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Bombast and swagger
Several press reviews from the recently concluded =1 More Time UK tour.
Blues Rock Review presents some impressions from the November 9 gig in Manchester:
Much of their new set at the AO Arena, Manchester comes from their latest album =1, and it’s a winning formula, still bringing vivid shades of vintage Deep Purple, while presenting Ian Gillan’s distinct voice and the band’s joyful and revitalised organ and guitar-driven sound. Obviously, Gillan doesn’t sound like he did at his peak, but you’ve still got to give the 79-year-old a huge pat on the back for refusing to shy away from the pure adrenaline of “Highway Star”, which gets the gig out of first gear from the off.
Read more in Blues Rock Review.
My Global Mind reviews the November 6th show in London:
One of my favourite bands of all time, it is both regrettable and unbelievable that until Wednesday past I had failed to ever see Deep Purple. With the new album ‘=1’ released in July and the current tour, aptly named ‘1 More Time’, I figured its now or never, right? Well, actually I suspect I could be wrong… As the 23rd studio album ‘=1’ is packed full of heavyweight tunes that resonate with a strange familiarity and transfer onto stage so smoothly that the audience feel like they have known them for years, I have to reason to hope that this band are not quite finished yet.
Read more in My Global Mind.
Yorkshire Times reviews the November 7th gig in Leeds
Highway Star, a track from the 1972 album Machine Head, felt like a statement of intent as the band proved that they were still a dominant force. Following in the footsteps of legendary guitarist Richie Blackmore is no easy task; however, McBride soon made his presence known with an accomplished guitar solo. With the energy and dexterity of a drummer thirty years younger, 76-year-old Ian Paice provided a solid backbeat to one of the richest catalogues in rock music history.
Read more in Yorkshire Times.
Another review of the Manchester gig, this time by Louder Than War:
For your reviewer, tonight ended a long wait. He’s seen them once before; in 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.
Read more in Louder Than War.
Photo is from the O2 Arena, London, November 6, 2024; credit: Robert Sutton.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
That settles it: The complete UK media has been bribed.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6e/0d/a4/6e0da47b1226946bcb22f8506fba9b5a.jpg
November 13th, 2024 at 04:24No concert dates DP in 2025?!..just little Ian “keeping in shape” during January and February…
November 13th, 2024 at 10:24@1 Indeed. I say, way to go. Peter Grant, for all his business instincts, could never pull a trick like this and his boys were getting a consistently bad rap. A hundred years from now, music historians will read the reviews and know which band was the real deal, lasted longer, had a #1 UK single etc etc.
November 13th, 2024 at 13:26Uwe – the bribes haven`t happened – the UK Media finally realized that there is in fact more than , ahem, led zep, and that the Purps have always been there. They were just blinded. Better late than never, I guess.
Gary
November 13th, 2024 at 13:44Or: they have a considerable better taste that f.e. Thomas Treo, the alway very angry critique from Denmark. (Well actually when Jeff Lynne was in Denmark before Covid19, TT gave Jeff Lynne overflowing praises)
November 13th, 2024 at 15:49Yo,
This quoted comment from a reviewer above sums the current line-up & album up really well to my mind…
qt.” ‘=1’ is packed full of heavyweight tunes, that resonate with a strange familiarity and transfer onto stage so smoothly, that the audience feel like they have known them for years… I have to reason to hope that this band are not quite finished yet”…
Well said !
Adonai !
November 13th, 2024 at 22:55The Scotsman have a review, but it is behind a paywall
https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music/deep-purple-glasgow-review-a-barrage-of-voluminous-heavyocity-4860683
November 14th, 2024 at 15:45“Quintessentially PROG-adjacent hard rock band” is perhaps one of the best six-word definitions of DP I’ve read. It pretty much sums them up.
November 16th, 2024 at 21:15