Mercury Rev, Royal Exchange Theatre. 16th December 2018

Well this was a bit magical. Take the beautifully intimate setting of the Royal Exchange Theatre, add a little smoke and lighting, a drop of Mercury Rev playing Deserter Songs and you’ve got something quite special. Jonathan’s voice is sublime, as are the rest of the band, delicate and powerful, it’s spine tingling stuff. I’ve never heard these songs played this way before, no one has, this is Deserter Songs in their original form and they sound quite marvellous. Jonathan tells stories between songs, delightful and honest about the album’s origins, adding another layer to these beautiful songs. The perfect way to wrap up a fantastic weekend!