I liked their early material, but they were more a favourite of my wife's even then, although (unlike some), one I could enjoy as well.
In 2026, I decided to make a point of not going to see people I'd seen before and, instead seeing some acts I hadn't, when I saw Deacon Blue were playing in the Guildhall Square, Southampton, as part of the Summer Sessions, I (after a bit of prevarication, I'll concede) bit the bullet and bought a ticket (my wife thought about it, but isn't a fan of live music).
June 2026 saw a near 40C heatwave and I'm sure I wasn't alone in worrying that it might be intolerable to stand in the sun for 3-4 hours, but as it turned out, it was a lovely, warm evening that saw me standing with my back to the Guildhall entrance and facing the temporary stage.
I arrived a little early and was on of the first 100 or so people in, so I made my way close to the stage.
On that stage were two drumkits, one shrouded at the back and another, in front of it, marked The Lightning Seeds.
I've never been a huge fan of them, but I don't actively dislike them, either, so I figured they'd be worth a listen to. Clearly some people around me were quite excited by their appearance.
Around 7:00, 5 people, a young man and woman (definitely not original members of the band) and 3 older men, one who I recognised as the lead singer of the band.
Not having really ever followed them, I didn't know many of their songs, but their sound was definitely familiar and the lead singer's voice seemed quite unchanged from the height of their career.
They did play a few songs I knew, Lucky You, Life Of Riley and Pure and they sounded pretty true to the originals.
They also played their iconic football chant "Three Lions" to the delight of most of the crowd, although I consider it best forgotten (as if there's any chance of that, with every football fan shouting "It's coming home, It's coming home..." whenever England play).
Overall, though, they sounded pretty good and, while I can't say I'd rush to see them again, if you did like them, you'd probably enjoy them still. They can certainly still perform.
We had the usual on stage antics next, as the 'Seeds equipment was shuttled off the stage and Deacon Blue's was unveiled and arranged.
With little fanfare, the band appeared around 8:00.
As they started to play some near me said "That's Rock The Boat, isn't it?" and, sure enough, they started with a chorus or two of the Hues Corporation hit, before transitioning into a song I didn't know, "Late '88".
Next up was a song I did, "Queen of the New Year" follwowed by "Wages Day" - Both sounded good. Ricky's voice sounded strong, although, for me, the snare drum was far too prominent in the sound mix (there I go sounding like I know all about music, but it was clear that whenever the drummer hit it, it dominated).
Lorraine, I have to admit, was someone who I tended to discount a bit in the past as a bit of a hanger on, but it was obvious from these songs that she contributes quite a lot to the overall sound of Deacon Blue and she's stil pretty energetic on stage.
The drummer and guitarist are original members, but the bass guitarist and keyboards man were not and before "The Great Western Road" Ricky paid homage to James Prime, their former keyboard player, who died in 2025.
The set was a mix of early "Raintown" (although, bizarrely and disappointingly for me, that wasn't played) hits and later songs, most of which I didn't recognise.
"The Believers" and "People Come First" stick in my mind from the latter group.
Of course, the most popular songs were the early hits, with "Real Gone Kid", "Dignity" and "Fergus Sings the Blues" forming the crescendo of the set, although they, surprisingly to me, finished on "That's What We Can Do", which I'd never heard and finally "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", which wasn't exactly a disappointment, but did feel like a bit of anti-climax to me.
Overall, though, they put on a good show and still sound pretty good for a band that have been touring and playing together in, more or less, their original line-up for 40 years.
If I'm honest, I doubt I'll go and see them again (I rarely see bands more than once, anyway), but if you've ever thought you might fancy going along to one of their gigs, I would recommend it on the strength of this one.
P.S. One unusual thing about this gig was that it was 'signed' throughout both sets. Two women took turns to sign, not only the lyrics, but also the instrumental parts! Very impressive and at times I watched them to see what they were doing, rather than the act on stage!
Setlist:
Excerpt of Rock the Boat (Hues Corporation cover)
Late '88
Queen of the New Year
Wages Day
Much too close to love
Loaded
Your Swaying Arms
People Come First
Chocolate Girl
City of Love
Bethlehem's Gate
Love and Regret
The Great Western Road
Twist and Shout
Real Gone Kid
The Believers
Dignity
Fergus Sings the Blues
That's What We Can Do
I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Burt Bacharach cover)
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