DEEP PURPLE – REGENT THEATRE

“Up Close!” it said on the ticket, which may have been a euphemism for “Last Days!” were it not for the reception accorded this year’s umpteenth incarnation of Deep Purple. The everlasting British rock group filled the Regent twice at the weekend and even they appeared gobsmacked by the warmth of Saturday’s night’s welcome.

Grizzled rhythm section Ian Paice and Roger Glover and barefoot, dimpled frontman Ian Gillan brought a strong thread of continuity from the band’s ’70s heyday, though a new song, Silver Tongue, made it clear from the start that Deep Purple remains a living organism.

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