Deacon Blue, Live at the Piece Hall, et Lightning Seeds

Glasgow Scotland natives Deacon Blue have been doing their stadium anthemic rock since 1985, having released six studio albums to date. They’ve had their music feature on soundtracks and a number over TV advertisements over the years. They achieved their first top ten single with “Real Gone Kid” in 1988 when it peaked at number 8 in the chart. They open this evening with “Real Gone Kid”, there is delay on the guitars as the lights go from dark to light, illuminating the stage. The famous octave piano sounds at the start, and then the hit hats come in, setting the pace for the rest of the song. After a “two, three, four”, bellowed by front man Ricky Ross, the bouncing of the audience begins, followed by the chorus of joining in with that distinctive falsetto “Oooo” hook that repeats in the opening of this song. There is a huge sing along when it comes to songs such as “Fergus Sings the Blues” and “Chocolate Girl”. Their cover of Burt Bacharach and David Song’s “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” is a surprising but intimate moment between Ross, his left hand woman and wife Lorraine McIntosh and the audience.
When they launch into “Fergus Sings the Blues”, they sing the chorus and the whole audience join in singing at the top of their lungs. Singer, Ross takes a step back from the microphone before starting the song to just take in the amazing audience reaction. The set, rightly so turned into a mutual appreciation society between the audience and the band.

The Lightning Seeds, an alternative band out of Liverpool, put on some of the most amazing live shows you will see in any genre. Their song Pure, performed live, is a lively, jazzy, poppy, fun, funky song. It is a mellow good time, a song to sit back and relax with a few beers with your friends to while they play just for you.

But just when you think they are just a fun little light band you will change your mind if you hear them somewhere like the Riverside Festival. They raise the roof and bring down the house, simultaneously, with surprising electric guitar riffs and incredibly fun drum beats. They march in time with the music as they belt out the lyrics. The audience takes it all in and loves it. You can feel them bouncing, hopping, getting excited at the music that is washing over them. They keep building the intensity until the audience cannot take any more, then they bring it back down to that smooth, poppy band that you enjoyed talking about over beers with friends. They can go to so many extremes that seeing them live is an experiment in variation. It's an experiment not to be missed.