dnews
2
does it rock? yea baby, yea!
*****
Q U O T E *****
"Religion is bigger than pop music. We wouldn't want to sacrifice that
for
the sake of success" - Martin Smith, delirious?
***** CONTENTS
*****
Introduction
Delirious? on the Alpha Zone
New gig dates
US Mezzamorphis Release
US Mezzamorphis Chart Position
Q Magazine
CD Now interview
Sunday Express Article
A word from Craig @ Furious?
dend
*****
Introduction *****
Well it's the second dnews under Spurious? control [http://www.spurious.org]
and things are getting warm in delirious? land again. Unfortunately, still
no news on the next UK single but the upcoming Glastonbury appearance and
forthcoming UK gigs should keep the engine ticking over. If you're going to
Glastonbury, drop us a line afterwards telling us how it went and we'll put
it on Spurious? - the home of delirious? fans on the web. The US release of
Mezzamorphis has met with a positively storming reception among the fans,
but remember you can make your point of view known to the world of
delirious? fans by telling the spurious? crew - who would like to say
'hi!' - at reviews@spurious.org.
Just leave the rest to us.
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****
Delirious? on the Alpha Zone *****
The TV listings for this week show that delirious? will be making a
substantial appearance on the UK's Channel 5's Christian music show, the
Alpha Zone, on the 20th of June - this Sunday morning - at 8:30 am.
Hopefully a small review of this to come on Spurious? after the broadcast
date.
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*****
New Gig Dates *****
Glastonbury 27th June 99 - 12:20pm
Soul Survivor - 2nd August (week A)
Soul Survivor - 6th August (week B)
Soul Survivor - 9th August (week C)
For more Soul
Survivor d:tails, phone 01923 333331.
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*****
US Mezzamorphis Releases *****
Somewhat bizarrely, two editions of Mezzamorphis were released to the
States. The first, released via Sparrow Records, contained two new tracks
'Jesus' Blood' and 'Deeper 99'. The second release, under Virgin Records,
did not contain 'Jesus' Blood' or 'Kiss Your Feet'. Although this lead to
criticisms of selling out, please remember that delirious? probably didn't
have much choice. Before the release there was the threat that 'It's Okay'
was going to be completely pulled and would not appear in America at all
because of the 'controversial' lyric "she's as pretty as hell." Delirious?
would have been unable to do anything about this, which is why I believe
they did not have any option with the double US release resulting in the
removal of perhaps the two most overt tracks.
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*****
US Mezzamorphis Chart Position *****
Mezzamorphis went straight into the US Heatseeker charts at No. 5. The
Heatseeker charts give a fair representation of the movement in the charts
and particularly in new, 'unheard' bands. To put it in perspective, King Of
Fools charted at No. 13 when it was released to the US, showing a markable
improvement for delirious?.
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*****
Q MAGAZINE *****
<title>This Band Can Fill Brixton Academy But Radio 1 Wont Play Them.
Is It
Because Theyre Christians?</title>
As if Delirious?
didnt have enough problems, what with the braying infidels
and sceptical radio, Neil Morrissey is their biggest fan. Nick Duerden
reports.
Somewhere in the
middle of an unappealing industrial estate, 15 minutes from
the sea, is the headquarters of the Revelation Church, Chichester branch. On
a notice board outside a hall which is being used for band practice, there
s a poster that reads Vision Statement: Love God, Love One Another, Love
The Lost. Each time a drum is hit inside, the board trembles slightly.
Through the door, at the far end of a cavernous hall, are five young men.
Two are bald; one has his eyes set weirdly deep inside his skull; one,
considerably cooler in appearance, could pass for a surfer; and the
youngest, 22 going on 12, looks like Ryan Giggs baby brother. Handshakes
are tentative, and the mood anxious. The manners, however, are impeccable.
"Were delirious?"
says one, without irony (the question mark, incidentally,
is silent). "How are you? Safe drive from London?" More courteous
than Ian
Brown, then.
DELIRIOUS? ARE
THE hottest thing in Christian rock. Theyve just released
their second album - the broodingly anthemic Mezzamorphis, on their own
Furious? label - and are on a tour that will take them to venues as large as
the Glasgow Barrowlands and Londons Brixton Academy. Their 1997 debut, King
Of Fools, has so far sold over 130,000 copies in America - US Christian
radio deeming them even more exciting than Amy Grant - and they now employ a
team of nine people who help run their ever-expanding empire.
"Weve got
over 35,000 people on our mailing list," explains keyboardist Tim
Jupp, 33, "so its pretty much a full-time job." Despite scoring three
Top
20 hits, Delirious? have yet to be invited onto Top Of The Pops, TFI Friday
isnt interested, and even a solitary play on Radio 1 is cause for
celebration. Delirious? wonder if its the religious angle that puts people
off. "Historically, few Christian groups have managed to break through,"
says singer Martin Smith, 28. "Theres a stigma attached. People think our
music will either be second-rate or happy clappy. But we dont have a
specific agenda. Were not solely about bringing God into the charts." He
frowns, then leans forward. "Our faith is woven into our very existence,
but
we want to be a mainstream rock band just as much as the next."
Delirious? first
met one another at a church six years ago where they set up
a monthly event for local youths called Cutting Edge. Theyd write songs on
an acoustic guitar, then play them live. The local youths, finding band
worship more exciting than campanology, grew fond of them very quickly.
Gradually, word spread, and the band began touring. Then, in 1996, after
many discussions, they gave up their day jobs - electrician, designer,
studio employees - and concentrated solely on the music.
"I was involved in a car crash," says Smith, "and for a few weeks
in
hospital, I did a lot of soul searching about what I really wanted to do.
There is no Plan B for us. We believe this is our destiny and were at the
beginning of a very long journey."
THINK CHRISTIAN
ROCK and think Cliff Richard: his mistletoe, his wine and
his risible musical, Time. These are not encouraging associations for
Delirious? If only they were Lauryn Hill (always offering *lurve* to *Gaaad*
yet rarely tittered at) or Bob Marley (always on about *Jah* and stuff).
Being white and from Littlehampton doesnt help. "Its true," says guitarist
Stuart Garrard, 35. "There are a lot of cool religions out there. We just
happen to have picked the wrong one, Kula Shaker wouldnt get the same
treatment, but then their religion is now seen as chic. And Norman Cook
recently had that single Praise You at Number 1. If wed released a song
like that wed have been"
Crucified?
Later in the afternoon,
in the tranquil surroundings of a country church,
Garrards mobile chirps into life. He natters amiably for a few moments,
then hands it over to Q. "Its for you," he says, smiling, "a
big fan of the
band." The little screen bears the legend Morrissey, Neil. As incongruous
as
it may seem, the Men Behaving Badly star is Delirious?s biggest celebrity
fan. They met on Venice Beach in Los Angeles last year, and have been firm
friends ever since. "Theyre a great bunch of lads," says Morrissey,
an
aethist. "And I just happen to love their music."
Does their religious stance unnerve him at all?
"Absolutely
not. It doesnt stop them from enjoying lager, so they could be
Buddhists or Satanists for all I care." His laughter is long, and loud.
Morrisey will be introducing Delirious? on stage at Glastonbury and he plans
to direct their videos. "I went to Radio 1 last week and insisted they
play
their music," he says. "Theyre ace."
AS THE AFTERNOON
creeps on, Delirious? make their excuses and leave. As they
all pile into the van, the singer bangs his head on the door. "Oops, mind
the halo," he says, with a smile.
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Modern Rock With
a Message
By J. Warner Soditus
The British quintet
Delirious? formed in 1993 (then under the name Cutting
Edge One), performing at monthly youth rallies in Littlehampton on the
southern coast of England. In fact, the late-1997 release, Cutting Edge, was
comprised of songs that were recorded at these events. 1998 saw U.S.
distribution of King of Fools, which was already a year old in England and
contained the BBC radio chart-topper "Deeper."
Since its latest
effort was recorded about two years after King of Fools,
you might expect some growth and change. The title, Mezzamorphis, indicates
there is a bit of a leap -- the band now sports a distinct modern-rock
element with lyrics that are less directly worship-oriented.
Guitarist Stuart
Garrard called from the band's tour bus in England while it
was en route to a performance.
CDNOW: Can you explain the meaning behind the title of the album?
Stuart Garrard:
The title of the album, Mezzamorphis, is a mixture of words.
It's from two cuts on the album. "Metamorphis," which is a play on
the word
metamorphosis, reflects the theme of the album: change. "The Mezzanine
Floor" is about being between floors. It's not the first floor or the ground
floor, but it's somewhere in between. In the band, we feel like we're
changing all the time, and we're embracing that change. We're not where
we're going to end up, but we're further on than where we were last year.
CD: The album
seems to show some of that change. It's less of a worship
album than the others, but it's worship-influenced. Do you have any concerns
about losing part of your audience because of that?
SG: We definitely
don't want to lose any of the fans, but as a band we can't
stand still. We're the kind of writers where we can't sit down and write
toward someone specific. We have to do what's coming out of us. For us, the
whole lyrical side hasn't changed that much, although the format is not
conducive to congregational singing. They are still songs from the heart.
They're very vertical, we're singing to God a lot of the time. Also, we're
telling a few more stories now.
CD: Looking at
it lyrically, it seemed like a few songs, maybe "Follow" and
"Jesus' Blood," are very overt, whereas "Blindfold" and
"See the Star" were
a little less direct and more metaphorical. Does that come from different
people's writing?
SG: I guess it
comes from the fact that [singer] Martin [Smith] and I are
co-writing now. You've got a couple personalities and different experiences
there that join it together. It's interesting that you point out
"Blindfold," because at the end of it, there's that "Glory in
the highest"
section. We think of that as an overt song. "See the Star" is one
that
doesn't mention Jesus, but it is obviously about Jesus. The whole thing
about "So we run/ Never stop/ Keep my feet on the road" is a call
for
everyone. I would think that songs like "It's OK" and "Metamorphis"
would be
ones that the Christian audience might not get straightaway. But when they
delve inside, I think they'll see what we're getting at.
CD: With all your
work, people have pointed out a noticeable U2 influence.
But on this album there is a noticeable club influence, with heavy bass and
very complex sounds. Would you agree with that? What other influences do you
think make this album different?
SG: When people
point out the U2 influence, it is flattering for us. We
really like U2, but, like you say, there's a lot of other influences. As
individuals, we listen to an awful lot of different stuff. We wanted to
technically push it on this album. We got guys like Tedd T. involved who
helped to bring a lot of the technology. We also got into the computers
ourselves and made up loops and stuff like that. A lot of it came out in the
mixing of the project, when we mixed it with Jack Joseph Puig in Los
Angeles. He had a lot of input into making it, like you said, with the bass
sounds -- making it nice and deep -- and getting in those clubby sounds.
CD: Have you noticed
any major differences between the audiences in the U.S.
and those in England?
SG: I think, at
first, it was simply the fact that the people in the UK
simply knew our songs more. We've actually found it quite similar. Once they
get a hold of the songs, the people are really going for it. Our live events
are kind of an "all in it together" experience. It's not just a passive
audience. We've been really amazed that as people are getting to know the
stuff. Everyone's been getting into it and becoming part of the show. In the
U.K., the fans feel like they're a part of this journey with us. That's what
we want to try to carry on in the States as well.
CD: Several other
British bands have commented on how hard it is to get used
to some of the U.S. Christian idiosyncrasies and taboos. When you're
writing, do you have to consciously think about the American audience as
well so that you don't offend them? Or do you still just think about your
culture there, and hope it doesn't cause a problem here?
SG: We were only
aware of the difference in cultures when we submitted the
lyrics to Sparrow. Some people there were worried about a few of the lyrics.
We didn't consciously write to offend or not to offend. Whether that will
make a difference next time, we'll have to wait and see. We just write
lyrics that satisfy our explanation of a situation. So, the answer to your
question is no. We didn't write for a certain culture or market. We just
wrote what we felt.
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***** Sunday Express Article *****
EVEN A MAN BEHAVING BADLY CAN'T GET THE BBC TO FEEL DELIRIOUS
They have had
three Top 20 hits, have played to nearly half a million fans
around the globe and have just finished a huge British tour. Their latest
album, Mezzamorphis, is just out and their last sold more than 200,000
copies in the US alone. Critics can't get enough of them.
But you will probably
never have heard of Delirious? BBC music chiefs
refuse to play their records during the day or have them on Top of the
Pops. Why? The band fears it might be because members are all Christians.
Not since U2 has a band so explicitly and openly worn its heart on its
sleeve. Lead singer Martin Smith, 28, who formed the group 6 years ago in
Littlehampton, West Sussex, says their success has been blighted by the
stigma that religion carries - especially in the fast-moving, drug-taking
world of modern pop.
"We cannot
get mainstream radio play," he explains. "we've had minimal
listings at Radio One but they won't touch the new single, even though
we've got a substantial fan base. There is no real explanation.
"Maybe they
think the music isn't good enough, maybe it's just not our
time, or maybe it's our religious beliefs. We've had three Top 20 singles
and Top of the Pops still will not put us on."
Men Behaving Badly
star Neil Morissey, a Delirious? fan recently visited
Radio One's headquarters with a copy of Gravity, the band's new single, for
a showdown with Jeff Smith, head of music, and DJ Chris Moyles. But the
station has ignored him.
A spokesman for
the BBC station says: "Radio One is open to any new music
if it appeals to our young audience and contributes something to the music
scene. Delirious? has made it onto the playlist in the past. This
particular track didn't excite us as much as other records around at the
moment."
"Rock and
religion simply do not go together. Rock and roll is kicking
against the establishment in our own way," says Smith.
"Music is the greatest thing that has been given to us as a band. But
religion is bigger than pop music. We wouldn't want to sacrifice that for
the sake of success."
Thanks to Nathan
for this article.
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***** A word from Craig @ Furious? *****
Everyone's very
up for Glastonbury and that - contrary to popular opinion -
the band are not about to pack up and head off to America to watch their
bank balances swell. There are plenty of tasty UK gigs on the horizon, so be
happy.
*****
d:end *****
And happy we are.
Keep using colons
and question marks in any written work, and we'll see you
back bright and early for issue 3 of dnews.
[signed]
Adam,
Adrian, Mike,
Scooby
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