Having watched a cool concert from Dundee's Cha Cha Heels at Abertay University earlier, I left Miss C with their drummer (so to speak) and hot-footed it over to Dexters where I arrived just in time to grab a copy of the EP and wait for a very short while for the band to come on stage.
Dundee's Deadlight Red have a new CD out and this was the launch gig
Dexters was well attended for this as there'd been a rather fine line-up supporting (which I'd missed!!), so there was a definite air of expectation buzzing around. The five members of Deadlight Red came on and, with minimal soundcheck (horrayyyy!!) started into "Bones You Break" - and immediately, you knew this was going to be a quite extraordinary concert. A few reasons, really. First, the sound was exceptional - you could hear the guitars, the rhythm section, the keyboards, the vocals AND the lyrics - for a band such as this, absolutely perfect. Secondly, you could have heard a pin drop - by that, I mean the audience were absolutely wrapped up in the band to such a degree that hardly a whoop or a holler could be heard as we all just sat or stood and listened - and when can you say you've heard that at a local band concert of late. It was just exquisite - a band of this quality playing songs that just transfixed you in their own worlds and an audience lapping up every second of it. In its own way, every bit as thrilling as a concert at which you leap about recklessly.
Anyway, the first song flowed - lead vocalist Paul has this really emotive sounding voice that really does justice to the song and, combined with the harmonies, produces this really heartfelt vocal that rises and falls with the song's arrangement. As the piano chords add extra depth and texture, the guitars ring out and the rhythm section provide the drive as the song floats by. "Photographs" injects some extra pace to the pr5oceedings but is counterbalanced by the dynamic arrangement when the riff drops back and the piano comes delightfully to the fore, as the vocal and band rise once again. So far, you hear touches of everything from late seventies Genesis to vintage U2, but at the end of it all it's still Deadlight Red, which is where you want your band to be. can't recall which track they did as the fourth track, but I remmeber making a mental note somsrthing along the lines of "If 'Dark Side'-era Pink Floyd had been a Scottish indie band...." as there was a decided Floydian flavour to the song and its arrangement, giving you some idea of the superb writing and playing skills that this band possess. They did "Can't Stop The Sound" (may even have been the third track) and that one starts as a ballad and slowly rises, almost cyclical, and again, the audience is hypnotised to a song that really captures the head and heart. The set is well structured so that it does build and build so that, right at the end you get this really beefy track that starts deceptively strong then tightens up and drives off to the skies in a blaze of lead guitar, rhythm guitar riffing, swathes of organ and dramatic work from the rhythm section as the lead guitar rises above it all and the vocals pour emotion from every pore, and the result has the hairs standing up on the back of your neck, it's that good. As a band, they played faultlessly - not a note dropped or out of place, not a vocal sounding less than heartfelt, the passion and power of the band's confidence in the fact that they know they've got a great set of songs, shining through.
Like I said, almost unique on the local circuit right now, if you want a great evening of great songs, look no further - and just hope you have an audience next to you willing to listen!!