dnews
- Special Edition - Post-Morphis Tour
does it rock? yea baby, yea!
****
Q U O T E****
"...It's the Christmas things that satisfy..."
~ Stu G, who needs to sort his goatee out
**** Contents
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Setlists, Show Times and Tickets
Sheffield Octagon Review
Cambridge Corn Exchange Review
Norwich Waterfront Review
Liverpool L2 Review
London Shepherd's Bush Empire Review
d:end?
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Setlists, Show Times and Tickets ****
Up now (or very soon) on http://www.spurious.org
is a series of signed
setlists from Cambridge, Liverpool and Norwich, a signed Norwich ticket and
a copy of the Shepherd's Bush Empire Show Times. These sundry scanned items
are just part of our revamped 'Gig Reviews' zone, so get surfin'!
> top
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Sheffield Octagon Review (11 Dec) ****
I'm still buzzing from one of the most staggering d:gigs I've ever been to.
It looks like Delirious? have moved off the "Mezzanine Floor" and
the lift
has shot up to the top floor! It felt, to me, like they are past all that
sold out stuff and are just going for it regardless of what anyone says! It
was well worth the wait and Delirious? seem happy to be back in England!!
Stew definitely
has a mohican, but it's small and dark. Stu G is ginger
again while Martin is sort of spiky but shorter than the old spiky look
and blonde! Tim looked the same but I have never seen Tim rock as much as he
did tonight! Martin did this kind of sleeve thing in Metamorphis where his
special delirious? top had detachable sleeves so he could remove them in
Metamorphis ("..my cynical clothing will fall from me..") in a manner
similar to the Mezzamorphis tour.
They did a brand
new song called "Show Me Heaven". It was really cool - and
in my opinion a lot heavier than d:'s usual (in musical terms) and a sort of
a Bliss-Heaven mix but, in my opinion, better and heavier with such a cool
solo by Stu G! Certainly mezzamorphissy but taking it on a level. I thought
the gig got off to a bit of a slow start, but maybe that was the crowd to a
degree that made me feel like this. They started with "There Is A Light"
(from Live 'n' In The Can) followed by "Bliss" and then a smattering
of
older Cutting Edge stuff, such as all of "Did You Feel The Mountains
Tremble?", a power-house version of "I'm Not Ashamed" and the
crowd-pleaser
"Sanctify".
Martin seemed
a bit out of tune on the older stuff nearer the beginning and
also at the start of Mezzanine Floor, but I'm getting used to that as a
"feature" now - and that's my only little moan other than the fact
that we
didn't get "In Pursuit Of Happiness". The MAJOR thing that struck
me was how
much d: seemed to enjoy themselves and they just exuded confidence - I think
this is what I meant about them getting off the "Mezzanine Floor"
and I
think they are still on their way up to the next floor though. I've never
seen Jon look so happy and smile so much and he and Stew seemed to be
"bouncing" (metaphorically) off one another with smiles for most of
the
night...Tim was hopping around like Zebedee!
As they started
History Maker, you could tell Martin was just really getting
off on seeing everyone worship - with my fist in the air singing as loud as
I could I am sure that Martin looked me straight in the eye and winked, so I
gave a big grin and the thumbs up which prompted one of those smiles that
my wife goes gooey about, and then I wasn't at all surprised when he leaped
down from stage and then on into the crowd and he stood then attempted to
walk on peoples shoulders. Unfortunately he wobbled, so everyone proceeded
to pass him around over their heads until Martin's head took a dive for the
floor but everyone managed to get under him and lift him back up in just in
time so he could get back to the stage.
They mentioned
they had just shot a new video for It's OK. Jon used his new
Ashdown "King" combo...which was a real monster...I don't think I've
seen
him use it before and boy could I feel that bass resonating in my chest! The
venue was pretty small and there was a bit of jostling crowdwise and one
person fainted about half way through! I thought that the crowd responded
really well to the new song and I think it is major time heavier than usual.
Favourite song tonight - apart from History Maker as ever - was See the Star
(it's like meeting an old friend). You know what's so weird as I listened to
STS I remembered being at Liverpool on the Pre-Morphis tour and D: saying
this is our new single and when I heard it tonight it just made me think how
far we have all come in this year D: wise and it feels so good to be a fan
of the best band in the world!
> top
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Cambridge Corn Exchange (13 Dec) ****
Tonight D: were supported by a band called Ruth. They ROCK! (What do you
want from me at this time of night - literature??) Loud and heavy, just the
way we like it. Yes. They did seem to have a ghost playing the keyboard for
the first few tracks though...
The Corn Exchange
wasn't as full as it could have been - not as full as it
was as for the pre-Mezzanine tour (25th Feb) - but maybe that's expected in
a University town a week and a half after the end of term... Still an
enthusiastic crowd though.
The D: boys launched
their set with 'There is a light' - ambient chord intro
much like the L&ITC in-betweens. Then they launched straight into Bliss
and
Gravity, prompting much jumping in the audience. See The Star they played
much heavier than the single. Martin told us how the band had done a lot of
touring in the US, and that they were working on the new album; they played
one of their new songs "Show Me Heaven" which promises great things
if the
rest of the new album is going to be as good as this track. Superb catchy
guitar riffs - I didn't catch many of the lyrics though.
It's OK, Sanctify
and Kiss Your Feet were a slow but, as always, very
powerful and passionate mid-section - followed by Not Ashamed, probably the
track where the most of the crowd were joining in and worshipping God.
Heaven and Metamorphis were, again, big crowd-pleasers. Martin was clearly
pushing himself to the limit tonight - he was looking *really* tired towards
the end of the gig (he always misses a lot of the high notes and tonight was
no exception, but for the first verse of Mezzanine Floor he started singing
in *completely* the wrong key!) I don't think, as a group, they were playing
quite at their best, but they certainly had energy tonight and that's what
counts.
And Stewart's had a haircut!
> top
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Norwich Waterfront (16 Dec) ****
After a month of glandular fever, a bad cold and a four hour journey in a
battered old Volvo I was just about ready to drop when I turned up at The
Waterfront in Norwich. It's the smallest venue I've ever seen the boys play
in, with only room for a few hundred people. Needless to say, the gig was a
sell out and I was planning on sitting down throughout the whole show.
Ruth opened while
I took some coats to the cloakroom, and when I returned
they were playing 'I get around' by the Beach Boys. I pushed forwards
through the crowds to find my friends, and they played several more tunes
which got me hooked. With funky bass and piano and widdly guitar, they
seemed to be playing in the style of Ben Folds Five meets Blur meets Bon
Jovi. Well, whatever they sounded like, I liked it, and decided I wasn't so
tired after all.
But on to the
real stuff. After the obligatory pause to change almost
everything on the stage the boys walked on and started their set. Stu G was
wearing trousers for a change - which we discovered later was due to the
fact that his parents, parents-in-law and sister were all at the gig,
apparently for the first time. Stew had his sleeveless top and mohican
haircut, Jon and Tim looked quite normal, and Martin was wearing a red top
with zippy sleeves.
The set started
with 'There is a light', followed by Bliss and then Gravity,
just to get us all going. In the small venue it was a relief not to be
crushed even though we were right at the front just in front of Martin,
although everyone was enjoying a good mosh. The next song to be played was
'a bit of an oldie' - Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble, played the old way
and not mezzed up a bit, as far as I could tell. Martin even tried to play
mandolinny parts on his guitar, which brought a smile to Tim's face.
After See the
Star Martin introduced a new song, 'Show me heaven' - a nice
heavy rocking song, which even included a much needed widdly solo from Stu
G. At last! But Martin didn't seem too sure of the words yet, so he had
someone from the audience hold them up for him.
Several times
during the evening Martin ventured of the stage, to either
walk on people's hands and shoulders, hang from the lighting rig or just
wander around in the audience. Well, after the size of some of the stages d:
have played on, they probably thought the whole venue was the stage. The
atmosphere of the gig was much more intimate and friendly than other recent
shows I've been too, which made it far more enjoyable for me.
As the evening
progressed, Tim Jupp got more animated and really seemed to
be enjoying himself more than usual, and he almost banged his head on the
lights above him as he jumped around during History Maker - one the
highlights of the evening for me, it being one of my favourite songs, due
to the fabulous Stu G mosh fest guitar part at the end.
Another highlight
was when they played I'm Not Ashamed - all the way through
and completed un-mezzed, except for a brilliant heavy bass intro. As
expected, at the end of Metamorphis Martin removed his zippy sleeves, put a
stocking on his head, played blindfold and then took it off again.
Of course, no
d:gig would be complete without an audience led rendition of
Deeper, which was followed by All The Way - perhaps because of the line
'...Find My Way Home Again', which could be a problem when you're completely
moshed out after one of the best gigs you've been to for a very long time.
After collecting
my coat from the cloakroom I came back downstairs to find
the boys had emerged to chat to the remaining fans, at which point I did the
best to embarrass myself by standing right next to Jon and saying to my
friends 'Shall I get this ticket signed? No, can't be bothered. Actually,
I'll get Stu G to sign it 'cos he's such a good guitarist', then noticed who
was next to me and took my foot back out of my mouth, and asked him to sign
it anyway. Then when I went to get Stu G's autograph I noticed his dad was
next to him, so I got him to sign it too. Just for the novelty value.
And then I went
home and slept, happy in the knowledge that there would
always be a piece of my heart devoted to it. Or something.
> top
****
Liverpool L2 Review (18 Dec) ****
In the bleak mid-winter... delirious arrived at L2, a cosy, intimate venue
and a 10 O'clock curfew! The audience were "up for it" big time and
seemed
far more d:friendly than the Sheffield gig - I think this was reflected in
the band and support act. Having said that, there seemed to be a younger
audience and far more people who were not familiar with d:.
Ruth were stacks
better, and the lead singer's pineapple didn't break this
time! By the time D:came on about 8.30ish things were getting pretty hot and
sweaty! I nearly backed out, as they launched into Gravity the words "Heaven
is calling me" seemed a little too close for comfort as I got jostled and
pushed - nearly a near death experience!!
To cool things
down large fans around the room were started up which
prompted a "Did you Liverpool girls bring your hair dryers?" joke
from
Martin. Things settled down and it turned out to be one of the best gigs
ever (and I know we said that last week but this one was better than
Sheffield......and Martin said it was too!)
The sound was
better - I think this was down to acoustics at the venue - it
being a cool and trendy nightclub rather than a sterile student union place.
That and a combination of a weeks gigging with d: seemed to help Ruth too
and they were received with enthusiasm. The band were totally chilled and
really really chatty! Martin talked about what they'd been doing in the last
year - Glastonbury, Soul Survivor and America: he said we're loads louder
than American audiences! Apparently they saw the Corrs at Glastonbury from
only a few feet away from the side of centre stage - Stu G mentioned meeting
"Drummer Corr" which prompted a flurry of "corr!" jokes
and comments, "Hard
Corr" said Martin. Martin asked Jon if he wanted to add anything and he
didn't so Martin said "Oh yeah, Jon celebrated his first wedding
anniversary" - Jon said it was his second and Martin was like "is
it really?
Two years?" then he made a joke about being really close to Jon! He said
they'd had more babies this year, looked at Tim and said, "It keeps us
busy
in the mornings!" Then realised what he'd just said sounded a bit dodgy
and
laughed!
The upshot of
all the extra talkie bits was that they dropped Blindfold
(though this was crossed out from the set list early on) and Mezzanine Floor
from the encore. Apart from that the songs were the same as Sheffield except
for the chorus of 'I could sing of your love forever' at the end of It's
OK.
During History
Maker they had a section where Martin got the band to play a
bit quietly on their own - he was saying to Stew "Give me more!",
and Stew
would drum normally (other than a silly "ting" on the cymbal!) and
so on
round all the band - finally Stu G played a bit if 'We wish you a merry
Christmas' before launching back into the History Maker chorus!
Martin went out
into the audience again a few times and highlights were Show
Me Heaven and Kiss Your Feet. Show Me Heaven was totally brilliant! Martin
said that they had to finish early because there was some disco thing on and
then he said something about disco being a word from youth culture! It was
totally brilliant and I don't think I've ever heard them all talk as much on
stage as they did. Jon jumped off his amp at one point and Tim got up on his
stool thing and jumped off it - unfortunately I think a lot of people missed
it because I think he deserved a big cheer - and Tim's jump was one of my
favourite moments!!!!
On the way home
down the M6 we spotted the D: tour bus and all waved
frantically out the windows and beeped the car horn. We were rewarded with
Stew Smith (we think) waving and the driver waving and flashing his lights!
A friend stood
by the sound console - which wasn't the comfiest place - but
she said she enjoyed standing there as she got to see all the communication
between band and sound person - including when the sound person made fish
faces at Stu G putting him off and making him laugh!
> top
****
London Shepherd's Bush Empire Review ****
After an almost successful attempt to blag our way backstage (where the
security guards asked us if we were in the band!), the Goatee Bros (myself,
Adam, and Gordon Goatee) had to settle for front-row mosh pit standing
spaces. Still, it was better than Mike and Scooby, who mistakenly sat on
Level 2 seating. Adrian was milling around in the crowd so it was a
Spurious? infested gig.
Ruth opened for
delirious? and put on an accomplished set, although their
songs seemed dated ("go back to 1994" said one punter), but a surprise
appearance of a trombone certainly caught the crowd's attention. They were
sort of a cross between Feeder and Ben Folds Five with - bizarrely - a bit
of Britney Spears thrown in. Although the lead singer's on stage antics
resembled a puppet on drugs, their over-enthusiastic tunes set the tone for
what would be an over-enthusiastic evening.
Delirious? came
out and opened straight away with 'Bliss', the electronic
influence causing Martin to buzz all over the place in a fit of frenzied
excitement. As ever, much of the enjoyment of perhaps the greatest tune in
the world ever was taken away by the frantic moshing which is synonymous
with the song, but Stu G's middle 8 provided a bit of light relief when he
sung, "it's the Christmas things that satisfy, keep my feet on the ground
and my head in the sky." There was no respite as the band flowed into
'Gravity' with barely a pause for breath and the bouncy atmosphere was
increased by some manic Stew Smith drumming and an on-form Martin belting
out the lyrics that make us happy. Pausing for introductions, where Martin
once again forgot himself, delirious? played the fans' favourite 'Did You
Feel The Mountains Tremble?' which was undeniably awesome. Missing in the
past few years from live performances, this scintillating song proved
several goosebumpy moments as Martin belted out lines like "When the people
rose to sing of Jesus Christ the risen one" and "Prepare the way of
the
risen Lord" and the audience joining him in devoted worship for the chorus
"Open up the doors and let the music play." Selling out? Only in terms
of
tickets, for Shepherd's Bush Empire was packed to the rafters.
'Follow' was the
next song to blast the audience, and the muted half-tones
grew to full-blooded cries that culminated in a Stu G solo to surprise and
shock. Martin went on the first of his two crowd-surfing trips, managing to
stand upright supported by loyal fans (who were obviously enjoying the
concert otherwise ol' Mart would have ended up on his bonce) and continuing
to cry "I will follow", holding the mike out to the audience. Unfortunately
I ended up holding the bottom of Martin's boot, so I got my hands a bit
muddy, but when he came back into the crowd (possibly during History Maker,
can't remember) he shook my hand twice so I managed to give him his mud
back. He didn't seem to mind as he gave me a beaming smile while wiping his
hand.
The familiar strobe/green
light effect used with 'Follow' soothed the
audience into submission, and delirious? took advantage of the mellow
atmosphere to thank us for "getting this to number 16" before inflicting
'See The Star' upon us. Thankfully it was played heavier than the studio
version, which seemed to prepare the audience for the new song 'Show Me
Heaven' which was heavy, and reminiscent of Heaven more than Bliss. Do,
however, look out for some very special snippets in forthcoming editions of
dnews concerning this new song, which I liked a lot although some punters
thought it would be a better B-side and was a bit predictable. I think that
once they get it into the studio, delirious? will have produced their first
Post-Morphis classic.
>From the distant
future of new songs to the near future of new singles; the
harmonic 'It's OK' reached out into the crowd, the mirror-ball sending a
chill down everyone's spine as Stu G's biting chords reminded the audience
just why this was the next delirious? single. Martin looped back into 'I
Could Sing Of Your Love Forever' which casts a new spin on It's OK's final
line, "will you come to me...I will sing again." From one crowd-pleaser
to
another; 'Sanctify' shook up the audience with the hand-swaying sing-along
antics of Martin before delirious? calmed things right down with an awesome
rendition of 'Kiss Your Feet'. For once, Martin managed to hit all the high
notes (and it was amusing hearing the thousands present attempt to follow
his falsetto tones) and the atmosphere was helped by understated playing
from the rest of the band who allowed Martin's vocals to speak to everyone
present. Simply awesome.
The dual nature
of delirious? was then shown as they moved from the
bone-crushingly worshipful 'Kiss Your Feet' to the plain bone-crushing 'I'm
Not Ashamed' as a delighted mosh pit moshed as Martin incited the crowd into
a delirious rapture with his shout, "I'm not ashamed anymore....'cos I
found
Jesus!!". 'Heaven' proceeded to tear the audience into chunks of meaty
flesh
and the familiar strobe-madness technique was employed by Martin, whereby in
between lines the strobes flash as Martin waves his arms around so we see
him moving into impossible positions. The strobes ran over into
'Metamorphis' where Stew Smith's most emphatic drumming (in this
post-Obsession era) was freeze-framed by the stuttering strobes as Jonson
climbed on top of his amp and jumped off in time with the music - all the
more impressive considering he hardly moves usually! Predictably, Martin
removed his sleeves in the final verse ("cynical clothing will fall from
me," referring to our new bodies in heaven) and went straight into the
moody
'Blindfold.'
Stu G has always
used this special thingy-ma-jig to make his guitar sing in
'Blindfold', but here he used it more than often as Martin went for a swig
of water. The "glory, glory" bit once again encapsulated the audience
as d:
went for a big finish and looped back into the "glory, glory" section.
'History Maker' roused the crowd before the encore, and there was a nice
long talky section where Martin asked the band for someone to give him
"satisfaction" and, in the end, there was one man left - Stu G, who
broke
into the "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" solo over the History Maker
chords:
truly bizarre, and bizarrely true. The mosh-fest that followed saw Martin
put on a sequinned jacket (complete with delirious? logo) and join the crowd
with more crowd-surfing.
Each delirious?
gig would be incomplete without the customary encore, and
delirious? did not disappoint as they came back on to play 'Mezzanine Floor'
where a tired Martin had trouble hitting the high notes (which, as someone
said, seems to be a feature of the song). 'Deeper' did not disappoint as the
crowd belted out the lyrics and the band rocked with their own infectious
brand of chunky powerpop. The last delirious? song of the millennium was
'All The Way', and its flawless performance reminded the crowd that
delirious? aren't backing down and that the new millennium is a springboard
for the band. A happy and tired delirious? thanked a happy and tired crowd,
and then we went out separate ways as the fans stumbled into the cold
December day to find their way home again.
> top
****
d:end? ****
How could it be the end without thanking the lovely people all round the
country who sacrificed life and limb to bring us and you such brilliant
reviews? Spurious? would like to extend the warmest thanks this side of
Barbados to Linda & Chris Sharp (Sheffield & Liverpool), Andrew Collier
(Cambridge) and James Ots (Norwich). Each review seemed to highlight the
increased confidence that delirious? now have - and with the recording of
new songs and forthcoming single release - such confidence is well founded.
Merry Christmas, again!