Rip-roaring renaissance shows still plenty left in the tank
Evergreen Deacon Blue at the OVO Hydro (12A)
★★★★✩
For a band celebrating the 35th anniversary release this month of their debut album, raintown, Scots rockers Deacon Blue have a rollback-the-years, evergreen, spring in their step that is hard to resist as they finally bring their Cities of Love tour to a close in Glasgow.
This gig at the Hydro was due to take place in December last year. But while the Scottish Government hummed and hawed over restrictions as Covid infection numbers began to rise, the band took the unilateral decision to pull the plug at the last minute for health and safety reasons.
And while there’s no denying it’s been a long wait for fans – ‘Have you got any plans for Christmas?’ quips charismatic, Dundonian frontman ricky ross – they were more than amply rewarded on the night here with a rip-roaring set that shows Deacon Blue still have plenty left in the tank.
Even if, at times, it’s hard not to view some of the band members in light of other roads travelled after they decided to call it a day for a while before their current renaissance.
So, for some, drummer Dougie Vipond will always be that bloke off the telly that used to present the Scottish football highlights on a Saturday night.
While for others, whirling dervish Lorraine McIntosh, (part Puck, part eccentric bag lady on stage) is probably just as well known these days for her formidable acting chops for the likes of the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish soap river City, as she is for being a pop star.
That longevity, and level of public recognition, casts Deacon Blue somewhat in the shade of a legacy band. And to an extent it makes their gigs a nostalgic, middle-aged trip down memory lane for many fans, But it’s worth noting that show opener, City of Love, from their latest album, could easily sit alongside any of the crowd-pleasing hits trotted out on the night (Chocolate Girl; Wages Day; Fergus Sings The Blues; and, of course, their best-known blue-collar anthem, Dignity). They might have taken their name from Steely Dan, but the pomp and passion that ricky ross and Co deliver live easily make them our nearest equivalent to a Caledonian Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Added to which, the lyrics of ross have a working-class empathy, grit and poetic vulnerability and celebration about them that brings to mind the bard of Dundee, Michael Marra, at his best.
However, best of all, Deacon Blue have always been box office live.
And they don’t disappoint here – even finding time midway through to cool things down for a more reflective, intimate campfire session of songs.