Deacon Blue

Published: 9:44 AM November 8, 2006

Updated: 9:53 PM February 22, 2021

Cambridge Corn Exchange - November 5 I CAN remember the exact moment I first heard the music of Deacon Blue. I would have been about nine or 10 and I instantly hated it. There on the TV was this scruffy looking guy spitting out the words to Real Gone Kid.

Cambridge Corn Exchange - November 5

I CAN remember the exact moment I first heard the music of Deacon Blue. I would have been about nine or 10 and I instantly hated it. There on the TV was this scruffy looking guy spitting out the words to Real Gone Kid. I remember thinking, why can't he sing properly?

But soon, everything I hated became everything I loved - and all these qualities were on display in Cambridge on Sunday.

The mix of Ricky Ross's more accented, ruffled vocals and Lorraine McIntosh's powerfully sweet voice is much of the Deacon Blue sound.

The band as a whole sound much like a Scottish Dylan fronting The Commitments - I would be happy to book them for a wedding or a political rally.

Their lyrics mix social comment and slightly skewed love songs perfectly. The set includes all the incredible hits with some promising new material and some interesting covers. First a magnificently fragile and beautiful piano-led version of Neil young's I Believe In You and later a euphoric version of Madonna's Like A Prayer. And through Real Gone Kid, now my clear favourite, I was glad of every spat-out word.