What’s On previews Deacon Blue live in Dubai at Irish Village, April 16. Get ticket info and see Deacon Blue videos for the biggest hits.

Playing a gig is a conundrum for Deacon Blue, the chart darlings of the 1980s and 1990s.

“You’ll get a lot of people who’ll be happy for you to play their favourite songs,” explains frontman Ricky Ross. “Then there’s another set of fans who love to hear something new. Then there’s another group who are desperate to hear every song that’s unreleased. You’ve got to keep all of them happy.”

Let’s hope the Scottish band figure out what to do before their show at Irish Village on April 16. Deacon Blue enjoyed huge success with singles such as Real Gone Kid, Fergus Sings The Blues and Wages Day from their 1989 album When The World Knows Your Name. The band drifted apart but Ross, along with James Prime, Lorraine McIntosh and Dougie Vipond, reunited to release 2012’s The Hipsters, which went top 20 in the UK.

 

Ross had been writing songs for acts such as James Blunt, Will Young and Ronan Keating, but once the idea of a new Deacon Blue album surfaced, he set to work. “I got into a groove of writing songs. There was a lot of thinking about the past and the things we’ve done. The nice thing now is that we really enjoy making music together.”

The height of their revival came in 2013 when they played T In The Park in their native Scotland and then London’s famous Royal Albert Hall. Ross still enjoys the togetherness of being part of Deacon Blue. “Having a band is like having a family. At times they drive you mad, but you still love them.”

April 16
Irish Village, Al Garhoud, Dubai, 9pm, Dhs185. Tel: (04) 2395000. Metro: GGICO. theirishvillage.com