Deep Purple @ ChallengeStadium, Perth (05/05/10)

Sat 8th May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Check out Caminiss’ gallery

Forty two years ago, a band formed in Hertford that was to be called Roundabout, because its members would come and go over time. After a brief tour of Denmark, the band changed its name to Deep Purple, and went on to become pioneers of heavy metal; whilst line-up changes reflected the intention of the original name.

And so, one of the world’s hardest touring bands arrived in Perth in 2010 to enthral a smaller-than-you’d-expect crowd, who were mostly seated, at Challenge Stadium. Melbourne supports Electric Mary were quite impressive, creating some ambience and anticipation among the crowd which was lost on many who were busy getting their drink on outside so they wouldn’t be too embarrassed to dance when the world’s best rock band arrived. Clearly awed to be supporting Deep Purple, Electric Mary played a set of quality rock tracks with just a hint of surf-prog-psych to differentiate themselves from a cover band. It was an appropriate set and would have had a younger crowd writhing with pleasure at the front of the stage.

World’s best rock band? possibly, probably. Most professional, definitely. Arriving on stage exactly on time, Deep Purple elicited a low roar from the seated crowd who stood immediately, with the youngest and fittest rushing to the barrier for a better view as Highway Star got underway.

You know how old/reformed rock bands insist on subjecting fans to crap new music, written with all the passion of someone in the comfort of a mansion behind the safety of their past success, on topics irrelevant to fans? You know how some famous bands are puffed up with their fame and self-importance and refuse to play their most acclaimed work because they are bored of it? That is not what Deep Purple do.

Quite the opposite in fact. They played the songs they are most famous for, never losing sight of the fact that the people in front of them are the reason they can keep touring. They had the grace to actually enjoy playing Smoke on the Water, which they must have played at every gig since 1972. They didn’t do that thing where they rearranged the music so that it is impossible to sing along either, they played it straight up with an enthusiasm that looked genuine and with plenty of encouragement for the crowd to join in. And if Roger Glover took his bass over to stand next to Ian Paice so he could chat with the drummer as he played Black Night, (the song that every bassist wishes he wrote, even Deep Purple’s) it only served to remind people how many times they must have performed these songs and how long this band has been touring.

‘New’ guitarist Steve Morse who replaced Ritchie Blackmore sixteen years ago still looks to be terrified that he’s standing in a god’s shoes and knows everyone is comparing him to his predecessor, but he acquitted himself well. During his guitar solo, he used a range of pedals and effects to show off what he could do with his guitar. Playing a five-minute medley of riffs, Morse made his guitar wail and sing with the voice of an angel. Not for him the screeching guitar-wank no one except other guitarists appreciate, this was more like guitar-sex. Throughout the set he posed with the other band members, accepted some good natured ribbing about being from America, turned his Cheshire grin on smitten individuals in the audience as he threw plectrums at them and managed to get the crowd to sing his guitar’s melody back to him.

Vocalist Ian Gillan has not lost a whit of range, and looking like a man twenty years his junior, he bounced and ran between Morse and Glover the whole time, pocketing his mic when he didn’t need to sing, interacting with the crowd and of course, belting out the highest notes with seeming ease. He didn’t talk too much, excusing himself to “have a bit of whiskey even though I’m over sixty” and explaining that Mary Long was written about Mary Whitehouse and Lord Long “Now dead… how we hated them”.

High up in the stands a young fan stood and conducted the band without their knowledge. Those watching him were equally entertained by his pure enjoyment of the moment as they were by the band; he pointed out the music’s intricacies as if he had an orchestra hanging on every movement of his fingertips.

Deep Purple’s performance left every other band in the world looking amateur by comparison. The beauty of their music comes from each instrument’s part being so complex and yet perfectly meshed with the other instruments creating songs you can keep finding new depths in; regardless of how often you’ve heard them. They should be recognised as pioneers of modern music, not only of heavy metal because throughout the performance it became clear that Deep Purple has inspired every other genre with its broad embrace of styles.

Other set highlights included Rapture of the Deep, Sometimes I feel like screaming, Space Truckin’, Lazy and of course Black Night But to be honest, every song was a highlight. The cover of Billy Joe Royal’s Hush was a stack of fun, and Don Airey’s keyboard solo was astonishing incorporating Rachmaninov and Tie me kangaroo down sport. The best part of it is that Deep Purple were looking fit, healthy and enthusiastic, so there’s a good chance we’ll see them in town again in the next couple of years to remind us again what good music should sound like.

Check out Caminiss’ gallery