I am overdue in writing this. My gig reviews are getting laughably late, for want of a better word that I can't think of.
So, on 22nd October, I went to watch Delphic as part of the Kitsune Maison tour. This was the second time I had seen them live (the first being at Manchester International Festival for a bargain £3.)
The other headliners on the Kitsune tour were Two Door Cinema Club. They were great live and the performance gave the songs a bit more oomph than the recorded versions.
I had high expectations of Delphic from last time. At the International Festival, they came on to an intro tape, mixed the songs into each other, included Bizarre Love Triangle, had me singing along to songs I had never heard before and made me feel like I was in a club where they actually play the right music.
This time, it was just as great. The guys act as if everything is second nature and it feels as if they have gone straight into making polished, catchy songs while keeping the experimental newness alive. They don't give a lot of themselves, maintaining a careful distance, but still manage to get the crowd bouncing, raving, and head nodding (for the cool ones.)
The live version of 'This Momentary' was amazing, a ten minute epic which you can see below. 'Doubt' and 'Counterpoint' were highlights, but I don't think there is a single track or part of the whole that I don't like. When they said that Counterpoint was the last track, I was disappointed because I hadn't heard one of the tracks that I had been singing to at the MIF, 'Red Lights' (I don't know if this is the name, as they haven't released the album yet, it may be called something like 'Crimson Illumination', or something altogether more stylish...)
"Shall we do one more?" they said to themselves and they did. It was this song. My night was complete.
If you can see Delphic before they are huge, then I recommend you do so.
Delphic dates for your diary:
Tuesday 10th Nov and Fri 13th Nov - Later with Jools Holland
8th December - playing on the Xfm Winter Wonderland Tour
18th December - Supporting Doves at Manchester Central
11th January 2010 - New album 'Acolyte' released
