Having had a bit more time to take in everything that happened at the superb Christmas Show, I thought I'd write a bit more than my quick train post. I've also added my photos and review of the gig to the website.

Stu and Jon on stage during the Christmas Show
The gig felt like a 'crew reunion' in some ways. Colin Walker came out of retirement for a one-off gig and returned to his familiar position behind the monitor desk, so once again I had the pleasure of his company whilst loitering at the side of the stage. Andy Hutch also made a reappearance at the gig, operating the lights for Cathy Burton's support slot. Not only that but Damo the Roadie was also present at the gig as a spectator, after his year spent travelling the world.

Delirious? always seem so at home at Shepherds Bush, probably something to do with them having played there about 8 times now. The band seemed completely relaxed, allowing them to put on a top-notch show, with a real end-of-year feel to it. We've come to expect something a bit extra at the Christmas Shows and the two Christmas numbers, Winter Wonderland and Silent Night, delivered right on cue. It's always great to hear a bit more of StuG, so for me his solo on Beautiful Sun was one of the highlights of the show.

So the year comes to an end for Delirious? It'll be a while before they're next on stage in the UK, with just a handful of one-off gigs in the spring, and then some festivals in the summer. Another UK Tour is unlikely until nearer the end of the year, but we can console ourselves with the knowledge that a new album will be in the works in the meantime, hopefully to arrive late 2005/early 2006.

It's a little after midnight and I'm sat on a busy train somewhere just outside London. Not the usual place for me to update my blog from, but seeing as I'm returning home from the Delirious? Christmas Concert I thought that just like last time I'd post a few words on my
way home.

What a show! It had everything including a snow machine during 'Walking In A Winter Wonderland' and Martin and Stu dueting on 'Silent Night' in the encore. Stu also gave a stunning solo rendition of 'Beautiful Sun'. All the World Service favourites were there too, along with their videos. 'Mountains High' and its video gets better everytime I see it.

A proper review and photos will follow in good time, but for now I'll go
back to ignoring the drunks on the train.

As I said yesterday, World Service is now a year old. I was thinking back to the first time I listened to World Service and decided it would make an interesting blog entry (I hope it will be interesting anyway!). Having been lucky enough to visit the band in the studio, I'd heard the rough demo mixes of several World Service songs in May 2003. But the first time I heard the finished album in it's entirety was on 23rd October 2003. Yes, that is rather precise and I wouldn't normally remember the exact date I first listened to a CD, but that day was a bit special for me.

The band had invited me to accompany them on a brief visit to Canada. 'Brief' being the right word, since we would be there only long enough for them to perform a single concert, then flying home again. Anyway, the plan was for me to pick Jon up from his home in Littlehampton and then drive to Heathrow airport in London to meet up with the rest of the band and crew for the flight to Canada. The drive to the airport was about an hour and a half, and Jon decided we needed some musical entertainment for the journey. He pulled a CDR out of his bag, stuck it in the CD player, and there it was, my first chance to listen to the finished World Service album.

So I drove to London, listening to the album, with Jon sat next to me. As each song started Jon would tell me the track title, and I would listen with a stupid big smile across my face. Occasionally I'd make a comment like "love Stu G's guitar on this one" or ask a question like "who wrote this track?", but mostly I just listened. There is something decidedly bizzare about listening to a CD whilst sat next to the person you are listening to. After all, you can't really turn round and say "This track is pants!". Thankfully that didn't turn out to be a problem since, as we all now know, the CD is stunning. But even so, it was a surreal journey.

It might seem like only yesterday, but exactly one year ago today, on 15th December 2003, World Service was released in the UK. I thought it would be nice to mark this anniversary in style and dedicate the frontpage of Delirious.org.uk to World Service.

The main part of my World Service anniversary special is the next in the Delirious.org.uk series of exclusive interviews. Julian Kindred, the man who Produced World Service, talks all about making the album and what went on behind the studio doors, in this fascinating interview. It's been a long ongoing project to try and get Julian's interview together. It was actually his idea to do the interview in the first place. He contacted me back in March with the offer of doing an interview, but putting together the questions and actually putting them to him took a long time, mainly because he is such a busy man. He told me that since he produced World Service for Delirious? he has been inundated with offers of work. That shows the high esteem Delirious?, Julian and indeed the World Service album are held in by other members of the Christian music scene. We finally completed the interview a few weeks back, and I decided to hold it back until today, the first anniversary of the album's release.

Julian Kindred at work in the studio
during the recording of World Service
I first met Julian back in May 2003 when I visited Delirious? in the studio while they were recording the album. It was a fantastic experience, watching Julian hard at work at the sound desk. He knew exactly what he wanted from the band, and knew how to get the best results. I remember at the time being completely amazed at the sheer attention to detail that went into every second of every song. For example, while I was there Jon was laying down the bass for 'Rain Down'. Julian had him play the final 40 seconds of the song over and over, each time recording it, playing it back, and deciding to record it again. Nothing but perfection was good enough.

Julian is a great guy with a superb sense of humour. Not long after I arrived at the studio back in May, the first time I met Julian, Stu G was serving cups of tea to everyone in the studio (no tea boys here, just d: boys). Julian and I took our cups of tea from the tray and Julian turned to me and said "I bet you've never seen an American drinking proper tea before have you?". Remebering the American obsession with coffee, and their lack of taste for 'real tea', I agreed with him that it was indeed a rare sight. "That's because I'm Canadian!" he laughed. The joke was twofold. Firstly on me for being a typical Brit and not noticing the difference between an American accent and a Candian one. And the second for recognising that Brits are aware of our American friends lack of a good cuppa.

Another photo of Julian in the studio
Anyway, I digress. I hope everyone enjoys reading the interview with Julian. You can tell he really does have an immense sense of pride in Delirious? and the album he and they made together. He's completely honest in what he says, even admitting to not liking Audio Lessonover: "I wasn't a fan of the last [album] but there are some great moments on it. I really like 'Take me Away'. I personally feel that we made one of their better records, without any discredit to their previous work". He also tells some fascinating stories about how some of the songs were created on the fly: "'Feel It Coming On' came from a jam of them playing for about 20 minutes and I just happened to record the whole thing as I was setting up something else. About 15 minutes in we all looked at each other and knew we had something to work from."

So, a year on and the album is still as fresh and exciting as it was on release day. It's still generating new interest in places like Germany and Delirious? say there are pleanty of places they want to take the songs on tour in 2005. Their service to the world is looking pretty good.

Note: This post was published 24hrs late due to problems with blogger.

Here is the Delirious.org.uk Top 10 Lyrics Chart for the month of November. (chart placings calculated by the number of 'page visits' for the lyrics of each song during a month)

1. I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
2. Majesty
3. My Glorious
4. Did You Feel The Mountains
5. Shout To The North
6. Inside Outside
7. History Maker
8. Rain Down
9. The Happy Song
10. Every Little Thing

Last month 'Obsession' arrived out of nowhere to take the top spot. Curiously this month it disappears out of the Top 10 completely again, leaving 'I Could Sing' to regain the top spot. 'Did You Feel The Mountains' rises from 9th last month to 4th this month. 'Rain Down' is the only new entry, arriving at number 8, meaning that the albums 'World Service' and 'Cutting Edge' both have 4 songs in the top 10.

Cutting Edge songs have always dominated the lyrics chart, simply because more people know the songs since they get sung in churches and they've been around for the best part of a decade. It's interesting to see that the latest Delirious? album is now on equal status with what is considered the 'classic' Delirious? album, clearly demonstrating the popularity of 'World Service'.

Last month's chart: Top 10 Lyrics for October