Inside Issue #5...
Inside Issue #5...
The support band, The Candyskins, provided an excellent warm up of 7 or 8 songs and when the Dels came on about 30 minutes later, they were greeted with an ovation. They launched straight into a set which included tracks from 4 albums and all the old favourites - Just Like A Man, Jimmy Blue, Be My Downfall, Stone Cold Sober, and a breathtakingly fast rendition of Roll To Me - interspersed with new songs from the Parade album and one track Justin referred to as the Bedsitter Blues which didn't quite make the album but I felt should have. What I Think She Sees demonstrated Justin's songwriting and voice at his best (tugging at my heart strings so strongly I would have called the Samaritans there and then if I'd had a phone), and the title track from Some Other Sucker's Parade is set, I hope, to become a regular at future shows for eyars to come. It was still going round in my head three days later.It was an exciting, energetic show, quite different from what I'd seen before, but fantastic all the same. Being a fairly small, cosy venue, it was very hot, smoky and incredibly loud. But it felt as if we were all part of the performance rather than an audience watching a band. I was lucky enough to be right at the front and to see and hear them performing at such close quarters, the songs I listen to so often in my car and at home, it was... Well, words can't describe it! Justin sang to us, talked to us, joked with us, introduced the two new band members (who played as if they'd been members for years), he sang with us and even sweated along with us. A small army of Dels fans provided audience participation throughout; there were a couple of songs which he needn't have bothered singing at all because we could have done it for him.
A brilliant show which left me on a high and wishing I'd taken my camera to capture some of it. My husband came away transformed from a borderline fan to a fully fledged one. I hope it had the same effect on those in the audience who whent along "just to see" who Del Amitri really are.
The first single is a digi-pak with four "postcards" enclosed. It includes SLEEP INSTEAD OF TEARDROPS, which is a great big ballad. One of the biggest ballads the Dels have done. Featuring piano, strings, and a beautiful set of Justin lyrics. SPARE PAIR OF LACES is a moody piece of music, with vibrato guitars, and a big solo from one, Andy Alston on organ. Justin's lyrics once again being cryptic enough to fire one's own imagination. BEFORE THE EVENING STEALS THE AFTERNOON was first released as a track on the compilation disc, "there's more... Beyond Words" in 1995. It has been a track that escaped most collectors, and feared to be unattainable by most. And, again, featuring Andy's piano playing. Justin's lyrics paint not just a mental picture, but create a mental atmosphere.
Justin's lyrics are becoming as much a musical instrument as his voice. The way the words he chooses sound and feel within the structure of each song.
Worthy of a second appearance, the second single of NOT WHERE IT'S AT contains SLEEP INSTEAD OF TEARDROPS again. Followed by GRIMACE NOT A SMILE. Which is written by Justin, Iain, Andy, and Jon McLouglin. It is an uptempo song, and conjures up images of the classic Buffalo Springfield/Neil Young guitar sound. LOW FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES is the Dels' nod to the over-the-edge rock and roll. Wild; whooly; and probably a lot of fun to play, as, they opened their New Year's Eve show with it. Everything has distortion on it. Including Justin's lead vocal. While it may not find itself on a Del Amitri Greatest Hits package, it definitely deserves to be heard and played. A lot!
Pick up the CD singles or order them if you live in the US. If you can't find a place to order them, let us know, and we'll point you in the right direction.
 
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