Words: Abi Hawes
Britpop band The Bluetones returned to Derby on 1st October as a warm-up gig ahead of their 30th anniversary tour of ‘Expecting to Fly’. The album rocketed up to first in 1996 in the charts, containing many of the band’s biggest hits.
Having finished their tour for the latest album Atlas, which demonstrated that the band still possess an enormous amount of music ability. Their return to Expecting to Fly has given them the opportunity to revisit one of the staple albums of the 1990’s.
The relatively small venue certainly made the show feel both intimate and personal, with the band being meters away from the audience. The gig felt more than just live music, as the connection between the band and crowd was certainly noticeable.
The 5 peice opened their set with their first track on the album TALKING TO CLARRY. Immediately the 5 pieced band were in complete sync, with MARK MORRISS’ vocals sounding strong as usual. The Britpop band sound phenomenal, but they also give preforming a new definition. They are without a doubt one of the most fun bands to watch.
The intimacy of the venue was clear from the outset. Several members of the audience were close enough to read the setlist, with the band initially revealing the first 11 songs of the show in the same order as the albums track listing.
They then launched into one of their biggest hits BLUETONIC. It was clear that many members of the crowd were reliving their youth transported back to when Expecting to Fly was first released. The performance MARK MORRISS puts on is incredible, making everyone fully aware of just how passionate he is about the band and its music.
Another hit was played after- CUT SOME RUG, another of their well-known songs that soundtracked the 90s.The song gave MORRIS another opportunity to showcase his energetic stage presence. Despite the limited space, he danced his way through around the stage before, grabbing a fans phone from the front row, recording him his perspective.
Moments like this demonstrate what makes the band so unique as a live act. They consistently create a special experience and maintain a strong rapport with the audience, ensuring that new memories are made at every show. Whether it is your first The Bluetones gig or your hundredth, no performance ever feels the same.
They then introduced THE FOUNTAINHEAD as a song written about his grandfather that he was close to, before dedicating it to him. The song also went down well, transporting the sound of the past to the present day.
CARNT BE TRUSTED followed after MORRISS made a joke about drummer EDS CHESTERS regretting his decision on wearing his cotton shirt as the venue was so warm. They introduced the song by telling us that they wanted the track to be a single, however their manager said no, prompting the audience to boo. He also told us that the song broke conventual song writing as it “hasn’t got a chorus”, claiming that they had effectively “broke the rules”.
Another one of their hits was next, SLIGHT RETURN, which produced an even greater response from the crowd. The instantly recognisable introduction to the song immediately set the tone for the rest of the song. It is songs like these that do truly reflect the passion the band have, giving their performance character and life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hard-core fan, or a complete stranger to the band’s music, there something about The Bluetones shows that are completely captivating. The 90s Britpop anthem became one huge sing along, really highlighting what makes the band so special.
They then went onto play PUTTING OUT FIRES, a track MORRISS said that he could sing in his 20s as he had a “squeaky voice”, telling the audience to sing loudly to cover up his “badness” comparing it to a Robbie Williams gig. Several arms immediately went up into the air as the crowd joined in.
The great thing about the album tour is that it gives the audience to hear some of their favourites that aren’t regularly played, which was extremely evident throughout the Derby performance. The way the band in complete cohesion, all clearly enjoying themselves. As a result, the performance became more than simply a life rendition of an album, but something memorable and extremely fun.
The band swiftly moved onto VAMPIRE, a less frequently played track. Despite it being a warmup show, the band played incredibly well.
They then went into A PARTING GESTURE, which began acoustically, adding the instruments as the song progressed, including a harmonica. The songs really were put to life from being a recording to a live performance. This song truly does highlight the amazing vocals of MARK MORRISS, capturing the essence of The Bluetones, a band that has aged but remained iconic. After finishing the song, MORRISS claimed that they would come back and play another few songs after their final song on the track list, TIME AND AGAIN. They closed the set on a strong end, really highlighting their passion and skills, making their performance seem effortless.
Before long, the band returned to the small venue buzzing to see what songs they would play next. The opened their encore with MARBLE HEADED JOHNSON which gained a strong reaction, as people cheered to the iconic opening.
They then went onto play a less well-known song STRING ALONG, one that several big fans were particularly happy with. After closing the song, MARK MORRISS asked the audience to shout if they knew the song. A percentage of the crowd responded, to which he said that it was enough people to keep it in the set.
The introduction to AUTOPHILIA OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE MY CAR rang out, which was a personal highlight of the night. They introduced the song joking about how expensive it had been and admitting that they regretted the music video, which drew a laugh from the audience. Many of the audience began singing the words back to them. As a slower song, it does highlight the quality of MARK MORRISS’ voice, that is certainly an underrated.
They then went into DEVIL BEHIND MY SMILE before playing SLEEZY BED TRACK. They then went on to play NEVER GOING NOWHERE, my favourite song from their discography. They played an extended outro to the song, allowing the performance to build before finally concluding.
Before the final song, the band reflected on their earlier career, joking that when they released these tracks, they assumed they would be billionaires by now. However, they admitted that they were ultimately glad that that had not happened, because it would have meant missing moments like this.
They then closed their set with IF, bringing an unforgettable night to an end. They put a fragment of Radio Ga Ga by Queen, before going into their iconic “nananana’s”.
They Derby show demonstrated exactly why The Bluetones have remained such an enduring presence within the music scene. Even thirty years after the release of the album, the band still have an unmatched energy. Despite celebrating decades of Expecting to fly, the band proved that they still have much more to give.
