I was aware of Deep Purple from a very early age. My dad used to describe them as his favourite band. I personally would probably pick The Beach Boys as his favourite band, but it's what he used to say. 'Smoke On The Water' was one of the first songs I can ever remember hearing, and I used to play that and 'Black Night' (a song which my dad only yesterday described as probably their worst song) quite a lot when I was younger. He really only likes the Ian Gillan era though, whom he still refers to as 'The Voice'. Personally, I would only rate him as the third best singer Purple had though, as I'm a big fan of the Mk III and Mk IV eras of the band and the dual vocals of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. It was David Coverdale and Whitesnake which led me into this era as there was a period in the mid-noughties when Whitesnake would open their sets with 'Burn' and 'Stormbringer'. Tonight sees Glenn dive into the vaults as he brings his Deep Purple show to town.
As a result of me wanting to avoid the football traffic (it was the Manchester Derby today), I miss the majority of The Damn Truth's set. The singer, Lee-la Baum, has an extremely strong voice with a bluesy edge, not dissimilar to Beth Hart. Musically, they are bouncy rock and roll in the vein of Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. The Sonics also come to mind, only heavier. The final song, 'Tomorrow', starts off with a riff which sounds like 'Sweet Child O Mine' but by the chorus it has turned into 80s Heart. Another impressive showing.
Just one minute into opener 'Stormbringer' and Glenn Hughes hits an incredible note to show that he's still got it. Guitarist Søren Andersen and keyboardist Bob Fridzema also get their time to shine on an impressive opening number, but this is Glenn's show and he sounds phenomenal. What a voice the man still has! 'Sail Away' has a heavy funk groove and is very good. 'You Fool No One' is driving hard rock with stabbing keys and overall great work from Bob. The keyboard and guitar solos are generally excellent throughout. 'You Fool No One' leads into 'High Ball Shooter' and then a drum solo, although the drum solo is fairly pedestrian. 'Mistreated' seems a little slower than on record but this just lends the track's heavy blues even more weight. It is awesome, and Glenn's voice is superb - powerful but with masterful control. Glenn mentions throughout that he considers himself the steward of this era of Deep Purple, and the songs are treated with appropriate respect. Bob does his best Jon Lord impression during an enjoyable 'Highway Star' although Glenn doesn't quite match Ian Gillan on this track. A red hot 'Burn' closes the show in a sizzling fashion.
Glenn Hughes ****
The Damn Truth ****
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