Deep Purple | Reef
AO Arena, Manchester
9th November 2024
Deep Purple bring their =1 More Time Tour to Manchester AO Arena, mixing timeless rock classics with refreshing new songs; delivering a musical masterclass that exudes a real joy in playing.
Support tonight are Reef. They’re an inspired choice, bringing impressive 1990s rock sensibilities to the party. Vocalist Gary Stringer is on great form, the quintessential rock front man. Their forty minute set draws heavily on breakthrough album Glow, with Higher Vibration a particular highlight, and Stringer’s off kilter dancing really capturing the groove.
Hit single Place Your Hands inevitably gets a great response but there are puzzling elements too, especially closing with a fairly functional delivery of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain. Perhaps they’re trying to appeal to elements in the crowd who clearly don’t get them, seemingly lost in their own 1970s time capsule. It seems a pity when there’s so much impressive material in their own back catalogue.
Lights dim and out of the darkness boom the deep resonant sounds of Holst’s Mars, Bringer Of War. Dark and heavy, it’s a fitting intro for one of rock’s iconic bands. Shadowy figures, vague silhouettes, appear on stage. Ian Paice picks up the beat, Roger Glover’s bass kicks in and the band launch into a blistering rendition of Highway Star. Any notions of a band merely going through the motions are immediately dispelled.
New song, Bit On The Side follows, maintaining the driving rhythm. It’s concise and to the point, but still long enough for Simon McBride and Don Airey to shine as they trade licks on guitar and keys. Into The Fire comes next. The heavy, leaden, pounding drums transport us through the mists of time as this headbanger’s delight takes us back to the Deep Purple In Rock era. Listening now, it’s a sound more reminiscent of contemporaries Black Sabbath than Purple.
The band’s current =1 album is arguably their best in decades. It’s certainly their most commercially successful, and tonight we’re treated to no less than six tracks. Among them, Lazy Sod brings some inspired autobiographical writing from Ian Gillan. Its powerful riff wouldn’t be out of place among Deep Purple’s early classics.
Introduced as a song about philosophy that many in the crowd are too young to understand, Lazy feels like a centrepiece and betrays their early prog rock influences. The slow, smouldering intro eventually erupts as keys and guitar trade chords on that oh so classic riff. From here on, the jazz inspired rhythm takes us on tonight’s most extended ride.
Don Airey grabs his time in the spotlight with stunning virtuosity. His solo begins with classical leanings meandering between delicate tenderness and pure bombast. There are jazz flourishes too, and a waiter appears serving red wine during a long sustain; all very prog but there’s more to come. The ghost of Jerry Lee Lewis inspires a dose of rock ‘n’ roll piano and there’s even a snippet of the Match Of The Day theme. It is Saturday night after all…
Meanwhile, taking a break, Ian Gillan’s perched on a stool rear of stage but he’s not to be outdone. Stepping back into the spotlight, he hits us with a mean harmonica break as the track barrels to a close. Lazy brings the crowd to life, generating the loudest and most enthusiastic response so far. Tonight in Manchester Arena, prog rock still lives.
When a Blind Man Cries proves really special. Originally a B side of 1972 single Never Before, it’s hardly typical Purple. This classic rock ballad simply oozes gravitas and emotion. Ian Gillan’s voice may have lost some of it’s high end falsetto histrionics but here his vocal range, tone and emotive power are very much intact. His superb performance is deserving of every decibel of applause received.
Portable Door apparently draws inspiration from something hallucinogenic, according to the increasingly affable and conversational Gillan. It’s another new track that gallops along. Great pace, melody and an irresistible chorus punctuated by a stunning guitar break as Simon McBride really cuts loose. It’s probably the most impressive of all tonight’s new offerings.
The latter part of the set brings the only lull in tonight’s performance. New track, Bleeding Obvious, sounds nondescript among the other new offerings. Space Trucking meanwhile feels flat and formulaic; the only time tonight that there’s a sense of the band going through the motions and playing a song simply because it’s a classic.
Of course everything’s redeemed when they close with Smoke On The Water. Yes it’s become a rock cliche over the decades, but when Simon McBride blasts out that opening riff something magical happens. Ian Gillan urges us to sing. Little encouragement’s needed, and for the first time tonight Manchester Arena rises to it’s feet en masse.
The inevitable encore opens with another new track, Old Fangled Thing, before going right back to their roots with their 1960s cover of Hush. All very well, but it’s the opening chords of Black Night that bring a euphoric response. It’s a pity that an extended guitar workout and call and response between guitar and crowd impacts momentum a little. Ultimately though, there’s no denying the power of the song and its place among rock classics. As the track crunches to an abrupt full stop, Deep Purple bid us farewell. Will this be the last we see of them? It’s hard to say. Ian Gillan says this isn’t a farewell tour but he’s almost eighty and Paice and Glover well into their seventies, so who knows.
For your reviewer, tonight’s ended a long wait. He’s seen them once before; February 1972 at Preston Guildhall. Of course, Deep Purple in 2024 are are very different beast to that famous incarnation. Some of the raw power and energy may have gone but their musicality and enthusiasm are very much intact. So has the wait been worth it? Absolutely.
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Words and photos by Trev Eales. More work by Trev on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s profile.
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