Deep Purple / Reef

First Direct Arena, Leeds
7th November 2024

REEF

It is hard for any band to fill a support slot, especially when the main act happens to be Deep Purple. Most of the audience is there to see the ‘name’ and the price of the ticket makes any extra music a nice to have but, on the whole the fans couldn’t care less as to who tries to warm them up before their idols walk on stage. Some might like Reef, some might have heard of them, while others are totally oblivious to them. Which, all things considered, make the fine balance of showing off their talent and being ignored as people make the most of the opportunities to get merchandise, go to the bar or pay a call of nature.

It was with these pressures that Reef came on stage and started to do their thing. They were full of enthusiasm and energy but still came across as nervous. A tension that lessened as the set progressed. Although I have a couple of their earlier CDs, Glow and Rides, I have to confess that I struggled to remember any of their hits and, as some of the singing seemed to be far too fierce as it competed against the other musicians in the band, many of the songs and lyrics were lost on me and despite me enjoying what I heard it wasn’t until they sang their biggest hit, Place Your Hands, that they truly got the audience on their side.

I Would Have Left You was another of their own songs which I particularly enjoyed but, to me, the stand out piece was their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain. It was a magnificent runaway rock version of the classic Rumours track and the heavy guitar solo certainly added to the rendition. A wise choice of song as it certainly got the audience on their feet.

Perhaps the massive stage didn’t work in their favour as Gary Stringer, the vocalist, seemed, at times, to be lost and struggling to make best use of the space but he still managed to entertain and acquit himself well to ensure that the initially apathetic audience got added value for the ticket price.

DEEP PURPLE

As the recording of Holst’s Mars, the Bringer Of War, began to play and the video board came to life the audience knew what was coming and even before Deep Purple walked onto the stage the fans were pumped up and ready to rock. Wild anticipation and they were not let down.

Hitting the ground running Ian Gillan started off with a stunning high powered rendition of Highway Star that left everyone in no doubt that they were in for a night of brilliant, and loud, music. Rock with a capital R.

As is often the case for bands that have been going for well over 50 years, with a back catalogue of true classic hits that would make any modern band jealous, it must be difficult to play as many of the old favourites as possible while slipping in some of their more recent tracks as well – but a balancing act that I think they got right. Okay they left out Woman From Tokyo and Strange Kind Of Woman but with only just under 2 hours on stage somethings had to be dropped and what they did play more than made up for the absence of any of my own personal preferences.

It is hard to pick true highlights as each song was delivered with power, energy and a sense of purpose which never diminished for the whole of the show. However there are a few that stick in the memory and deserve mentioning. Lazy was full of energy and When A Blind Man Cries was powerfully moving.

However there were a few minor niggles that also spring to mind and, as I am trying to give a balanced review, deserve mentioning. Some of Ian Gillan’s monologues/introductions between songs seemed to be rambling, surreal and, in places mumbled, many making no sense and not really having a connection with the songs. Another thing that I noticed was the number of solos. Yes, I know that it is rock and a solo allows a musician to show off and have a bit of fun, which Don Airey, on keyboards, did. And, when you have a guitarist of Simon McBride’s amazing talent you let him do his thing (and I was a massive fan of his before he joined Deep Purple, so I know how great he truly is) but on the night it seemed that he had far too much time in the spotlight. I suspect that this was due to Ian’s voice still being powerful but possibly no longer capable of duration and he was happy to go off stage and rest it while others did their thing.

But dwelling on those two points might seem churlish when I am in the presence of such a great band, and you would be absolutely right. After all when you get to hear legendary songs such as Smoke On The Water, Space Truckin’, Hush and, finally, Black Night, in all their magnificent glory, all other thing are bleached out by the blinding light that is Deep Purple. Long may they continue to give music lovers what they crave, more albums and more tours.

[Photos by David Ridley except feature image and Reef by Darren Walker]

SETLIST
Highway Star
A Bit On The Side
Into The Fire
Uncommon Man
Lazy Sod
Now You’re Talkin’
Lazy
When A Blind Man Cries
Portable Door
Anya
Keyboard Solo
Bleeding Obvious
Space Truckin’
Smoke On The Water
~ Encore:
Old‐Fangled Thing
Hush
Black Night

MUSICIANS
Ian Gillan – Lead Vocals, Tambourine, Harmonica
Roger Glover – Bass
Ian Paice – Drums
Don Airey – Keyboards
Simon McBride – Guitar, Vocals

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