DEACON BLUE | LIVE REVIEW
St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Tue 22 Nov
Say what you will about the quality of some of the acts that pass through the doors of Cardiff St David’s Hall (a few inexplicably popular ‘blue’ comedians spring to mind), the setup and sound for tonight’s show is just right for Deacon Blue, halfway through their Believers tour.
It’s not a full house by any means and when special guest support act Lewis & Leigh shuffle onto the stage, they’re met with almost complete silence. A little cajoling from (Mississippi-born Alva) Leigh barely raises a flicker to which she brands the crowd ‘lame’ – a call to arms if ever there was one. Partnering Leigh is Al Lewis, a north Walian with his own impressive back catalogue of Welsh folk albums spanning the last decade. Together, they make a sort of contemporary Americana; it sounds like they’ve been making music together for years, such are their pitch-perfect harmonies and soaring vocals, but this is a relatively new musical vehicle for them both.
Ricky Ross and co open with Come Away from Believers; it’s a bold move. Light on instrumentation and harsh/soft vocal interplay from Ross and Lorraine McIntosh make it an unlikely introduction to the set. The crowd look a little uneasy; shuffling in their seats and wondering if they should stand. Some incredibly overzealous security guard confiscates a handful of mobile phones from unofficial photographers.
They’re finally plucked from their seats by an energetic rendition of Your Town right before the domino effect of Chocolate Girl (oddly interspersed with The Human League’s Human) sees them retreat, causing genuine confusion and concern from Ricky Ross from the stage. “Are ye alright, Cardiff?” he enquires – perhaps not quite ready to be playing all-seaters just yet. For a man of almost 60, he moves around the stage with such energy and enthusiasm.
The hits (Wages Day, Real Gone Kid et al) finally make their mark but somehow fail to blend in with tracks from their 30-year back catalogue. The more sedate songs are the highlights (Birds, Town To Be Blamed in particular) with some of the more popular ones coming across as a little tired and corny. There is a particularly excruciating audience interaction section in during the encore which I for one will try to forget in favour of the genuine appreciation shared by both crowd and band.
words BEN GALLIVAN photos GARETH GRIFFITHS