"All The Riches They Can Hold" - Mike & The Mechanics live at the Assembly Rooms, Derby, April 5, 1996. Review by Richard Nagy Photos courtesy of Alan Perry/TWR.

Arriving late at the venue and only obtaining tickets just prior to the show; this was probably always going to be one of those good vibe nights- and it was! It is almost a year since the band last played in Derby on a somewhat more low key evening, but there seemed to be a much greater anticipation from the audience tonight. Right from the opening "Silent Running", the atmosphere was good and, unlike Sheffield, loud cheers greeted each song as it was performed with much more urgency tonight, so it seemed.

The song "Beggar On A Beach Of Gold" sounded glorious and better still for a more prominent keyboard sound than before. "Someone Always Hates Someone" was also delivered with added feel and the instrumental passages blended well with the light show and the size of the small venue. "Plain And Simple" followed in the same vein and the group really were enjoying playing the songs from, in my opinion; easily their best album. Strangely enough; as the show progressed it went a little the opposite to Sheffield in that after "Eyes of Blue", there was bit of an atmospheric lull as far as the audience were concerned, and it wasn't until the encores that a rush to the front of the stage was undertaken. Nevertheless, the band was in full flow by now (even though Paul Young's voice was beginning to feel the pace a little).

"All I Need Is A Miracle" and "Over My Shoulder" are brilliant and the crowd are loving it. Mike is smiling at people in the crowd (and into my lens!) and it is becoming a night to remember. I don't know when we will have the chance to see The Mechanics again after this tour, but I can safely say that I will be looking forward to any new project with relish. They have quite successfully managed to transform a Mike "in between"solo venture into an identifiable outfit and long may the band's career prosper!

The lucky ticket