Delphic @ Sankeys, Manchester 17th March 2010. It looks suspiciously like the back of my head by James's guitar.
Photos by Shirlaine Forrest @ Gigwise.
Sankeys. Packed to the rafters, amazingly overpriced (paid more for 2 drinks than a Delphic ticket), uneven floored and unisex sinked. Yet it was fantastic - the best of their gigs I've seen.
I can't say too much about Little Comets as I was waiting at the bar for most of the set.
It was absolutely packed out and after the misleading map making me take a while to get there, I was only able to get 4th row back. There was a lot of expectation and excitement from the crowd. Beforehand, what sounded like the Delphic version of Bizarre Love Triangle they did at the MIF was playing and it was easy to spot the recognition on the faces of the people who've been into them for a while.
It was like the 'iPod nod' when iPods weren't quite so ubiquitous...
Ephemera started up and the guys walked on. They launched into Clarion Call and from this point it was obvious that it was going to be something special. They had a fantastic energy and were giving it their all. They came across as really confident and Rick was getting everyone clapping.
After Doubt, instead of going into Halcyon as they have been, they went into a new version of Red Lights, which was great. It merged into Submission and slowed right down.
James said they'd always wanted to play there before following Submission with Halcyon. They seemed to be getting more hyped up with each song. Every track was amazing. This Momentary and Counterpoint had everyone going totally mad. Counterpoint went straight into Acolyte, which was a small change but, I thought, a really effective one.
By this time, everyone was getting ready for it to kick in, because they knew it was going to be spectacular. And it was totally amazing, a really special moment that is up there with my all-time favourites. James came really close to the crowd and you could feel how confident they all were. He said "As always...as always you've been incredible." It finished much too soon. The lights came up and there was a huge, red-lit Delphic sign by the DJ booth. I was absolutely buzzing.
After the gig, they were playing a DJ set at the Deaf Institute, so we made our way over. It was a good set. There was a moment when the sound cut out, which was funny.
We chatted to Rick and James about the gig, Brian Wilson, and Clarion Call's influences, amongst other things. James said, "We're always confident when we're in Manchester." If this gig is the shape of things to come, I'm going to be ridiculously excited for the next few months.
James said they'd always wanted to play there before following Submission with Halcyon. They seemed to be getting more hyped up with each song. Every track was amazing. This Momentary and Counterpoint had everyone going totally mad. Counterpoint went straight into Acolyte, which was a small change but, I thought, a really effective one.
By this time, everyone was getting ready for it to kick in, because they knew it was going to be spectacular. And it was totally amazing, a really special moment that is up there with my all-time favourites. James came really close to the crowd and you could feel how confident they all were. He said "As always...as always you've been incredible." It finished much too soon. The lights came up and there was a huge, red-lit Delphic sign by the DJ booth. I was absolutely buzzing.
After the gig, they were playing a DJ set at the Deaf Institute, so we made our way over. It was a good set. There was a moment when the sound cut out, which was funny.
We chatted to Rick and James about the gig, Brian Wilson, and Clarion Call's influences, amongst other things. James said, "We're always confident when we're in Manchester." If this gig is the shape of things to come, I'm going to be ridiculously excited for the next few months.
