The Delines at the Union Chapel

The Delines

Peter Bruntnell

Union Chapel, 3 April 2025 

It's said that Willy Vlautin created The Delines simply because he loved Amy Boone's voice so much and it makes so much sense: her world-weary raspy tones, a kind of mix between Bobbie Gentry and a jazz singer, really do bring Vlautin's stories to life in a way that is totally distinct from his previous band Richmond Fontaine.

This is the second time I've seen The Delines this week but this time it was in the magical setting of the Union Chapel. They've actually played here before and even have another date already booked here next year. It's obviously an atmospheric place, perfect for storytelling, but it's also good because it's seated and I can't deny that much of The Delines' audience is, shall we say, quite grey-haired. I mean, there were more than one walking stick here tonight and in the queue there were more than usual having to go sit on the steps while we waited: I felt quite youthful in comparison, which was nice for once.

Like the Rough Trade show, the set began with the title track of the new album, Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom. which set the tone well as this was a show heavy on material from the latest record (which was fine by me, as it may be my favourite so far), this time however, the band took their places and started playing before Boone walked out on stage, which was a nice touch and I'm sure one that Vlautin and the band did to demonstrate their admiration for her: Vlautin even says at one point that Boone "is the reason we are here tonight."  

Boone looks more glam tonight, in a patterned top and sparkly earrings, while the rest of the band look stylish in their suits. There's also a camaraderie between the whole band: they seem to like each other and dig playing together and, as I've said before, there is great chemistry between Boone and Vlautin. It's clear that he loves the way Boone brings his stories to life and how she inhabits his beautiful and broken characters, while she has great respect for the tales he writes for her, well for us all really.

Given the dark subject matter of some of the songs and the sad stories that Vlautin likes to tell, some of the tunes are naturally brooding and melancholy but many are also surprisingly upbeat. Maureen's Gone Missing, a tale of a woman robbing her boss and disappearing, is certainly one while Nancy & The Pensacola Pimp, Boone tells us is one we could actually dance to, and it's definitely got a cool groove.

One of the highlights of the night though came from a non-album track, My Blood Bleeds The Darkest Blue, which is preceded by Boone joking that "Willy and I are now going to get into a big fight," and the duet that follows is a brilliant back and forth, following a couple making outlandish threats to each other. It's nice to hear Vlautin sing and great to see him and Boone singing to each other, you can tell they each get a big kick out of it.

There's also a nice moment when Boone reveals that Vlautin has been writing songs in the van between shows and they are all "trucker songs". Vlautin tells us that if we see the next album is a trucker record, then we know that's "the one not to buy" but I don't know, I think it sounds rather good! Boone and Vlautin also reveal that the last record took years to make and they actually went back and re-did a lot of it. "I'm really proud of it," says Boone and Willy smiles at her and says "me too". It's a lovely moment.

The Rough Trade show focused mainly on the new album but because it was only an hour long, we didn't get to hear much older material so it was especially nice tonight to hear songs from the band's previous albums.  I think my favourite of these may have been the heartbreaking Don't Think Less Of Me from the soundtrack to Willy's book The Night Always Comes (there was a discussion on stage if it could be called this but it was the companion record to the book). Boone's voice was stark and beautiful and the whole band, created the musical soundscape that brought the words to life, in particular Cory Gray on keyboards and a haunting trumpet. 

The encore began with an instrumental written by Gray, Lynette's Lament, which Vlautin said was one of his favourites, and it was nice to see how Vlautin, Gray, Sean Oldham on drums and Freddy Trujillo on bass, worked together to bring the song to life.

They then went right back to the beginning to their first album Colfax, the slow lament of Calling In, keeping with the mood for the slightly more upbeat but still full of heartbreak story of The Imperial. Then the whole band, aside from Gray on keyboards, abandoned their instruments, and gathered around a single microphone, to sing backing vocals to Boone on the soulful Dilaudid Diane, their combined voices sounding wonderful in the acoustics of the old chapel. It was a lovely way to end a lovely show that was full of sad songs but also full of hope and good feeling.

Supporting tonight was Peter Bruntnell, who funnily enough I had seen before supporting Vlautin but in his old band Richmond Fontaine back in 2010. I must admit I haven't kept up with his output over the years but like us all, he's looking a little greyer now but still seems full of passion for storytelling and songwriting. Last time I saw him he performed alone but this time he had a guitarist and bassist accompanying him. The music was country-tinged folk, with tales of driving from London to his adopted home of Devon, and his thoughts about ageing (which definitely went down well with the audience). He's a veteran of the UK scene and has plenty of tales to tell and it was great to be able to catch up with him again. Vlautin later calls him one of his favourite songwriters and he certainly makes a fitting and welcome opening act for The Delines tonight.