Deacon Blue

Who is in Deacon Blue now?

Deacon Blue's current core members are Ricky Ross on lead vocals, Lorraine McIntosh on vocals, Dougie Vipond on drums and Gregor Philp on guitar. Ross is the frontman and main songwriter, Vipond is a founding member, and Philp co-produced the band's latest album with Ross. Founding keyboard player James Prime died on 19 June 2025 after a short illness. Deacon Blue have not named a line-up for 2027.

Vipond presents Landward on BBC Scotland, and Ross hosts Another Country on BBC Radio Scotland.

Ewen Vernal, who played bass on Raintown, stayed until the band split in 1994, when Vipond left for a career in television. Deacon Blue reunited in 1999. Founding guitarist Graeme Kelling died in 2004.

Who are Deacon Blue?

Deacon Blue are a pop rock band from Glasgow, formed in 1985 and fronted by songwriter Ricky Ross. They took their name from a Steely Dan song. Their debut album, Raintown, came out in May 1987 and carried Dignity, the song a 2020 public vote named Scotland's greatest.

What have Deacon Blue done recently?

Deacon Blue played BBC Radio 2 in the Park at Stirling on 13 September 2026, after a summer of outdoor shows that included two nights at The Piece Hall in Halifax, on 8 and 9 July, and Edinburgh Castle on 17 July. In June 2026 the University of Glasgow gave them a collective honorary degree, the first in its history. The Great Western Road, their latest studio album, came out on 21 March 2025.

Matt Butler, who engineered The Great Western Road at Rockfield in Wales, also worked with the band on Raintown, the album they play in full in 2027.

Other news from the last two years:

• Record Store Day 2026: The Great Western Road Trip: A Live Album, recorded at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on the opening night of the March 2025 theatre shows and dedicated to James Prime.
• April 2026: the BPI certified Real Gone Kid, a UK No. 8 hit in 1988, Platinum as a single.
• Early 2026: shows in Australia and New Zealand, ending in Auckland on 15 February.
• Autumn 2025: a 15-date arena tour, from Liverpool on 19 September to two Glasgow shows in October.

The University of Glasgow degree followed individual honorary degrees for three current members: Ross and McIntosh together from the Open University in October 2025, McIntosh from Abertay University in November 2024, Vipond from the University of Stirling in March 2024, and Ross from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2021.

What are Deacon Blue's biggest records?

Deacon Blue have had two UK No. 1 albums, When the World Knows Your Name (1989) and Our Town, The Greatest Hits (1994), and seven UK top 10 albums, two of them compilations. Their three UK top 10 singles are Real Gone Kid (No. 8, 1988), the Four Bacharach and David Songs EP (No. 2, 1990) and Twist and Shout (No. 10, 1991). They have never had a UK No. 1 single.

The Official Charts Company also credits them with 14 UK top 40 albums and 16 UK top 40 singles. Their last two top 10 albums both came in the 2020s: City of Love reached No. 4 in 2020, their first UK top five album since 1994, and The Great Western Road went one better, to No. 3, in 2025. Both went to No. 1 in Scotland. The BPI certifies When the World Knows Your Name and Our Town, The Greatest Hits at double Platinum.

What is Raintown?

Deacon Blue released Raintown, their debut album, on Columbia in May 1987. It reached No. 14 on the UK albums chart in 1988 and spent 77 weeks on that chart between 1987 and 1990. Its 11 songs include Dignity, Loaded and Chocolate Girl. On every night of the October 2027 tour, Deacon Blue play Raintown in full, followed by a second set that ranges across their career.

Our Deacon Blue setlist guide for 2027 goes through the full track list, how the album became a hit and what is known so far about the second set.

How big a hit was Dignity?

Deacon Blue's Dignity has never been a UK top 10 single. It peaked at No. 31 in 1988 and at No. 20 on its 1994 re-release. Even so, it topped a 2020 public vote for Scotland's greatest song. Ricky Ross wrote it, and it is track 8 on Raintown. The BPI certified it as a Platinum single in March 2025.

The setlist guide tells the story behind Dignity and the street sweeper at its centre.

What hospitality is there at Deacon Blue's 2027 shows?

Where Deacon Blue's 2027 venues sell private hospitality, the spaces vary widely in size. At the Belfast arena, a Suite for a Night is a box for 12 or 16 with its own balcony. At Utilita Arena Birmingham, a private suite takes up to 14 for one night. At Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, an Executive Suite holds between 6 and 28, with a balcony and a suite host.

The Deacon Blue tour hospitality guide sets out the suites, lounges and seats at each stop.

The Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow shows

Each of these three stops has its own page, with that venue's hospitality and the practical details for each night:

• Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena Liverpool: Saturday 9 October 2027, doors 6.30pm (subject to change), the tour's first date in England.
• Manchester, Co-op Live: Friday 22 October 2027, general doors 6.30pm and a 7pm start (both subject to change), at the UK's largest indoor arena.
• Glasgow, OVO Hydro: Friday 29, Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October 2027, doors 6.30pm each night (the venue says its timings are a guideline and may change). These are the last three nights of the tour.

The OVO Hydro venue guide lists the Hydro's full range of suites and seats.

Nine of the 18 dates fall between Monday and Thursday, and the full list of 2027 Deacon Blue dates says which nights suit a client evening and which suit a night out with friends.

Which premium seats and VIP upgrades do Deacon Blue's 2027 venues sell?

Several of the venues Deacon Blue play in 2027 sell per-seat upgrades as well as suites. At the OVO Hydro these are the Terrace on Level 2, with high-style seats and in-seat food and drink service, and the Nest on Level 3, with sofa or raised seating and lounge access before and after the show. The venue warns that both are up stairs and may not suit guests with access needs.

Utilita Arena Birmingham sells six premium tiers and lists three of them for the Deacon Blue night on 20 October, running from lounge access with priority entry up to a one-course meal, a welcome drink and pre-booked parking. At London's Eventim Apollo, where Deacon Blue play on 24 and 25 October, a Lounge Pass is bought on top of an event ticket, one pass per ticket, and the venue offers it for most of its events. Alcoholic drinks are for over-18s only, and ID may be requested.

The Deacon Blue tour page explains how VIP upgrades differ from full hospitality at these shows.