Live Review : Deacon Blue - The Astor Theatre Perth
The Rockpit 29th January 2026


LIVE REVIEW: DEACON BLUE – The Astor Theatre Perth
The Rockpit 29th January 2026

There’s something wonderfully reassuring about heading out to see a band that you know will not only do justice to their vaulted past but also throw some new treasures your way too. Latest album ‘The Great Western Road’ recorded in the band’s 40th Anniversary year of 2025 and which tells the story of the band and ‘reflects on the journey they have taken whilst remaining honest to the age and experiences they have shared’, might just be their most powerful work to date.

So not only is the band still here, an achievement in itself, they are also double delivering. There are songs from a great new album and a huge shot of nostalgia from the songs of old. With Deacon Blue you feel that connection to the songs is stronger in the room that with most – it’s a timeless connection that seems to have grown stronger over the years – it’s simple really -: people gathered in a room singing together.

Ricky Ross didn’t say much between songs, but when he did, it was measured and it mattered. The band are still clearly devastated by the loss of keyboardist Jim Prime last year, and his absence was felt throughout the evening. When he did speak Ross spoke with genuine emotion about how much Prime would have loved being back in Australia again, before introducing How We Remember It from the latest album Great Western Road as a tribute.

It was a moment of calm and reflection, the kind of moment that reminds you why this band has always meant so much to so many — they understand how songs can conjure memory and emotion.

Musically, the set was a great meeting of the old and the new: balancing new material with the songs that have lived in people’s lives for decades. The newer tracks sat more comfortably than you might imagine alongside the classics. They didn’t feel ‘squeezed in’ for a second, but more like a continuation of the story that hopefully has years more to go. Great Western Road when you listen to tonight’s tracks feels like an album written by people who have lived, lost, and kept yet still kept going. ‘Live’ it resonates even more.

One of the most telling moments of the night came during Loaded from 1987’s Raintown Ross paused the song to reflect on how long the band have been doing this, and on the importance of keeping on, especially in difficult and uncertain times. How wonderful it was to see people coming together, sharing a space, and singing. It wasn’t preachy or overworked, just a simple, heartfelt reminder of why live music still matters. The room responded in kind, voices rising, hands clapping not out of obligation, but understanding.

If you saw Deacon Blue on their 2023 visit, it’s worth saying this clearly: they are even better now. There’s a looseness and assurance to the band in 2026, a realisation that they do not need to prove anything. All that matters tonight is honouring the songs and meeting the audience they’re playing to add their voices to ours. Such warmth is hard to describe.

Thursday night in Perth wasn’t just another stop on a tour – it was a shared experience, shaped by memory, love, loss, determination, and a catalogue that continues to age wonderfully well. If Deacon Blue are coming your way on this tour, don’t hesitate. Get in the room. Sing the songs. You’ll walk out reminded of why this band matters and why they still do. Paul Diggins