Pete Williams at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. October 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Nerves are something you wouldn’t associate with Pete Williams, however genuine affection for a crowd’s enjoyment is something that comes across in waves, not just as a solo performer, or part as a band. Whether it is his own fused cocktail or the ever impressive Dexys but afterwards, where to many it matters just as much, away from the stage, in the even harsher glare of the spotlight when people can corner you and shake your hand and get a thousand questions in; the smile remains open, it flourishes with greeting and makes what has been on stage even more impressive.

Self effacing, a typical Black Country boy at heart, Pete Williams is no stranger to Liverpool, being part of the phenomenal Kevin Rowland’s legendary Dexy’s and his family ties to the city, and as he and the band took the Philharmonic crowd through a set that was warm, inviting and full of Midlands charm, that two way street between performer and audience was sealed with a Black Country hug and the sound of a talented man being fully appreciated.

It is easy to see why an audience would take to the band so readily, the main act of the evening, The Proclaimers, are no fools when it comes making sure that when they come on stage, the musical ambience has been reached, like a prize fighter coming into the ring pumped and full of adrenaline, the showman exuding his gladiatorial worth before the crowd, that what has gone before them has been respectable and noble in every way; there was no doubting that this Midlands hero was ever going to be anything but sublime and be on the very best of form.

The band laid down the unspoken crowd rules and it was the policy that was to follow for the rest of the night, to let the music talk, to let each song speak volumes and with the tempting thought that music can cure all, that the songs that were played with abundant cool could somehow bring a certain kind of utopia to the very edge of everybody’s lives and in tracks such as the openers Questions, Breathe My Love, and first rate accomplished tunes such as We Came, We Saw, the excellent Rough Necks and Roustabouts, the deep, almost philosophy driven Are You Listening and Suddenly Shattered, Pete Williams and his band gave a truly enjoyable evening in their supporting role.

The Philharmonic Hall, any Liverpool crowd will always know when they have been entertained, in Pete Williams and his band, they were certainly given the reason to be high spirits and early jovial mood as they waited for one of Scotland’s finest to enter the fray.

Ian D. Hall