I can remember the
first time I heard Dignity on the radio way back in 1988. There was nothing
else like it around on the radio. It had a passion and a not so expertly hidden
political theme rarely heard on radio friendly singles back in those days. And I’ve
been a major fan ever since.
I was there at their
Welsh gig at Cardiff Uni in 1988 and I have been to every gig in South Wales
ever since.
Deacon Blue live hold a special place in my heart as it was the first gig I took my wife to in Newport Centre for the Over The Land Over The City Tour - what I call The Red Curtain Tour - in support of When The World Knows Your Name. It's a night I will never forget, just to see the look on her face as she experienced the joy of live music for the first time - and what a show to start with. Unfortunately she has developed Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and her condition is now that she can't attend gigs any more but she still remembers that first show - even though she saw many more following that day,
They returned to the
newly named Utilita Arena Cardiff, previously The Motorpoint Arena and still
known to locals as Cardiff International Arena or the CIA. It’s a testament to
the band’s loyal fanbase all these years later that they can still fill arenas.
A long way from Cardiff Uni or Newport Centre a couple of years later. The
Cardiff audience came out in full, filled the hall and turned it into a night
of celebration for one of the best bands the UK has ever produced.
With only a couple of
changes over the years – on Bass we now have Lewis Gordon and following
original guitarist Graeme Kelling’s death from cancer in 2004, Gregor Philp on
Guitar, joining original members Dougie Vipond on Drums, James Prime on
Keyboards, Lorraine McIntosh on Vocals & Guitar and main man and chief
songwriter Ricky Ross on Vocals & Piano.
The tour this year is
called the All The Old 45’s Tour referring to an evening based on the singles
releases by the band since conception. Which includes a career spanning retrospective
13 disc boxset called You Can Have It All as well as the Double Album of All
The Old 45s. It made for a great night of singles heaven. And what a night it was!!
In a decision of
total genius, the band decided to support themselves in the form of an 7 song acoustic
set which really showed the beauty of the chosen songs as they were stripped back to their
core. The upright double bass on the stage was a good sign of what was to come. The problem would be, what songs to play.
The band took to the
stage and all stood around the microphone and delivered an acapella version of a
part of Queen Of The New Year. A spine tingling opening.
With all of the band seated across the stage, Ricky dedicated the next song to all of the Sharons in the audience, so we knew what was coming next as they launched in S.H.A.R.O.N. from Ooh Las Vegas.
S.H.A.R.O.N.
Looking totally at ease in this setting, we could have been sitting in the band's living room enjoying a jam or watching them in an alternate reality Grand Ol Opry
A stunning version of Chocolate Girl came next with the audience singing along already. Alan still doesn't understand her, all these years later!
From an old song to a relatively new song - the band turned to 2016 album Believers for the gentle Delivery Man with it's almost military beat by Dougie and backing vocals from the always beautiful Lorraine.
Delivery Man
And talking of Lorraine - she takes lead vocals in the next song - Cover From The Sky from 1991's Fellow Hoodlums album. It's a lovely Country tinged number and Lorraine took her chance to shine as she channelled her inner Dolly Parton & Emmylou Harris. She got one of the biggest cheers of the night!!
Cover From The Sky
Another Newish song came next with In Our Room from the City Of Love album.
In Our Room
Another huge cheer from the crowd went up as they recognised the intro from the next song - the sublime and probably Deacon Blue's best cover, I'll Never Fall In Love Again - complete with a cheering crowd every time Lorraine started singing. God, they LOVE this woman.
I'll Never Fall In Love Again
The final some of this acoustic session was the title track from the bands 2001 comeback album Homesick. Bloody awful cover - but a fine album!! With the applause ringing in their ears the band left the stage and promised an up-tempo Part 2. And that's exactly what we got!!
PART 2 WAS A REAL EPIC PERFORMANCE
With nearly 40 years of singles to choose from, it must have been quite some task just to pick the setlists for the tour.
On their return to the stage Ricky immediately ordered the crowd to their feet and they stood singing and dancing for the rest of the show.
Yes Cardiff, you did us proud!!
They opened part 2 with The Hipsters and the wild abandon started.
The Hipsters
One of the band's lesser known songs comes next in the shape of Only Tender Love from 1993's Whatever You Say, Say Nothing album. This gave Gregor and Lewis a chance to show their musical chops.
There are certain songs in the Deacon Blue repertoire that just ignite the audience and by god the fireworks flew for the next song as the crowd sang their hearts out and danced as if it was 1989 again.
The mighty Wages Day.
Wages Day
The band proved they still have the energy to move around the stage with aplomb and get the audience to that high that you just knew was going to come.
The first of the two Bethlehem songs came next as the band and the crowd sang that mighty chorus that is Bethlehem Begins from 2014's A New House album.
Bethlehem Begins
Back in 1991 I remember the third Deacon Blue album, Fellow Hoodlums signalling a change in direction with a few slower songs, it just felt less anthemic but it contains some of the bands best songs and we were treated to two of them next as the band slowed the pace with Your Swaying Arms.
Your Swaying Arms
After the short slow down in pace the opening guitar arpeggios of the next song had the crowd bouncing from note one with the arrival of Twist & Shout.
Twist & Shout
As I stated earlier there are certain Deacon Blue songs that really light the touch paper for the fans and next up we had another of those monumental tracks.
The first album, Raintown, was an instant classic and produced several huge songs - and next up in the evening was Loaded. The fans went wild, as expected! I've included the epic live version to try and give you a taste of the response the song gets when played live. and yes, the lights shone on the Cardiff crowd singing their hearts out.
Loaded
Rick takes to the piano several times during the show and next up was a special version of the second Bethlehem song, Bethlehem's Gate, especially for one of Ricky's Welsh Twitter followers - no it wasn't me!
City Of Love comes next followed by another 'Touch Paper' - possibly Deacon Blue's most popular song - from Raintown again - the anthem that is Real Gone Kid. If anyone in the audience had any inhibitions left they were certainly cast aside for this track. The crowd almost took the Arena roof off they were singing so loud and hard!! With it's band build up to the ending and the volume raised to 11 it was the highlight of the night once again.
Real Gone Kid
How the Hell do you follow that - well they weren't letting the crowd off the hook in the singing stakes and they did it with a more recent 'Touch Paper' song - The Believers. A truly brilliant double header.
The Believers
An exhausted crowd needed some respite and it came in the form of those twinkling piano notes from James Prime as the band slipped into a beautiful version of Raintown, I have to say here that that whoever designed the stage show did a brilliant job with the lighting and the screen, right now showing rain and lightning but throughout the evening showing old band photos and Graeme & Ewen too.
The Show comes to an end with another recentish up-tempo killer - That's What We Can Do. Just showing the guys can still write a classic DB anthem if they really want to.
That's What we Can Do
The band leave the stage but you know there's going to be an encore. And Deacon Blue encores are always a bit special.
It opened with a new song, the plaintive - Peace Will Come.
And after this the audience is ready once again for an anthem - and by God they got one as the band morph the song into the final two 'Touch Paper' songs. First comes the classic Dignity.
Dignity
OK - one more anthem as Ricky asks the crowd 'can this white man sing the blues?'
It was of course, Fergus Sings The Blues.
Fergus Sings The Blues
The crowd was now all sung out, emotionally shattered and absolutely euphoric. But the band had one more surprise - the unsung hero darling of American West Coast Rock Warren Zevon's song Keep Me In Your Heart
Forgive me for including a fan shot video of this but it captures the spirit of the song as MOST of the band get to sing some lines. Even Dougie.
Well, an Epic Blog for an Epic Show. Deacon Blue are the band I've seen the most and they were as good tonight as they were back when I first saw them. This Tour was in conjunction with an equally epic 13 disc career retrospective called You Can Have It All. It's really a career to be proud of and with Xmas coming you could do a lot worse than asking Santa for a copy - or if Santa is a bit skint this year, the double album All The Old 45s should cover all of the essential bases.
The voices of McIntosh and Ross are entirely undimmed by the passage of time, or indeed the two-hour-plus set tonight. There’s a four song encore, with a couple of the band’s most well-known songs, a roof-raising run through ‘Dignity’ of course, and ‘Fergus Sings The Blues’ sandwiched between a couple of slower songs: the affecting ballad ‘Peace Will Come’ and the eventual closer, a cover of Warren Zevon’s equally poignant ‘Keep Me In Your Heart’, with Ross joking that “This is the moment when the party’s really finished, but there’s one old Scottish guy sitting in the kitchen boring the hell out of you!” The band take turns singing lines from the song and it’s a beautifully hopeful way to send the very appreciative Birmingham crowd home.
OK, firstly, let's have some context. I'd been waiting to see this show for many years now.
Robinson Stone are one of the few acts enlightened enough to cover the songs of one of the best singer songwriters of the 70s - the UK's Clifford T Ward.
Now an almost forgotten man in musical terms - he remains one of our best singer songwriters and in the mid 70s he released 6 classic albums that sealed his legacy.
1. 1972 - Singer-Songwriter 2. 1973 Home Thoughts
3. 1973 - Mantel Pieces 4. 1975 - Escalator
5. 1975 - No More Rock N Roll 6. 1976 Waves
He released a few more albums in the 70s & 80s but they didn't match the quality or gentle grandeur of those 1970s releases.
Over the years his style has been described as pastoral, literate and very English. I wouldn't disagree with this but I think he was much more.
Clifford started his career in bands of the 1960's and was writing songs including this one.
Simon's Secrets - Keeping My Head Above Water
He soon found himself a solo artist and was known for being rather, demanding, in the studio. Wanting his releases to sound the best they could be in terms of sound and arrangement.
The one thing he would not do however would be to take his music on Tour. This definitely affected his career. While he saw those other singer songwriters like Cat Stevens reach the heights of fame, Clifford chose his own path. He studied to be a teacher and the education he received then changed his perspective on life and showed up in his work in the lyrics he produced.
Tragically, his career was cut short by him developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which produces some awful symptoms - it's a condition I know very well as my wife has it - so I can imagine what effect it has on a man who needed his coordination and mental faculties to get the best out of his talent.
But he is still highly regarded in the Musician's Circles.
Clifford T has such an interesting story and I am only scratching the surface here. I urge you to seek out his recordings and there is a lovely documentary which features his wife Pat called 'Oh and by the way'.
So, to the show itself.
Robinson Stone are siblings
Dan (guitar/vocals) Leyna (Bass, Guitar, Flute & Vocals
Dean - (Keyboards/Vocals)
The show consisted of about 30 songs from all areas of Clifford's career.
The sound was crystal clear and the band treated the songs with the respect they deserved. Concentrating on the quieter, more reflective songs by which Clifford is more well known.
In a wise move, they kept the chat to a minimum and that allowed them to give maximum time to the songs.
Sidetracked
Clifford T Ward - Gaye
Robinson Stone - Gaye
All of the siblings are fine musicians in their own right and it showed throughout the performance. With 30 songs played on the evening it gave them all a chance to shine and take the lead, which they were all more than capable of. And a big shout out to the Acapela audience who once again respected the music and you could have heard a pin drop while the band played.
Clifford T Ward - Home Thoughts From Abroad
Clifford T ward - Scullery
I won't mention every song that was played on the night but suffice to say all of Clifford's albums were covered and it was a fabulous introduction to the music that most of you out there have probably never heard. I have put the setlist towards the bottom of the review for those who may be interested in compiling a playlist.
Gentle
Below you will find an hour's worth of performance video of Robinson Stone performing the songs of Clifford T Ward for you to enjoy which will say much more than any review can. Play it on your TV for the full effect.
Robinson Stone also record their own music, which you really should seek out. Their album is called Skywatcher, and it's a lovely thing.
Skywatcher
The Setlist
Whatever shows I attend there is always a song that doesn't get played. On this night it was Wherewithal which in all fairness wouldn't have sounded in place on an evening of mainly ballads.
Wherewithal
So now that hopefully I have piqued your interest in the world of Clifford T Ward, where do you go? I think you should start with the album Home Thoughts. CDs & Albums are hard to find but if you have access to a streaming service you can probably find it on there and it's definitely on Youtube.
I'll start off by saying that this Review won't follow my usual template.
Why?
Because I forgot to write down the setlist. Yes, I do physically try and write down the setlist for each gig I review in a pad - I'm old school like that. But One song in to the main event and I got so carried up in the magic I forgot to write down the songs that were played.
So, I will include the setlist from the next gig in Southampton. The majority of the songs were identical I have been informed since.
Just to say Franck and I have history for this gig!! The first time I've got to see Franck and the Squad.
I was due to see him twice over the last 3 years but on each time I've had Covid. Talk about bloody annoying. But here we are, third time lucky and the night has finally arrived.
I've never seen a gig here in the Social Club despite having spent considerable time here in Sandfields where my wife comes from. My bad really. The stage is upstairs and is perfect for what we are about to receive, with it's built up front edge leading down to the dance floor which allows the artists to come down into the dance floor whilst still being somewhat elevated.
A decent crowd has arrived there tonight, maybe enticed by local hero Brian Karrot who is providing the support slot with his band.
The Sun King
Don't Breathe It In
After a short break Franck and The Fantastic Squad take to the stage. Arriving on the stage to a tape containing snippets of Gabriel, Van Halen and Supertramp, it gives you a taste of the influences which have made a stamp on Franck's music.
For gig goers of a certain vintage, of which I am definitely one, I can remember the shows of Alice Cooper, Kiss, Alex Harvey, Queen etc. The days of a good old fashioned SHOW!! An Event!! A Larger Than Life Experience. And Franck & The Squad brought back the Good Old Days tonight. By the bucketload.
Now, if you had to create a Rock band back in the 70s, what would be your template?
Charismatic Lead Singer & Bass Player - Tick
Drummer who can actually sing too - Tick
Solid and Visually attractive Keyboard player - Tick
Visually Magnetic Multi Instrumentalist who could also sing lead Vocals - Tick
Lead Guitar Rock God - Tick
Achilles
Franck and the Fantastic Squad tick every box. But, I hear you cry, this isn't the 70s!!!
My answer to that would be - The Template Still Works. Like the template for a Fender Stratocaster still works. You can add your tweaks and changes but the design still works. Even in a contemporary setting with contemporary sounds.
So we have Franck Carducci - Lead Vocals, Bass & Acoustic Guitar
Lea Fernandez - Drums & Vocals
Cedric Selzer - Keyboards & Vocals
Mary Reynaud - Lead & Backing Vocals, Guitar, Tambourine, Tuned Percussion & Theremin
Barth Sky - Lead Guitar & Vocals
Artificial Paradises
At the moment, Franck has three studio albums
Oddity (2011) Torn Apart (2015) The Answer (2019)
and two live albums
Tearing The Tour Apart 92015) The Answer Live (2023)
and an acoustic album with Mary entitled Naked (2023)
I have seen some people call this show a Rock n Roll Circus - I find this slightly derogatory as it's a cohesive show, not a collection of different acts. Plus, I can't abide the Circus!!
The show is well paced. It kicks off with a rocker in Slave To Rock n Roll and from there ebbs and flows in darkness, light and dynamism for almost 2 hours.
Slave to Rock n Roll
There are, of course, built in set pieces which allow all of the members of the band to shine, especially Mary Reynaud who is just luminescent throughout the whole performance.
Franck even goes solo for one song, Sweet Cassandra, which is a good indication of one of my Albums of 2023 - Naked - his acoustic album with Mary Reynaud which is an absolute joy.
S & M
The live shows are drawn from the three albums. With songs ranging from short and sharp to lengthy epics there really is something for everyone on a Franck album if you're into your Classic Rock
As I said earlier, I got so carried away in the show I forgot to take down the setlist - so this is from their gig the following night in Southampton
Musically, the band were on superb form and the award for making the most of his time in the spotlight went to Barth Sky as he displayed his skills throughout every song and relished his time soloing - often down near the crowd and lapped up the applause like a great Rock God should.
A Brief Tale Of Time
The Angel
There are two fabulous show stopping songs in which Mary Reynaud shines like the star she is. Firstly we have the as yet unrecorded Angel, not only a showcase for Mary's vocal ability but also figuratively and literally a chance to spread her wings and let her voice soar to the heavens. A truly awesome moment.
If anybody was going to steal the show from Franck tonight it was Mary Reynaud.
Visually, she is so Magnetic. Beautiful Gallic looks help but with her costume changes, theatricality and superb voice and musicianship, you just couldn't take your eyes off her. And the show was structured to give her ample time for her costume changes and to weave her spell amongst the audience.
She also took advantage on several occasions to get down and closer to the audience.
The second Show Stopping Moment comes in the shape of the epic Alice's Eerie Dream which sees Mary take on the character of Alice. I'll say no more or I'll spoil the surprise in store. Suffice to say it's pretty unforgettable.
Alice's Eerie Dream
The show tonight just flew at the speed of light and soon we were down to the final song as Franck and the band quit the stage to come down into the audience and play an acapella version of The Road To Nowhere.
I doubt if Port Talbot had seen anything like Franck and the Squad before but they are coming back in 2024. On St David's Day no less. And yes, Franck understands the importance of the date in Wales. His reply to me when I asked him about it was PARTY PARTY!! You Bet, Franck!!
