Artist: Danny and the Champions of the World

Venue: The Wedgewood Rooms

Town: Portsmouth

Date: 30.3.25

It has been eight years since Danny Wilson and his band Danny and the Champions of the World unfurled Brilliant Light but on this 2025 Tour we have new songs to hear live. I consider myself a miscreant who has missed the Danny and the Champions of the World boat up to now but what a time to get on board as Autumn 2024 release You Are Not A Stranger Here to my ears is possibly their best album to date, though with the before mentioned caveat that I have not heard all their discography in depth.

"They sound like a grown up intelligent

big brother against

the older songs, now full

of sparkle and achievement"

You Are Not A Stranger Here is lusciously constructed with more emphasis on electronics and production with added sample snippets thrown in. Listening to the music live my first thought was how good the new songs sound, though this may be partly to do with the “new” song bounce when playing live? They sound like a grown up intelligent big brother against the older songs, now full of sparkle and achievement.

  It was all seated at The Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea / Portsmouth which did not stop a fair few with itchy feet getting up for a dance, the T-shirts proudly showing allegiance to the band. Talking a Good Game, Kicking Tyres and Future Past all came early on in the set all from the New Album, impeccably performed by Danny George Wilson on vocals and guitar, Paul Lush on guitar, Joe Bennett on bass, Steve Brookes on drums and Thomas Collison on keyboards.

"I can imagine

Gerry Rafferty

nodding his

head with satisfaction"

 A trawl through some older tracks including highlight (Never Stop Building) That Old Space Rocket  before another new track and song of the night The Robot Cries which breezes into life with a Baker Street swagger that I can imagine Gerry Rafferty nodding his head with satisfaction. Support artist Annie Dressner then returns to help out on Sooner or Later with its soulful groove and message that we can cause our own problems but stand up and look within at our own faults. Then all too soon that’s it. A fabulous first experience of Danny and the Champions of the World.