Del Amitri guitarist Iain Harvie can only remember playing Perth once before.
But returning to the Concert Hall again this month represents a redemptive moment for the band.
“We played this venue back in 2021 on the Fatal Mistakes tour, during the whole Covid malarkey,” he says.
“So it was weird, the band were in a separate bubble from the crew, nobody was allowed backstage.
“Actually, I remember all of that more than the tour. I remember the hall, I remember it being a nice room, but I really don’t remember the show.
“It’ll be good to go back to Perth in a more relaxed frame of mind. It doesn’t matter who you were or what you were doing, everybody’s got weird stuff in their head from back then, so now we can go and exorcise that.”
Taking on Europe with Simple Minds
It’s been three years since that most recent seventh record Fatal Mistakes was released, which in turn was their first album in 19 years.
Now Del Amitri are a full-blown going concern again – alongside some recent dates in England, they’ve also been on a three-week tour of European arenas as support to Simple Minds.
“I always love touring in Europe,” says Harvie. “You wake up in Paris one day, then the next you’re in Amsterdam, then the next you’re in Bruges. It’s all very nice.
“The venues were big enormodomes, but they were surprisingly different.
“Some of them sound quite rock ‘n’ roll and some of them sound like you’re playing down a mine.”
Del Amitri ‘less concerned’ about what fans will make of upcoming record
Founded in Glasgow in the early 1980s, Del Amitri are well-known in the UK for hits like Roll to Me (also huge in North America), Nothing Ever Happens and Always the Last to Know.
Already, songs from Fatal Mistakes are part of the repertoire – even some of their Simple Minds audiences knew them.
“Two or three of them have become staples,” says Harvie, mindful of that two-decade recorded gap.
“When we made that record we were conscious of making a Del Amitri record, which sounds a stupid thing to say, but we didn’t want to go off on too much of a tangent.
“I don’t think experimental is the right word this time, but now we’re less concerned about what people will make of it.
“The expectations are different, because it’s following up from Fatal Mistakes, whereas Fatal Mistakes wasn’t really following up from anything.
“We’re in a different place now, partly because Justin’s life situation’s changed and that’s changed the way he’s writing.”
Del Amitri is priority in light of Parkinson’s prognosis
He’s talking about Currie’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, which was recently made public.
“There’s a couple of things we’ve rearranged while we’re touring, who’s playing what, just to make things a bit easier for Justin,” says Harvie.
For a time, Harvie says, he was doing a bit of songwriting for other people, but since Currie’s diagnosis his attention is fully on Del Amitri once more.
“There’s a sense of urgency and of not wanting to tread water, because that just doesn’t make sense if you have that kind of prognosis.
“But there’s also an optimism and an excitement that Justin’s still enjoying playing, which I think is therapeutic for him.
“At this point, what would be exciting is to get another great Del Amitri album finished,” he continues.
“It doesn’t matter how many records you’ve made, it’s always a tall order.
“That seems just as exciting and just as daunting as ever.”
Del Amitri play Perth Concert Hall on December 19 2024.
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