Delphic look set to be one of 2010’s hardest working bands, as they announce ANOTHER UK tour, this time only four dates and in May.

Tickets go on sale on Friday (26th February) at 9am. Catch them at:

Saturday 15th May 2010 – Wolverhampton, Wulfron Hall
Monday 17th May 2010 – Leeds, Metropolitan University
Tuesday 18th May 2010 – London, Electric Ballroom
Friday 21st May 2010 – Manchester, Ritz

We here at TGTF really love those Mancunian blokes from Delphic. Or more accurately, we love the music they make.

The words ‘you’ve said enough / you’ve said too much / you only focus on her touch / you halcyon‘ start the band’s next scheduled single, ‘Halcyon’. To me, those have to be some of the most evocative opening words to any pop song of recent memory. In the promo video to go with the song, three mysterious men in hooded capes stand on a rocky bluff then have a penchant for drumming on rocks, and girls in flowing grey robes dance zen balletic moves. The song sounds so other-worldly that perhaps this is the reason for this unusual video. A gold star to whoever can explain to me what’s going on at the end with all the string!

Delphic’s next single ‘Halcyon’ (from their debut album ‘Acolyte’) will be released on 15 March.

Ahhh, Phoenix, the toast of the blogging community. They’re maintaining their cool it seems by getting Delphic to remix their “Fences” – and rather good it is too. Download and enjoy here:

MP3: Phoenix – Fences (Delphic Remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Delphic are cementing their name as one of 2010’s brightest stars by playing another tour, this time throughout the middle of March.

Catch them at:

Thursday 4th March 2010 – Middlesbrough Teeside University
Saturday 6th March 2010 – Dublin – Propaganda @ The Academy
Sunday 7th March 2010 – Stoke – Sugarmill
Tuesday 9th March 2010 – Northampton – Roadmender
Wednesday 10th March 2010 – Wigan – Club Nirvana
Thursday 11th March 2010 – Edinburgh – Studio 24
Friday 12th March 2010 – Newcastle – Digital
Sunday 14th March 2010 – Birmingham – Academy
Monday 15th March 2010 – London – Heaven
Tuesday 16th March 2010 – Cambridge – Junction
Wednesday 17th March 2010 – Manchester – Sankeys
Friday 19th March 2010 – Sheffield – Leadmill
Saturday 20th March 2010 – Southampton – University

Making the two hour trek from Bristol from London has to be worth it on the whole, so when MTV gave us the chance to check out three of 2010’s hottest bands we jumped at the chance, and happily embarked on the trek to Dingwalls in Camden last night.

Opening up was London’s very own Death Metal Disco Scene, a sort of Yeah Yeah Yeahs lite. Having already achieved some pretty impressive official remixes for the likes of Bat for Lashes, Lily Allen and Kylie Minogue, we had high hopes for what was one of the band’s first live shows. Sporting some questionable Jeggings, lead singer Scorch Shepherd is like Karen O if she was a bit calmer and not quite as derranged. A pretty amazing cover of Whitney Houston’s “Wanna dance with Somebody” was a highlight of the set midway through, all stripped back and xx like, before they amped it back up to finish with futuristic dancefloor filler 21st Century. Good, strong songs for an opening band – definately ones I’ll be watching closely in 2010 as they grow.

Next up was The Drums (interview here, pictured right), currently making a stir in most people’s “ones to watch in 2010″ lists, they claimed in this week’s NME that they only make music with themselves in mind, not anyone else. However tonight they quite happily pleased the small but sold out crowd with their Beach Boys / Cure combination of sounds. Reminiscent of stellastarr* fronted by Kenneth from 30 Rock, they may have peaked a bit too early with a frantic, tambourine infused “All End in Tears” which resulted in the demolition of much of their drums’ mikes. The rest of the set was solid, fun, summery stuff that will have girls swooning and guys smiling.

Finally, after a stage set-up that would make most Health and Safety inspectors weep with the number of cables lying around, Delphic ambled on stage at 10:30, launching into an accomplished set. I first caught them last October in Southampton, and since then things have got pretty massive for the Manchester quartet (they topped our poll of bands to watch in 2010 – interview here). Chattier than Southampton, they coped surprisingly well when their mixer fell off the stage at the start of Submission, leading to jokes about “you won’t catch this on MTV!”. Polished, well rehearsed and owners of some pretty great songs for 2010, the only downside was that they were perhaps a bit too polished and perfect, a bit sterile. However, that didn’t stop us enjoying the light show (thankfully toned down a bit from the blinding Southampton set), and a band clearly at the top of their game. Urgent, pleading for your attention many of their songs fit perfectly into the uncertain 2010 landscape, and judging by the two shows of theirs that I’ve caught they are clearly a force to be reckoned with, and undoubtably one of 2010’s brightest stars.

MP3: Death Metal Disco Scene – 21

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing

MP3: Delphic – Counterpoint

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Delphic – This Momentary (Golden Bug remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

So I am a little in love with Delphic’s latest single, ‘Doubt’. Seeing that the band isn’t coming to our side of the pond anytime soon and is quickly selling out venues in Britain, I thought it’d be a good time to post a live performance video I found of their appearance on “Later with Jools Holland” in November. Mesmerising.

Delphic’s debut album ‘Acolyte’ is available now. You can read the TGTF review of the album here.

Last year Manchester-based Delphic topped our “10 for 2010″ poll (check out our interview with them last month here). Our voters weren’t the only ones who expected great things from this four-piece: the band scored high similarly in other (non-democratic) polls to determine the ’sound of 2010′. The band derided the attention, with Richard Boardman claiming the word ‘backlash’ meant more to him than hype. And why shouldn’t it? The expectation and pressure that comes with list-topping media coverage is hard to deal with (just ask 2005 ’sound of…’ toppers the Bravery).

On to the album then. As opener ‘Clarion Call’ unwinds, it seems hard to imagine where the potential backlash could come from. It invites the listener in, and like all great openers is archetypal of the record as a whole. However as the record progresses, it’s quick to see where they may stumble. Single ‘Doubt’ is catchy but lacks the substance of the opener, and ‘This Momentary’ is the lowest point (as far as songwriting) is concerned on the whole album.

Not the best of starts, but the album quickly recovers with ‘Red Lights’ before reaching the epic ‘Acolyte’, which clocks in at just under 9 minutes. The track steadily progresses in a journey-like fashion and is easily the highlight of the band’s musicianship. The record continues strong with the brilliant hook of ‘Halcyon’, followed by the songwriting peak ‘Submission’, keeps the consistency flowing. Concluding with the mellow ‘Remain’, the album bows out nicely, and the slight slip-ups at the beginning are forgotten if not forgiven.

Overall, the record may not be quite up to scratch with the Mancunian synth-heavyweights New Order, but importantly the record radiates potential. I don’t see Delphic being one of the casualties of the hype. This is not to say it’s a perfect record, but it’s clever without any pretension, making it accessible to both the elitists and the pop music lovers amongst us. One thing is for sure: in a country of new electro-wannabees, Delphic are the cream of the albeit gimmicky crop.

7.5/10

Delphic’s ‘Acolyte’ is out in the UK today.

If you’re a regular reader of the There Goes The Fear, you’ll be down with how exciting Manchester is for us right now. It’s a hub of musical amazement, knocking out soon-to-be-huge bands like tasty hot cakes. So, I guess you’ll understand how thrilled we were this week when we got an e-mail telling us about an E.P which is set to showcase this mass of awesomeness upon an upcoming sparkly 10” vinyl next January.

Titled Love and Disaster 1, the E.P, which shall also be released digitally, is said to be a “collaborative effort by the people and artists that are going to make Manchester a focal point for new music in 2010”. Featuring Airship, Dutch Uncles, Jo Rose, Delphic and Everything Everything, this is one HELL of compilation – in fact this shiny treasure of a record is practically here to shed light on Britain’s undoubtedly Mancunian-led musical future.

From the tender, Grizzly Bear-esque ballads of Jo Rose, to the jerked-up indie of Dutch Uncles (‘OCDUC’, the band’s song which is featured on the E.P, showcases a piano riff which I swear is ripped from Tay Zonday’s Chocolate Rain), to the epic summer riffs of Airship and finally, the digitally suave hit that is Delphic remixed by Everything Everything (I know I know what a combination), this E.P is pretty set on blowing your ears off with it’s brilliance. MINT!

You can pre-order the ‘Love and Disaster 1′ 10” vinyl now. The E.P is released January 11th.

Last week we voted Delphic the number one band you’re excited about in 2010. Following on from that, we sent over a few questions for the guys to answer – read about their pre-show habits, their title of “Technotronica masters” and how a penchant for free clothes got them signed…

1. First off, congratulations on winning TGTF’s “10 for 2010″ poll! How do you feel? Sorry we don’t have a trophy like a BAFTA or Oscar or something to give you…

We feel happy, of course.

2. So how did you guys meet and form the band? Are you all from Manchester originally?

We all met in Manchester a while back. The three of us had grown tired of bands we were hearing around Manchester as well as bands we were playing in ourselves, so we decided to form a band together and create something new. We quickly moved into a flat together, and set about getting to work.

3. So Manchester…the home of Oasis, the Smiths, the Happy Mondays, and Elbow. Growing up, did you feel a sense of strong musical tradition in the city?

Well, Manchester has a great musical heritage and one that we are obviously proud of. We were too young to get involved in the Acid House days or ‘Madchester’ – Doves and Elbow were the music of our youth. Nowadays, there isn’t necessarily one thing tying it all together, just a city with a determination to keep on top of things creatively. Although, there is certainly a view that Manchester could drown itself under the weight of its past, constantly reminiscing the good old days of ‘Blue Monday’ and ‘I Am The Resurrection’, so we wanted to help the city look towards the future.
Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of weeks back, we asked you to vote for your top 10 artists for 2010. We had almost 600 votes, and we’ve reached the grand finale, the big one. After 600 votes cast by you guys, the band the majority of you are interested about in 2010 is: Delphic.

The fourth band from Manchester on our list (joining The Northwestern, Dutch Uncles and Egyptian Hip Hop), Delphic have slowly been climbing into everyone’s consciousness throughout 2009. Their sound encompasses that traditionally Northern new wave sound, but add to that a dash of dance, a splash of rave and a hint of sci-fi prog, and perhaps you’re halfway there with Delphic. Jess introduced them properly last month.

They’ve become a darling of the BBC since been nominated in the BBC’s Sound of 2010 longlist and are one of the favourites to be crowned the winners. Fast, frantic and accessible when we caught them at Southampton’s Joiners back in October their show was full of more energy than most bands have ever had in the rest of their careers and more strobes than most stadium gigs can muster.

Get a listen to their first single, “Counterpoint”, a remix of their second single and watch the video for their forthcoming third single, Doubt, below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Delphic – Counterpoint

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Delphic – This Momentary (Golden Bug remix)

Delphic’s debut album, Acolyte comes out January 11th, and they’re off on tour throughout January