DEL AMITRI ‘Greatest Hits & Fatal Mistakes’ Tour – Melkweg OZ, Amsterdam | 07-Sep-2022
When released in 2021, it had been 19yrs between Del Amitri’s sixth studio album ‘Can You Do Me Good’ (2002) and their seventh, ‘Fatal Mistakes’.
Between 2002 and 2014, the band had focused on solo-projects, but following sold-out reunion tours in 2014 & 2018,they decided fans should be rewarded with new songs and began writing again. Then along came the pandemic and life as we knew it went on sabbatical.
They actually finished recording ‘Fatal Mistakes’ the day before lockdown began in March 2020 but then faced all the challenges of mixing, producing and releasing it during lockdown, with limited marketing opportuntiies and no chance of taking these new songs on-tour.
A live compendium, ‘Into The Mirror’ was released in 2014, but there’s no substitute for the real thing, and it was well worth the wait, now that the devastating effects of covid seem to be in our rearview-mirror, to finally see one of Glasgow’s finest back on-the-road, and back in Amsterdam, after such a long hiatus. And what a show it was.
Billed as ‘Greatest Hits & Fatal Mistakes’, the ∼90min running-time consisted of a healthy clutch of ‘Fatal Mistakes’numbers, whilst at the same time, giving the fans what they’d really come for, the ‘Greatest Hits’.
Kicking off with classic tune, ‘When You Were Young’, from 1992’s ‘Change Everything’ anthology, the set meandered between old & new tracks, in a pleasant, languorous fashion.
Unfortunately, and sometimes unfairly, new songs are never usually as well received as the old faithfuls, but with the same rhythmic, casual rock & roll style that has punctuated Del Amitri’s career, these new kids on the block slipped neatly into the groove, and the appreciative crowd lapped it all up, like a dog eating beans.
The set-list borrowed heavily from my favourite three compendiums (‘Waking Hours’ 1989, ‘Change Everything’ 1992 and ‘Twisted’ 1995) which by far, in my humble opinion, was their most fertile & prosperous period. Although it’s true that ‘Fatal Mistakes’ debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart in the first week following its release. So, it’s safe to say that there’s plenty of life in the old dog yet.
‘Always The Last To Know’, ‘Kiss This Thing Goodbye’, ‘Roll To Me’ & ‘Nothing Ever Happens’ are some of the finest songs ever to have been written, and for them to have come from a Scottish band, filled me with an immense sense of pride. And a touch of sadness…
Hearing these tunes live for the first time, when you’re a lifetime away from the first time you listened them, and with so much happening in the intervening years, you cannot help but wonder where have all the years gone? How long have you been driving with the brakes on? Are you who you always hoped you would become, when you were young?
Closing down with show with another tune from ‘Change Everything’, the lyrics to ‘Be My Downfall’ were an extremely well-fitting curtain-call…
“Well, the bus is pulling out
And I guess I’d better go
Before I make a grave mistake
And let my feelings show…”
Here’s hoping it’s not another ∼20yrs until Del Amitri’s next album. Or trip across the water to Amsterdam.
You can listen to Del Amitri’s latest album, ‘Fatal Mistakes’ (2021) here, and it’s companion disc, ‘Fatal Mistakes : Outtakes & B-Sides’ (2022) here.
Del Amitri are :
• Justin Currie (Lead-Vocals, Bass-Guitar, Guitar, Piano)
• Iain Harvie (Guitar)
• Kris Dollimore (Backing-Vocals, Guitar)
• Andy Alston (Keyboard)
• Ash Soan (Drummer)
Follow Del Amitri on Social-Media :
• Spotify
• YouTube
Words by Colin Bridgewater (@CJB_TheSongbird)
Photo credits – 1 and 2 stock images 3,4 and 5 by Colin Bridgewater
The songbird 