Over the years, Manchester has produced a multitude of exceptional musical talent. Oasis, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, New Order, etc – the list of bands slowly emanating out of the northern city reads like a who’s who of musical rock royalty. Delphic, a Manchester four-piece, look set to continue this trend and their debut album Acolyte could well be the perfect springboard for further success.
Shortlisted as one of 15 acts for the BBC Sound of 2010, Delphic are set to take the UK indie dance scene by storm. Described by many an expert as ‘the new New Order’, Delphic are able to produce a sound eerily reminiscent of their Manchester forefathers and Acolyte is a magnificent first up effort, with soaring melodies and ridiculously infectious dance hooks.
Doubt, the second song on the album, immediately sets the tone for the rest of the piece with lead singer James Cook’s vocals taking the listener to euphoric highs and he matches the intensity of the chorus melody tone for tone. Red Light is another contagiously brilliant song in that as soon as the main riff kicks in it’s almost impossible not to get off your feet and dance along to the free-flowing beats. It’s a song typical of the entire album - not necessarily one for the ages but one to immediately set pulses racing.
Listening to Acolyte is one thing. Seeing them live, leading their audience on a trail of brilliant indie melodies, is another treasure altogether. Their recent UK tour culminated in an intimate but no less thumping performance at Southampton University and they wowed the packed in crowd with a flawless set. It’ll be interesting to see where Delphic can go from here. Following up an album as instantly popular as this one could prove to be a Herculean task. But for now, they need not worry. Acolyte has put them on a wave of immediate success and it’s difficult to see that wave dying out anytime soon.
(Solent Speaker, 2010)
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