There seems to be a sense of nostalgia associated with this year’s Warehouse Project line-up, with acts coming together to celebrate Manchester’s past and present. Last week Manchester’s brit rock legends Doves played a blinding set at this very venue and what could possibly be their swansong before they go their separate ways. And, in a few weeks King Monkey himself, Ian Brown of Stone Roses fame, will be taking to the stage.
After revisiting a glorious past, it’s time to switch towards the bright future of Manchester’s music. Therefore, it’s only fitting that an electro-dance act like Delphic, who embody what the future holds, are given a night to themselves.
Before they play, there are clutch of fresh new bands to check out. First up were Jamaica, who mislead the Warehouse crowd into thinking they are of American origins by arriving on stage with 10cc’s Dreadlock Holiday. However, they quickly dive into their indie-rock sounds and announce they are from France. Like a beefier Phoenix, the band gets the crowd going with their indie rock sing alongs and in between chatter. Unfortunately, their sound does wear thin mid set as their lyrics become lost in translation and you just wish they would mix it up a bit.
Fenech Soler another French sounding band, except not a band from France, but from Northampton. How confusing. Their electro pop-sound has already made its mark with the radio hogging ‘Lies’, whose persistent melody is one of those that you just can’t shake. It seems that they have a few more where that one came from, with another big tune ‘Stop and Stare’ and electro stormer ‘Battlefield’. They have a boundless energy on-stage, which transmits to the crowd, and their electro-pop mayhem works well in this venue. The only irritating thing is how many times they mention the name in the band. We get who you are already!
Anticipation is building for Oldham’s The Whip’s entrance. It’s been a while since they played live their indie rave sounds and true to their name they whip the crowd into a frenzy, with their indie dance stormers; including the monster like ‘Divebomb’ and ‘Fire’. When you have a room full of people singing ‘I Wanna Be Trashed’ it can’t be a bad thing. The only issue is that their music is more structured around electronic dance workouts rather than actual songs; not that the warehouse massive mind.
Finally, at what is about 1:30 – or is it 12:30?- Delphic enter the stage with a booming synth backdrop, and treat the crowd to a frenetic set of songs from their album ‘Acolyte’. Each track feeds into the next one as the band play at breakneck speed, without pausing for breath other than for introductions. The electro anthems ‘Doubt’ and ‘Halcyon’ disarm the crowd and cause mass sing-alongs. The mellow ‘This Momentary’ sounds shoegazey and epic, while the trance like ‘Red Light’ is utterly hypnotic. The glistening synths of’ Counterpoint’, with refrain ‘nothing’s wrong today’, packs an emotional punch and renders the crowd powerless to resist.
One thing is for sure, this band know how to craft the perfect pop tune; with emotive lyrics and trail-blazing choruses. Although they have one foot in the past, their combination of electronic textures and full on guitars, give the band that freshness and ensures their blinding set lingers in the memory.
Tonight was a blistering homecoming set from Delphic and another notch on their rise to stardom. The hacienda may be long gone but on tonight’s evidence its spirit lives on.
Taken from http://www.addictmusic.co.uk/reviews/live-reviews/delphic-the-warehouse-project-manchester-30-10-10/
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