Deep Purple @ Sweden Rock Festival 2023-06-08

7/10

Ian Gillan

I did not quite know what to expect from Deep Purple, but it was a pleasant surprise. Despite all the veteran members being just that – veterans it is still very much a vital band. Ian Gillan’s vocals are surprisingly good considering he is only a couple of years away from his 80’s. For me it feels weird seeing Deep Purple without John Lord – one of my favourite musicians of all time. But if you cannot have John Lord you can at least have Don Airey who is also a magnificent keyboard player. Normally I have a strong dislike for all kinds of solos in between songs but Airey’s keyboard solo actually contributed to the show – spanning from thick John Lordish Hammond passages, to classical piano and even a short flirt with ABBA’s Dancing Queen.

I was never a huge Purple fan. The traditionalists probably consider it sacrilege when I say that my favourite albums are Burn and Perfect Strangers. The older stuff has always felt a bit tedious to me – especially the very long songs. But it is in the older material Deep Purple perform at their best, while it is in some of the newer (if you can call 35 year old material “newer”) stuff like Perfect Strangers Gillan’s age is actually noticeable on his voice.

Deep Purple 2023 are a very tight outfit and the sound is excellent. They also appear to enjoy themselves on stage and that accounts for a lot – if there is one thing I dislike it is bands who don’t seem to care.

If you are hesitating whether it is still worthwhile to go to a Deep Purple concert – don’t hesitate. They are excellent musicians and still a very good live act.