Deacon Blue at Edinburgh Castle: Scottish Legends Bring A Touch of Barras Magic to the Capital 

Before the show, many Deacon Blue fans milled about in ‘Barrowlands 1994’  t-shirts, in homage to one of the band’s most iconic gigs. But this wasn’t the Barras. This was Edinburgh Castle in all its splendour. And this was a concert where, right at the start, singer Ricky Ross gave us the heads up it would all be a bit different.

It’s easy to see the appeal of Deacon Blue. In Ross they’ve got a singer who to me is part raconteur, part American midtown preacher – and what a fantastic voice. By his side is his musical partner and wife, Lorraine McIntosh, who whirled around the stage while maintaining their breathtaking harmonies. They’ve been in the game long enough to do what they want. From their seminal debut album Raintown onwards, they’ve got a lot of credit in the bank.

You could tell the gig got to Ross. The show started with the band doing ‘Late 88’ from their latest album, The Great Western Road; images of the group from when they started flashed up on the massive screen behind them. Then there also was a moment to reflect on founding member Jim Prime who tragically passed away last year with Ross reflecting that the keyboard player would have loved the night.

They gave us new tracks and underappreciated numbers like ‘Your Town’ but some of it didn’t all quite go to plan.

‘When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)?’ had the Chi-Lites ‘Have You Seen Her’ needlessly sandwiched into it. While ‘Chocolate Girl’ contained a couple of notes that proved a challenge to reach.

There was a danger that the gig wasn’t going to be memorable but ironically it was The Barrowland that saved things. The venue’s famous stars appeared in the background during ‘Twist and Shout’ and brought the crowd to its feet where we stayed for the remainder of the concert.

When ‘Dignity’ sailed in, everyone queuing for a portaloo rushed back for a mass singalong. It was then that they had Edinburgh eating out of their hands. That Ross managed to squeeze in a mention for the Port of Leith probably helped.

At that moment, as the sun began to set over one of the most picturesque gig settings you could hope for, there was little doubt that Deacon Blue were the Kings and Queen of the castle.

Photo credit: Tracy Cameron