens garnered a massive cheer after just the first strum of Currie’s guitar, the band’s talent brought to life by a wonderful accordion solo.

As the bandf finished with Be My Downfall, their stage persona was a fine balancing act of serious and emotional songs with some rock posturing and just honest down-to-earth musiciansh­ip.

Del Amitri got it just right.

 ?? Kevin cooper ?? Del Amitri at the Royal Concert Hall
Kevin cooper Del Amitri at the Royal Concert Hall

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