Delirious.org.uk

Big Church Day Out

2009-05-26T16:34:00.004+01:00

We arrived on site at Wiston House in West Sussex for The Big Church Day Out and collected our tickets and passes before heading straight to the main stage. I say 'we', because this was a family outing. As well as my wife, I was accompanied for the first time ever to a Delirious? concert by my two kids, aged 2 and 4. It was the perfect opportunity to let my children experience a concert. An all-day festival in the open air, with entertainment and activities aimed at every age range. So with much excitement and with the cries of "are we nearly there yet" finally over, we had arrived.

Main stage at Big Church Day Out
The size of the crowd already watching YFriday was incredible. The crowd in front of the stage seemed to stretch out endlessly onto the grassy hill that overlooked the site. In the distance we could see the grand old Wiston House itself, surrounded by tents and marquees, full of people jostling to get a view of whatever activities they hosted. While my wife took the kids off to investigate the 'Tiddlywinks Gym Tent' I made use of my press pass to enter the old House where the artists Press Conference was taking place.

Crowds in front of Wiston House
After being directed through the grand entrance to the house by some exceptionally polite and helpful staff, I found myself in an old fashioned library with walls lined with book shelves, wooden carvings, statues and impressive paintings. Israel Houghton was just coming to the end of his press conference, and I joined the dozen or so other members of the 'press' waiting for the arrival of Delirious? After a while the bands tour manager Ian arrived to apologise for the delay. Apparently he'd lost Martin and Tim. Eventually the band arrived, minus Tim who understandably had plenty of demands on his time as overall organiser of the whole event.

Delirious? press conference
Jon, Paul, Martin and Stu sat down around a table at the front of the room alongside Cross Rhythms presenter Mike Rimmer who was hosting the press conference. The band spent twenty minutes answering questions from the waiting 'press' on the highlights of their career and plans for the future. It was a fairly light hearted affair, but with quite a few uncomfortable silences as the band seemed almost reluctant to analyse themselves in what is clearly still a sensitive time for them all. It was interesting to hear StuG reveal that he now has his own manager to help handle his future career, which will include plenty of collaborations with other artists. They all expressed a keen desire to remain involved in music in some form or another, and insisted that whilst Delirious? were ending, the spirit of what the band has stood for all these years will live on.

Martin in the crowd (Photo by gilgen.marc@gmail.com)
Martin also confirmed that there would be cameras at their final London show in November, to record the concert for a release some time next year. "We couldn't not record it" he said. With the questions over, the band posed for a few photos and Jon came over to chat with me before they headed off to do an interview with God TV in another room. I went back outside to join up with my family again, where we watched Cathy Burton and then Lou Fellingham at the superbly titled Tea Tent stage. I was surprised to see Stew Smith introducing them on stage to the smaller crowd who were lounging around on the grass around this side stage. Turns out he also had a major hand in the graphic design for the event, including producing the programme and event logo. Seems he has had a very busy year since leaving Delirious?

Delirious? on stage (Photo by Dave Johnson)
Over on main stage again we watched Michael W Smith's set, which got the older members of the crowd singing and dancing, while the younger ones at the front took a breather. Finally it was time for the main event: Delirious? Normally I would be crouching in the photographers pit and lurking in the wings of the stage at this point in a concert, but having my family with me I made a conscious effort to stay at the back of the crowd, enjoying the show with them for a change. It did feel a little strange not to be dashing around with a camera, getting shots of Martin as he clambered onto the shoulders of the fans at the front. But it was certainly a lot more relaxed!

Michael W Smith, Martin & Graham Kendrick (Photo by Dave Johnson)
As Delirious? worked their way through the set, a stunning red sunset could be seen in the distance behind the stage, and darkness started to fall. This made the sight of the stage, emblazoned with lights, and the huge sea of people gathered in front of it, a truly impressive view from where we stood at the back. A mid-set appearance from Graham Kendrick and MWS to join Martin and Stu in the CompassionArt song 'So Great' was a nice touch. As the night drew to a close, it made me realise just how little time there is before the band comes to an end. Their farewell tour will be upon us all too soon.

Final Christmas Show

2008-12-16T13:24:00.003Z

Last night was the 10th, and almost certainly final ever, Delirious? Christmas Show. I've had the incredible privilege of being at all 10 of the shows, and whilst the venue has sometimes moved around London it has mainly been, as it was last night, at the Shepherds Bush Empire. I've actually seen Delirious? perform there 11 times now and it has always been one of my all time favourite venues. Yesterday was no exception, from the minute I arrived I instantly felt the sense of excitement and buzz of expectation from the incredibly long queues of fans which stretch from the front door, right round the block in both directions. I hadn't been able to arrive at the venue as early as I usually do, so it was 7pm by the time I walked in the stage door to be met by Jon. We walked up the stairs to the dressing room where I was thrilled to bump into a familiar old face. Most people will remember that until a few years ago, a man named Tony Potato was the bands manager. He left to move to the USA and pursue another job in the music industry, so it was great to see him back at a Delirious? concert again.

In the dressing room the crew seemed fairly relaxed and Jon took me into a side room, along with Craig Borlase (author of all written things d: related), to watch a first edit of the new DVD that the band recently recorded in Colombia. The band's visuals man, Andy Hutch, is currently holed away in a dark location helping to edit the footage, and had sent over an early version for the bands feedback. From what I saw the DVD looks sure to be immense. There are a superb range of camera angles, plenty of shots from within an invariably camera-wielding crowd, lofty shots over the huge arena, and great on-stage close ups of the band and their instruments. There is some excellent fast paced edits in Rain Down to match the punchy drum beat, a nice Martin solo, and plenty of Spanish to add a sense of authenticity.

Leaving the band to get ready for the show, I headed back down stairs to the stage to watch the end of support band Bluetree's set. They were in the middle of performing their very own version of Joy To The World when I looked to my side and realised I was stood next to Stew Smith. We said a quick hello before he dashed out to find his seat for Delirious' set. As the crew began the change over between acts, acting tour manager Mark asked me do a favour. As we stood on the stage he pointed at the front of house sound desk, mid way through the crowd, where he'd spotted the white cushion from Martin's Kingdom Of Comfort armchair. Somehow it had found its way off the stage and onto the sound desk. He asked if I could retrieve it and bring it back to the stage ready for the band's imminent arrival.

Taking a short cut through the side passages, I made quick progress to the back of the venue, only to be confronted with a solid wall of people between me and the sound desk. Walking against the flow I pushed and squeezed through the crowd until I finally made it to the sound desk. I grabbed the cushion only to be confronted by the camerman who had inadvertently stolen the crucial prop to soften his seat for the duration of the show. Once I explained why I was removing his luxurious seat cover, he apologised rather sheepishly, apparently realising for the first time that what he had presumed was just a discarded cushion was in fact a critical part of the stage show!

I made it back to stage with the cushion, where it was quickly placed on the arm chair in the center of stage, ready for Martin's start position for the show. Minutes later the band appeared in the wings, the lights went down and out they marched to get the show started. I headed back to front of house to take up position in the pit, untroubled by a very relaxed seeming security. The stage is really low at SBE, so taking photos from the pit basically involves crawling around on your hands and knees so as not to have your head sticking up too far and obscuring the view of the crowd. As Martin did his usual trick of climbing into the crowd, Mark came leaping off the stage, over my head, and rushing to Martin's rescue as he attempted to climb back on to stage.

Next I headed upstairs to the first level balcony, which affords a superb view of the stage with its side over hang almost level with the front row. The shots from there came out particularly well, aided by the great job Ed was doing with the evening's light show. The spots really stand out well when you're a bit higher up, cutting through the darkness with a triangular beam of light (see above). I returned to my favoured position on stage, next to Trev at the monitors desk (see below), to watch the show and snap a few photos from just next to Tim's keyboards. As I contemplated where to position myself for the finale, noted on the setlist simply as 'My Soul Sings - snow', I decided against my usual tactic of high up in the balcony looking down on the snow storm, and instead made my way behind the stage round to the far side where Jon and Paul stand.

Midway through My Soul Sings, the snow machine erupted, pelting snow from the stage all over Martin and into the front few rows of the crowd. I took as many photos as I could, looking out on the crowd from behind Jon, aware that most of them would come out as nothing more than a blur, but hoping that at least one would be clear enough to use. (Thankfully a couple of shots were just about ok - see one of them below). With the show over, I bumped into Jon as he was heading back up to the dressing room. With only 30 minutes to get across London to catch a train home I couldn't hang around for the after show party this time, so I said a quick goodbye, and made my escape out of the stage door before the crowds poured out of the front door. It may well turn out to have been my last visit to the incredible Empire. The atmosphere inside is always superb, the place feels historic and the views and access to wonder around are brilliant. But most of all, the memories of all the times I've seen Delirious? perform on that stage will last with me forever.

Love Will Find A Way

2008-11-26T09:00:00.002Z

Last week Delirious? released what will be their final ever single, Love Will Find A Way. On Sunday it entered the official UK singles chart at number 55. Is that good or bad and who even cares? That's the debate that has been going on, in my head at least. So, having spent a few days thinking about it, here's how I see it.

About 6 weeks ago I was sitting in a restaurant in Brighton with Jon, Paul and StuG when Jon told me the news that they were releasing one last single. I have to admit I was pretty surprised. During the previous few months a debate had been raging on the d:Forum about the possibility of the band releasing another single. The fans song of choice was Love Will Find A Way. In an act of fabulously poor foresight I responded saying it was a ridiculous suggestion and would never happen. My main argument was that the whole point of releasing a single was to help promote a band, gain new exposure and draw attention to whatever the band did next. With the knowledge that Delirious? would be coming to an end within the next 12 months, the idea of releasing a single only to be seen and heard no more a short time after seemed, well, quite frankly it seemed pointless.

Added to that argument was the evidence from the previous Delirious? single, Paint The Town Red which charted at number 56 in 2005, that d: fans just don't have the same passion for getting the band into the charts that they did at the height of d:'s chart successes in the late 1990s. Back then it was still a new phenomenon to get an openly Christian band into the charts, and the fans revelled in the underground status of a band who relied on word of mouth and a sense of united belief and ambition. For a period of 4 years every Delirious? single charted inside the Top 40, with 4 of them inside the Top 20. But then things started to change. I think people in general just don't care about the charts as much now. It used to be the only way a band could be recognised as successful and get themselves heard of. But in our modern culture of websites and internet downloads, a band can do quite well without the help of the relatively old fashioned music charts thank you very much.

Anyway, back to Love Will Find A Way. Whilst I couldn't agree more with the choice of song - if any track on Kingdom Of Comfort was going to be released, that was the track the majority of people would pick - I just couldn't get my head around why Delirious? would release a single at this point in time. That was why I had argued that it was unlikely to happen - there seemed to be no logical reason for doing so, and every reason not to. So when, in that restaurant in Brighton, Jon first revealed the plans to me I was stumped. It wasn't so much the fact that my arguments that it would 'never happen' had all just been proven wrong, it was that underlying question of 'why?'. So I asked. Jon told me the decision had come from their record label who felt there was a great enough demand and passion from the fans for one final push at the charts. That I could understand, having seen the debate on the d: forum. But my next question was, what happens if the single is a huge success, would the band really be prepared to quit just as things start to go big? Jon's answer to that was basically to say that the decision had been made, and it was too late to change it now. So, no matter how successful the single might be, the band would still cease a year later.

So, Love Will Find A Way was released. The one thing that did really impress me about the single was the range and availability of the product. It seems the band had done a lot to encourage multiple sales, and make it easy for people to buy the single. Three physical versions of the single on CD, ordering from your phone, buying online, downloading online. Every base was covered. But somehow it wasn't enough. The chart placing was number 55 and although you can put a positive spin on that and say it's still good considering the lack of backing from the media and all the usual sources, the reality is that it's a disappointment. So here is my analysis of what went wrong.

This isn't intended to be a blame game and I'm not writing this as an 'I told you so' or even a 'I knew this would happen', because in the weeks leading up to the single I really started to believe it might chart well. But looking back now, there were some problems. I've heard quite a few fans say that band didn't seem to promote the single enough. At some gigs they didn't even mention the single, or it was mentioned before the show instead of at the time the song was played, and some said that when the band did mention the single they seemed almost embarrassed to be talking about it. I'm not saying those opinions are right or wrong, but if that was the perception of some fans, then it amounts to a problem. Maybe the band just didn't seem to be 'into it' enough, and that failed to excite the fans. Then there's the record label side of it. Maybe it was the wrong decision to release the single at all. Maybe the single itself wasn't good enough. It's easy to say this after the event, and baring in mind it was a section of fans themselves that were calling for this particular song to be a single, but maybe it was the wrong choice. As others have pointed out, what was really new about this single? Every fan already has the song itself having bought the album some 7 months earlier, and whilst there are a few b-sides on the single, they aren't new songs. Perhaps if the material had been entirely new it would have been more of an incentive for people to buy it.

Then there are the fans. It could be argued that if they really believed in what Delirious? were trying to achieve, and if they cared enough about the band and the cause, more of them would have gone out and bought the single. Maybe there was too much complacency, too little loyalty and just a lack of interest. Sometimes I feel that Christian music fans like to talk the talk, but when it comes to turning it into actions they can be found wanting. I'm not saying every fan should have bought the single or they're a bad person. But how many of them joined the clamour for a new single, then when it was granted they didn't bother to go out and buy it? Maybe I'm doing those people an injustice, and I do admit to feeling guilty even writing this post. I think the truth is that the band, the record label and the fans all have to shoulder some of the blame for this single not doing better. But blame doesn't achieve very much, and in the grand scheme of things does it really matter?

Almost certainly not. So, I can either delete this post and keep the analysis and thoughts to myself. Or I can hit the 'publish' button and present this with an apology. I'm sorry that I feel disappointed. I'm sorry that I've been more critical than I normally would be. But thank you, everyone, for the opportunity to have one last chance. Not many bands listen to fans as well as Delirious? do, and not many fans care about the band they love as much as d: fans do. I think when the dust settles and people look back over the many years of Delirious? history, the things that will stand out as important are not disappointing chart positions, but lives changed, people reached and a difference made.

Kingdom Of Comfort Tour - Southampton

2008-10-15T20:40:00.003+01:00

Often when I go to see Delirious? I end up travelling quite a way to get to the venue, so there's something rather nice about only having a 10 minute drive from home to get to a concert. I arrived at Southampton Guildhall shortly before 5:30pm and walked up to the front door only to be intercepted by big-beefy-security-guy. "How can I help you mate?" he asked in that way that really meant "Where do you think you're going? Get out of here before I break your arm". Realising I wasn't going to get very far without a pass I phoned Jon who came and met me at the door and hung a AAA around my neck. Big-beefy nodded and stepped out of the way, I was in. Tree63 had just finished their sound check on stage, so Jon took me on a guided tour of the stage and introduced me to the charming John Ellis, lead singer of Tree. We then had a look around at the impressive production for the tour, including the very cool Kingdom Of Comfort stage props. I grabbed this photo (below) of Jon posing by the bird cage before he insisted on using my camera to take a few shots of me next to the props too (but you don't want to see those photos, right?).

We then wandered back stage to the Delirious? dressing room where Martin, Stu, Tim and Paul were occupying their time on laptops, listening to music or on the phone. We chatted for a few minutes before it was time for Delirious? to do their sound check. I followed them back to the stage and watched and took some photos (the pictures in this blog are all from the sound check). The band spent quite a bit of time rehearsing the transition from God Is Smiling into God's Romance, and then tried God Is Smiling into My Glorious. After a few attempts and a bit of discussion, they decided My Glorious followed on better, so that song was chosen. With Sound Check finished, Stu G decided to play the opening guitar riff of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, Paul couldn't resist joining in on drums.

Both bands and what seemed like endless crew members then headed off to the nearby 'Slug and Lettuce' for some dinner. As usual Martin only got about 2 paces from the venue door before getting stopped for an autograph, whilst Jon and Paul walked past untroubled. Over dinner I was amused to witness Tree63 drummer Darryl Swart pull out his camera and start photographing first his plate of food, and then someone else's. "I'm documenting what I eat on tour" he explained! Back at the venue I had a wander around and chatted to Fierce boss JB. We talked about the forthcoming single, and I told him I think this is one of the few times Delirious? have actually released the right song as a single! He was quite pleased to hear that since apparently it was his idea to release Love Will Find A Way. We also talked about the new live DVD (due for release early next year) and some of the plans for Delirious? in 2009. More on that another time.

Back in the dressing room there was some debate about how the band should come onto stage at the start of the show. Sound-man Matt had suggested some intro music, and the guys pondered using it, before deciding instead to start with Martin walking on dressed in a gown and crown to sing Kingdom Of Comfort. Next I chatted with Tim who told me that details of the new single had been sent to some 300 media outlets. Nobody knows how much notice they'll take of it, but the single's video (made up of footage from the Ultimate Event and Frenzy Festival) has been distributed to as many places as possible. A little later Martin's wife Anna arrived with two of their children. The kids seemed quite excitable and clearly had a good relationship with the likes of tour manager Ian Cattle and lighting man Andy Hutch, who they've spent weeks away on tour with in the USA. It was nice to see the family oriented approach the band has to touring.

As show time drew closer, the pre-gig pacing around the dressing room stepped up a notch. I chatted to Paul who confided that the hour or so before a show is the worst time, too close to the gig to concentrate on anything, and nothing to do but wait till it was time to go on stage. He told me his parents would be in the crowd tonight. In fact with Southampton being only an hour from Littlehampton, all of the band had their families in the crowd for this show. Other pre-gig entertainment came in the form of the white coats that had been reserved for the crew to wear for the show. Normally crew members wear black to blend into the darkness, but with the 'white theme' of Kingdom of Comfort someone had decided that crew should also be cloaked in white for this tour. The crew didn't seem completely convinced with this concept, and there was some general amusement backstage as they donned their white coats and readied the stage for Delirious? imminent arrival.

With just a few minutes till they were due on stage, Martin gathered the band together in a huddle whilst Stu said the pre-gig prayer. Then they headed for the stage. I watched from the wings as they walked out in the darkness and the stage lights came on. A deafening thunder of applause and screams came from the crowd. I then quickly headed into the pit to take some photos for a few songs, before returning to the stage wings to watch the show.

I was stood just to Stu's left, behind his guitar amp, when in the middle of Rain Down I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see the grinning face of Stew Smith looking back at me! We hugged and tried to chat for a few minutes, but with Stu's amp just a meter away it was hard to hear what each other said. I asked him if it felt strange watching Delirious? on stage and he admitted it did feel a little bit weird. Later I noticed him taking photos of the band with his iphone, a definite proud smile on his face, and a slight nod of his head in the direction of Paul. I made a quick visit to the balcony for some long range photos, before returning to the pit to watch Martin climbing into the crowd during History Maker. The security man in the pit clung onto Martin's leg like his life depended on it. Before I knew it the concert was over, and we were back in the dressing room again. There was a general consensus that the crowd had been incredible and the show had gone well. I left them to meet up with their wives and children backstage, and headed home wondering how many more nights like that I would witness. The sinking feeling inside me knew there wouldn't be many more.

Kingdom Of Comfort Tour - Brighton

2008-10-13T13:52:00.002+01:00

I've never been to Brighton before. According to the map the Concorde2 venue in Brighton, where Delirious? were opening their UK tour on Friday, is right on the sea front. So as I drove in to Brighton it wasn't hard to get myself in the general vicinity of the venue. But after I parked the car and looked around I couldn't see where it was, so I headed West along the sea front in search of it. Having reached Brighton Pier and still not located it, I decided I was heading in the wrong direction and so turned round and headed East. Back past the car again and eventually I saw the Concorde2. As I stood outside the venue I could hear support band Tree63 doing their sound check inside. I phoned Jon only to be told that he'd walked into town for dinner. "Come and join us" he said. So, I retraced my steps back along the sea front to the pier again! Then, following the directions Jon had given me on the phone I turned inland and walked into town. After a while my phone rang and Jon asked where I was. "Umm, somewhere in Brighton" I said, "There's a big church in front of me". "Turn left, up the hill" Jon instructed. So I took the next left and kept going. A little while later Jon called again, "Where are you now?". "Umm, somewhere in Brighton. There's a railway bridge in front of me" I said. "You're miles off track" Jon said, "Stay where you are, I'll come and find you". So I stayed put, and sure enough a few minutes later I saw Jon walked up the street towards me.

He led me through the lanes of Brighton to a Noodle restaurant where Paul and Stu were waiting. Taking my seat I was slightly alarmed to see chopsticks in front of me. Not exactly my forte. But to my relief when my meal arrived it was accompanied by a good old fashioned fork. As we ate Jon gave me the surprise news that the band would be announcing the release of Love Will Find A Way as a single. Having spent the past few weeks trying to convince a few people on the forum that a new single was neither likely nor a good idea, I was slightly taken aback to hear the news. It seems the band and their label want to tap into the fans passion for one last chart effort. Jon told me that they want to finish as if they're not finishing. I suppose that means not winding down to a slow end, but keeping the momentum going right to the end. As for what will happen in 2009, that's still to be finalised. Apparently they'll play about 30 concerts in total next year before calling it a day. There's some talk of a final tour, or a set of dates in the UK, but nothing concrete yet. (There is a big outdoor event though which Delirious? will be playing at on May 24th at Wiston House in Sussex).

It was good to chat to Paul a bit about how he has found it fitting into the band since taking over from Stew. He told me about getting mobbed at the airport in South America a couple of weeks back, and about shooting the new live DVD in Colombia. By about 7:30pm the guys were itching to get back to the venue, opening-night nerves were kicking in. As we walked back through the streets of Brighton, this time taking the direct route instead of my rather protracted route of earlier on, Paul and Jon turned tour-guides pointing out the sights of Brighton. As we arrived back at the Concorde2 I left the guys to head round the back to prepare for the gig, while I went in through the front door to collect my guest pass. Thankfully there was none of the usual body searching, complaints about carrying a camera or moans of "which list are you on?" that are normally associated with me trying to get into a gig. Once inside I was struck by; a) how small the venue was, and b) how packed the venue was. Tree63 were already half way through their set by now and I was stood at the back of the crowd with no easy way of getting anywhere near the front. I spent the next 10 minutes slowing working my way nearer the front in an attempt to have at least some chance of taking half decent photos of Delirious?

I was impressed with how well the crowd knew Tree63's songs, and the band were sounding very good indeed. By the time Delirious? came on stage the temperature in the room was both metaphorically and physically sky high. The only down side of the set was the surprising lack of recognition from the crowd when Deeper started. Normally it only takes a couple of notes from Stu's guitar for the crowd to start jumping and cheering. But half of the crowd didn't even seem to know what the song was, let alone jumping to it. On reflection I think Martin's observation later that "the front row seems to change every couple of years" was spot on. New fans come along and don't know some of the older songs that for years have been a stable part of the Delirious? diet. Interesting how things change.

Martin's shopping trolley microphone stand was an unusual idea. I think it might be just a little too big and clunky to work as a stand, and maybe in conjunction with a few other Kingdom Of Comfort props it might have worked better than on its own. But apart from that it was a very well received show to kick off the UK Tour.

End of an era...

2008-07-06T10:47:00.002+01:00

As you will probably have seen by now, Delirious? have announced that the band will come to an end in 2009 [news item]. On Friday night I received a phone call from Jon Thatcher telling me the news. Here are my thoughts as the information started to sink in.

Friday, 4th July 2008
9:00pm Jon calls me. He's in the USA with his family. In the background I can hear an 'Independence Day' party in full swing. "I have some news", he says in his typical understated manner. During our 10 minute conversation he conveys to me the bands decision to call it a day. I can tell Jon is still slightly taken aback by the news himself. Even a few weeks ago the band didn't imagine the end was insight. As Jon says, they always knew this would happen one day, but they didn't expect it to happen so soon. But in the past few days the decision has clearly come to a head. Martin in particular has a busy family life with six young children, and mixed with a desire to see the CompassionArt charity full fill its potential, has clearly been reconsidering his future priorities. The band all have interests they'd like to pursue. I'm lost for words, and although we chat for a while neither of us really knows what to say to each other. Jon even jokes that they waited for me to reach 50 gigs before making the announcement. I try to mumble a cohesive reply, but probably fail. He says the news will be announced at their church on Sunday and asks me to hold of publishing the news until then.

9:30pm I talk about it with my wife Melissa. She says I should put all my Delirious? promos and memorabilia on ebay as there will be more demand for it now. She's joking. I think.

10:45pm Sitting watching TV but not really paying attention. My mind is reliving memories. Concerts I've been to, experiences I've had. I've been running Delirious.org.uk since 1997. That means for over 11 years Delirious? have been a huge part of my everyday life. It's a strange feeling to know that something that's been so constant for so long is coming to an end. There's the obvious sadness, and a slight emptiness. Yet I also feel an incredible sense of privilege. I've been fortunate enough to have so many unique experiences with Delirious? I remember watching the band sign copies of the 'Deeper' single in a Portsmouth record store. A few weeks later I stood inside Wembley Stadium and watched them perform. I remember listening to the radio on a Sunday evening to hear 'See The Star' reach number 16 in the charts. Then there was the call from Jon to say, "We're supporting Bon Jovi!". I saw them do that twice. Once in the rain at Milton Keynes, and again inside the impressive Millennium Stadium. Then there was another call from Jon, "Do you fancy a trip to Canada?" and a few weeks later I found myself sat on a plane with them for an experience of a life time. Memories of concerts at Greenbelt, the NEC, the Albert Hall. Gigs in football stadiums, tiny night clubs and on the beach. So many things that I'll remember forever. Maybe I'll blog about some of those experiences in more detail in the coming weeks.

12:00am In bed I drift off to sleep wondering how the final concert will feel. Knowing that I'm watching them on stage for the final time will be a truly emotional night.

Sunday, 6th July 2008
10:30am It's official. A press release lands in my inbox and the announcement goes up on Delirious.co.uk.

I suppose it will take a while for the news to really sink it. I've been a fan for so long and I can't quite believe there will never be a new album or another tour to look forward to. But I'm grateful for the amazing memories, and that's what I want to dwell on right now.

Stew Smith Farewell Gig - Videos

2008-03-31T15:50:00.003+01:00

During Stew's farewell gig I also took several videos, filmed from the side of the stage, to give a unique memory of his final UK concert. The first two videos mainly concentrate on Stew's drumming during two very drum oriented songs, Give What You Got and Paint The Town Red. The third video is of Stew giving his goodbye speech to the crowd from behind his drum kit.

Give What You Got:

Paint The Town Red:

Stew's Goodbye Speech:

Stew Smith Farewell Gig - More Photos

2008-03-30T19:37:00.003+01:00

I took about 400 photos during the concert, so here's a few more that didn't make it onto the main photo page from the gig or the previous blog post.

Looking over Tim's shoulder

Stu and Martin from the photographers pit

Jon in his orange PJs

Good view of the crowd and balcony

Martin and Stu with Tim in the background

The crowd watches Stew

Stu and Martin seen from the balcony

Stew Smith Farewell Gig

2008-03-30T19:35:00.004+01:00

So the day had finally arrived: Stew's farewell gig. The venue, 'The Indigo2' is located inside what was once known as the Millennium Dome, now rebranded as 'The O2'. It's a huge and impressive structure, visible from miles away. As I left the tube station I caught sight of a huge video screen just outside the main entrance, advertising the Delirious? concert. Having arrived way too early and unable to reach Jon on the phone, I wandered around inside the O2 and eventually bumped into a few familiar faces (Clare, Tom and EEB from the forum). Later as I walked back past the Indigo2 I ran into Martin and Jon who escorted me inside. Jon gave me a quick guided tour of the venue, a fresh new trendy building with excellent facilities. The view from stage looked great, and the crowd were close to the action on both floor and balcony levels.

We headed behind the stage to the dressing room area where crew members were mingling, waiting for show time. I sat amused at Jon and Lee (guitar tech) questioning each other on the merits of the new songs. Before long the man at the center of attention entered the room. Stew looked a little nervous but still greeted me with a smile and a hand shake. I asked how he was feeling and he admitted to feeling a little strange. A few weeks back I had been due to carry out an interview with Stew, but he'd requested we do it face to face tonight instead. So with less than an hour remaining till the band were due on stage, Stew and I headed to an empty dressing room and settled into a couple of chairs.

It took me a few minutes to set up my laptop to record the interview, so we chatted for a few minutes without the pressures of a tape recorder. He seemed fairly relaxed but said he was worried about 'holding it together' for the show. I asked if he had many friends and family coming tonight. Rather impressively he said that he'd personally added 80 people to the guest list! We began the interview, and concious of the fact that he probably didn't want to spend too long talking about his decision to leave the band so close to his final gig and with his family waiting around outside for him, I deliberately cut a few questions out and kept the interview to under 15 minutes. He gave candid and open answers, talking clearly about some of his highlights over the years and his thoughts about the future of the band. The interview will be available on my site soon, but a few interesting points were his insistence to the band that if they were going to split up because of him leaving, then he wasn't going to leave. He also gave plenty of hints that the mainstream still holds a future for d:. Some very interesting thoughts. As we finished, I presented Stew with a Leaving Card that the forum had collectively contributed to. He was clearly touched by the gesture, although he understandably said he'd leave reading all the comments for a less emotional day!

By now the main back stage area was getting pretty busy, about half an hour till show time. JB from Fierce was there and we had a chat about a few things, including the superb special packaging for Kingdom Of Comfort. Fitting it on your CD rack will be a problem, but it's well worth the inconvenience! Finally the band made their way along the under stage corridor (plenty of low beams holding up the stage to bump your head on) and onto the side of stage where the DJ was finishing his support slot. Jon whispered in my ear that this was going to be the strangest start of show ever. "Why?" I asked. "You'll see" he replied. Stew walked out onto stage, climbed onto his drum riser and saluted the crowd. Suddenly Jon and the rest of the band pulled pairs of tights over their faces, armed robber style, and walked onto stage. Now I understood.

The security at the Indigo were extremely friendly and helpful, not once attempting to stop me taking photos or standing somewhere. Definitely a breathe of fresh air for me. No matter how shiny your AAA pass, there's usually at least one security guy ready to give you a hard time. But tonight they were happy to glance at my pass and let me get on with what I wanted to do, even pointing me in the right direction when I was unsure about the routes backstage. Having ventured down to the photographers pit (empty all night apart from me, and occasionally Hutch) and upstairs to the balcony, I then spent much of the show stood 2 meters to Stew's left, just behind a black curtain at the side of stage. I wanted to take as many photos (and a few videos - more on that another time) of Stew at his final UK show as I could. Several times Stew glanced down at me. He was clearly enjoying the show and giving it everything he had.

During the encore Stew's wife and two daughters were brought on to stage, and then behind Stew's back, Jon rode onto stage on a Vespa. I managed to capture the moment as Stew turned round to see the farewell gift from his band mates (see above). The look on his face was classic. Utter surprise, amazement and delight. The bike was wheeled off stage and the finale completed with a stunning rendition of Investigate.

As the band left the stage Stew gave me a sweaty hug, and I was impressed to see he'd managed to hold back any tears. "What a night!" everyone said. The band returned to their dressing room and huddled together in private. I headed back out into the venue and caught up with a few forum people.

Returning backstage I went up several flights of stairs to the VIP bar area where the after show party was taking place. Jon brought a certain Mr Paul Evans over to chat to me. He's a very nice guy and seemingly undaunted by what lies ahead for him in about a months time. He confessed to having already had a sneaky look around the forum, so I suppose he's well aware of what he's letting himself in for! After a drink and lots of chatting, I had to tear myself away to catch the train home. A remarkable and emotional night, but definitely not the last we'll hear of Stew.

Kingdom Of Comfort

2008-02-04T21:24:00.000Z

I've just added my review of new album Kingdom Of Comfort to Delirious.org.uk and here are a few more thoughts about it.

Getting used to a new album is a mix of emotions. There's the excitement of what's new, the eagerness to learn the songs, and the unfamiliarity of listening to something that's not quite what you've heard before whilst still being somewhat familiar. Everyone has their own taste, and you listen out for that musical formula that directly meets your requirements. For me, I need certain things to enjoy music. When the ingredients in the music add up to what my brain knows it likes, I develop a bond with the music. Some songs instantly jump out and find a place in my sonical appetite, others take a while to convince me.

With Kingdom Of Comfort there were several songs that I knew from the first listen were going to be the 5/5 star rated songs in the review. Love Will Find A Way, Break The Silence and My Soul Sings all have the perfect ingredients. The first two have choruses that stick, begging to be sung, and guitar riffs that make you smile. My Soul Sings has that intense, emotional, close-your-eyes and stare-in-wonderment feeling to it that I can only compare to Take Off My Shoes from previous album The Mission Bell. There are two measures I use to know how much I love a song. One, I keep singing it to myself when I've turned off the iPod. Two, when the song ends I have to hit the back button and listen to it again straight away. This morning as I drove to work I did both those things with My Soul Sings. It could become an all time favourite.

Wonder is another song that I absolutely love. It just missed out on a top rank because I'm not sure the 'sweet heart' reference feels right, but the chorus (it's always the choruses I love) is just so infectious - absolutely amazing. I remember enjoying Stare The Monster down at the Living Room gig, but now I've really taken it in properly I can fully appreciate the lyrics. I mentioned several times in the review just how good the song writing is on this album, and it really has impressed me how well the words deal with difficult subjects like poverty and cancer.

And another thing - where's the 2/5 rated song? For me, every Delirious? album has one song that I could live without. Love Is A Miracle (The Mission Bell), Everyone Knows (World Service), America (Audio Lessonover) - OK don't shoot me, one man's least favourite is another man's favourite - I realise that, but the point is, I always find one song that in my opinion is only worth 2/5 stars. I couldn't do it this time. Eagle Rider came close. But the more I listened the more I had to up its score to 3/5.

My opinions of the songs will change. This is just a review based on first impressions and to be honest, my track record isn't great. In a moment of utter inexplicable madness I rated Take Off My Shoes 3/5 in my initial Mission Bell review. Within a few months it became not only my favourite on the album, but my all time favourite Delirious? song. So don't pay too much attention to me now, other than to believe me when I say that Kingdom Of Comfort is an absolutely stunning album that I can't stop listening to.

Stew

2008-01-31T20:47:00.000Z

In my previous blog post I talked about being backstage before the Christmas gig, in the Delirious? dressing room, when JB (head of Fierce) took me aside to talk about a few things. I wrote at the time that some things were going to happen in 2008 that you wouldn't be expecting. Well, finally the news is out. Stew is leaving the band. Hard to believe I know, but it's true. Back in that dressing room, JB said to me, "So have you heard about Stew?". "Heard what about him?" I asked. There was a slightly uncomfortable moment where JB realised I didn't know, and wasn't quite sure what to say. It was then that Stew walked into the room. "I'm leaving the band" he said to me. I looked at him, and for several moments I convinced myself he was winding me up. Stew is a great joker and master of dead pan lines, I've seen him joke around before, and I thought he must be joking then too. In truth, I wanted him to be joking. "Are you serious?" I asked. He was. I took a deep breath. "Wow. I don't know what to say" I replied.

What do you say when one of the core parts of a band tells you he's leaving. So many questions. So many uncertainties. Stew explained that he'd done so much with Delirious? over the years and he felt there were more opportunities in his life that he wanted to explore. Being in a band like Delirious? involves a lot of travel, and Stew is a dedicated family man who has spent more than a decade juggling the commitment of being in a band with the responsibilities of being a husband and father. He came to the decision that it was time to spend more time at home with his family and time to explore his creative talents that bit more. As he explained this to me it dawned on me that although this is a big shock for Delirious? fans, and indeed the band itself, it is also exactly the right decision for Stew. "Good on you" I said to him. And I meant it.

It takes a very brave man to make a decision like this. Change is never easy. Keeping on doing what you've always done is the easy path. Turning off the main road and taking a new direction is hard. Normally when a band member leaves it's down to a falling out. "Creative differences in the band" is the usual reason given. But this is Delirious? They're family. This departure isn't caused by a disagreement, an argument, a clash of egos. It's caused by a man putting his family first. Taking a difficult decision, changing a life style, starting something new. I'm sure tears will be shed over this. But I'm also sure that everyone involved with Delirious? respects Stew's choice and realises he's done the right thing for himself and his family.

Stew is an incredible guy. I've had the unbelievable experience of standing just a couple of meters away from him as he pounds the living daylights out of his drum kit on stage. The power, passion and total commitment is just stunning to witness. When he drums the music is all consuming. You can tell this by the total abandonment evident in his legendary facial expressions! He shuts the world out, focuses on God and plays in the only way he knows how. No wonder the band are going to miss him.

But this by no means spells the end of Delirious? They are on a mission. They have unfinished business. They will continue.

Through our sadness let's all wish Stew every success and happiness in his future.

The Christmas Show 2007

2007-12-19T20:25:00.000Z

With my usual imperfect timing I arrived at the restaurant in Shepherds Bush just as Jon was leaving. No matter, I walked with him to The Empire, passed the already lengthy queue of people standing outside in the freezing weather and in through the stage door. Jon waved his pass and the security person's eyes came to rest on me. "Pass?" she demanded. "It's ok, he's with me" tried Jon. Not good enough. "Name?" she demanded again. A lady of few words, yet authoritative enough to show you that no arguing would be accepted. With a bit of help from production staffer Tim the magical AAA laminate came into my possession, allowing me access to all of those mysterious doors that are usually shut firmly in your face. Once in the dressing room Jon and I set about some pressing tasks, namely facebook scrabulous. Having missed dinner, Jon graciously raided the dressing room supplies for me. He presented me with two fun size Mars Bars, an orange and a drink (water of course, nothing but water). Who needs London restaurants anyway?

So by now you've seen my choice of photos for the blog. There's no avoiding it, the subject of fancy dress has to be addressed. As each of the band members trickled into the dressing room, the subject of fancy dress was raised. More specifically, the lack of any sign of fancy dress in the queues of people waiting outside. I detected a few hints of "maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all" syndrome among the band. Too late to back out now they began to don their outfits. As you can see from the above dressing room photo, this was no half hearted dress-up. Rumour has it that Tim liked his Austin Powers outfit so much he actually bought it rather than hire it. Jon's hand gesture above was created after careful consideration. Deciding he really needed to know how to wave like the Pope, Jon carried out some detailed research on the subject, courtesy of Google (see below). It's not often you see the Pope surfing the web.

There were a few logistical problems to resolve with Batman's outfit, namely how to fit Stu's ear pieces inside his mask. Then there was poor Stew, destined to an evening drenched in sweat inside his Gorilla suit.

It was about this time that Jon 'JB' Brown (head of Fierce) arrived in the dressing room, and took me aside for a long and interesting chat about what is going on in d: world. I'm not sure why I'm telling you this since I can't actually tell you anything he told me, but suffice to say some things are going to happen next year that you don't expect. Anyway, before long 'show time' had arrived. I'd meant to pop downstairs to catch part of the support set, but somehow the time had passed before I'd even realised, and now Delirious? were taking the walk down several flights of stairs to congregate in the wings of the stage.

If there's one venue I know well it's Shepherds Bush Empire. This was my 10th time seeing Delirious? in the venue and with the help of my trusty AAA I was able to make use of the numerous, and now very familiar, corridors and doors that provide access from backstage to front of house, to stairwells and the balcony - providing a speedy route to any part of the venue. With my camera in hand I proceeded to tour the venue taking shots from every vantage point. I keep telling myself that one day I'll go to a Delirious? gig and actually sit in a seat for the entire show (it's never going to happen). The above photo shows the view from Trevor's monitors desk at the side of stage. The guy works tirelessly through out the gig, with 5 different sound mixes to maintain - one specifically tailored to each band member. It's fascinating to watch. At any moment one of the guys on stage could signal to Trevor, often little more than a wave of hand to indicate that there's too much guitar in the mix, or not enough vocals. Trevor takes it all in his stride.

Up in the balcony you get a great view of the stage with the crowd tightly packed in jumping together like a swarm of bobbing insects. SBE has several different balconies, getting progressively higher towards the ceiling, but even from the very top you still feel like you're in touching distance of the band on stage. There's just something supremely special and intimate about this venue, one of the many reasons it's my all time favourite music venue.

Another privilege of having the right pass is that you get to 'do battle' in the photographers pit in front of the crowd barriers. Squeezed into the pit with several other camera wielding people and numerous security personnel is an interesting experience. It does give the opportunity for some 'looking up the bands nostrils' shots though, and this one of Batman G playing guitar was a particular favourite of mine.

There was a part in the set where Martin and Stu sit alone on some stools in the middle of the stage. I watched this from the wings and was taken slightly by surprise as a large hairy creature came walking towards me. Stew had a 2-song break while Martin did some acoustic numbers so had decided to leave the relative discomfort of his drum set to strip out of the heat inducing Gorilla suit he was wearing. There was something slightly odd about talking to him mid-set. As Martin and Stu's 'Silent Night' ended, Stu also left the stage to stand with Jon and Stew in the wings while Martin performed a solo rendition of 'There Is An Angel'. Stu was desperately trying to persuade Jon to join him in some pantomime antics on stage to put Martin off, but I think they decided against it in the end.

The show ended and we all returned to the dressing room where I had to make a hurried exit to catch a train home. My camera contained another 250 d: photos to sort through, of which 18 made the cut to this website. Hope everyone has a great Christmas - see you in 2008.

The Living Room Gig

2007-11-21T10:33:00.001Z

What a night at The Embassy in London last night! This was what Delirious? have described as their first 'Living Room' gig. An exclusive, intimate and informal evening with the band. Just 100 fans invited (although nearer to 160 people once you add on the guests, industry and media) at a very up-market London club. Leaving the tube at Green Park, I walked past the Ritz and arrived at the Embassy. From the street it doesn't look much. A door, a restaurant style shop front, and a handful of people already queueing up. Unsure where to go or how to get in, I loitered until the authoritative figure of Mr Ian Cattle appeared at the door. He let me in, directed me to the lady with the passes and pointed me down a narrow flight of stairs.

On the below-ground-level floor I stepped off the stairs into a bar area, complete with plush leather sofas, tables and at one end a dance floor. Through the darkness I could make out a few people milling around and the sound of instruments being warmed up. I walked the short distance from the bottom of the stairs, to the far end of the bar where the dance floor was located, and realised with some surprise just how small this venue really was. The dance floor didn't look nearly big enough to house 100 fans, and the 'stage' (if you can call it that) nestled into the corner was already crammed full of equipment, instruments and two figures in the shadows who I identified as Stu and Jon.

After a brief chat with Jon, I watched as the whole band squeezed onto stage to sound check. Somehow they'd managed to fit a few lights into the room and the occasional spot light shone down on the band to reveal their glistening instruments. Stood, side by side, the guitars of Stu, Martin and Jon almost collided as they shared the small stage.

Sound checks are often not as interesting as they sound. Usually, as was the case here to start with, there is nothing but the sound of drums being banged, guitar notes being played, all incoherently played, individually rather than as a group. This isn't me being rude about how Delirious? play, it's just the nature of setting up, tuning up, warming up and checking everything works and sounds right. Eventually they played a few songs in unison, and it was then that I noticed things sounded wrong. Although I could hear the drums, hear the sound of Jon's bass through his rig and Stu's guitars through his amps, I couldn't hear Martin's voice. His mouth appeared to be moving, so perhaps he was saving his voice for the concert and just singing gently to himself.

I started chatting to a few familiar faces who were also standing around waiting and watching. Half of the Furious? Records office team were there so I chatted with Paul (merch), Mark (design), Clive (office manager) and Chris (web). Plus others such as Jamie (friend), Brett (very tall), Tim and Trev (crew). Through these conversations I discovered the reason for the lack of sound. No PA. Hmm. Turns out that the band had intended to use the in-house sound system, only to discover on arrival that it wasn't up to their high standards. Solution? Send a man in a van on a frantic last minute dash across London in rush hour traffic to Romford to collect a 'proper' sound system. It was now 7pm, 15 minutes after the doors were due to have been opened to the ticket holding fans, and still the new PA hadn't arrived.

As the band continued their somewhat muted sound check, I took the opportunity to take as many photos as possible, unsure how easy it would be to get good pics during the gig itself since everyone was going to be very cramped. (All of the photos in this post are from sound check) With the time slipping away several of the band members went out onto the street to try and apologise to the waiting fans for the lengthy delay. Eventually, at 7:30pm, a flurry of activity erupted as a series of large black boxes (aka the PA) were carried down the stairs and wheeled in. They were frantically stacked either side of the stage, plugged in and the band returned to the stage for a brief final sound check.

By 7:45pm the doors were open and the fans started to drift in, collecting a rather nice free CD (in paper back with Delirious-style receipt) on their way. The dance floor quickly disappeared and shortly after 8:30pm Delirious? squeezed their way through the crowd, onto stage and started their 10-song set. It was over all too soon, but unlike your average gig, the band didn't disappear from sight, they mingled, chatted and gave fans a superb opportunity to meet and greet the band.

Omnisonic Tour - Horsham

2007-11-19T11:00:00.000Z

So Delirious? are back on tour in the UK with their 'Omnisonic Tour' so on Friday night I headed over to Horsham. My first mistake was planning a route to Horsham based on the postcode for the venue as listed on PuraTickets. I followed the directions provided by the route planner and found myself in the middle of a housing estate. Hmm. I saw Delirious? at the same Horsham venue back in 2005 and I had a vague recollection of a warehouse style venue in the middle of an industrial estate. Somehow this groups of houses did not look familiar. Unfortunately it turns out that PuraTickets had listed the wrong postcode. Luckily for me it was only 5pm. But still, I spent the best part of the next hour driving around Horsham with no idea how to find the venue. As I neared desperation I drove past the 'Smith & Western' restaurant and had one of those light bulb moments where you think "that looks familiar!". I was pretty certain I'd driven past that same distinctive eatery on my previous visit to Horsham. And as I passed it, sure enough there was Tim Jupp escorting his family inside for dinner. With a new sense of confidence I drove on and finally stumbled across the venue.

I was met at the door by Tim Green, assistant to tour manager Ian Cattle, who pointed me in the direction of the bands dressing room (aka 'Catering'). I walked in to discover Jon and StuG deeply engrossed in their Mac laptops, Jon concentrating hard on a game of Facebook Scrabble. It turns out my arrival was perfectly timed, as Tim Green then arrived with an armful of Chinese take-away (yes, it would definitely have paid for someone's drugs). After a very enjoyable meal I chatted with the guys for a while. For those of you who have commented on the Living Room Blogs, be assured that the band do read the comments. They were busily reading them, with some competitiveness regarding which band member was receiving the most comments (Martin currently in the lead). Oh and if you happened to have been on Delirious.co.uk at that exact time, you may have spotted me on their webcam for a few minutes. Fame at last.

The rest of the band turned up with a few family members and friends and before long it was time for Dave Payne (legendary d: roadie) to say the pre-gig prayer. Then out we marched to the stage. Despite the low ceiling and low stage, the venue looked impressive, tightly packed with an excitable crowd. I stood and watched from Tim's side of stage for a while, before heading to the pit to take some stage photos. Then I move round to Jon's side of stage where I spent most of the gig.

Lee, the d: tech, was kept pretty busy throughout. First of all he had to deal with a troublesome drum, removing it completely for a while to carry out some running repairs. I was amused to watch a drum stick flying backwards out of Stew's hand during one highly energetic piece of drumming. Without missing a beat he immediately reached to his strategically positioned stick bag, pulled out a replacement stick and continued. You wouldn't even have noticed from the front row. He caught my eye as I watched all this, and shrugged at me, pulled a face, then carried on grinning.

Later Jon's bass suddenly went silent mid song, and he frantically tried a few adjustments on his rig before Lee came striding across the stage, ripped out the cable, swapped it with a different one, fiddled with a few buttons and solved the problem.

As I stood a few feet off stage level with Jon, I suddenly noticed Jon's wife Kristen and his Dad, stood next to me. Later on a group of d:'s children, led by Stu's daughter Eden, strolled onto stage to dance during Paint The Town Red. Definitively a family night, not surprising since Horsham is only a short hop from their Littlehampton homes.

There was some concern among the stewards (for some reason they're never called 'security' at a Christian venue!) when Martin climbed over the crowd barrier with his red megaphone and proceeded to trample onto the shoulders of the crowd - well beyond the safety of the stewards out stretched arms. Somehow he made it back safely, but I feel sure that one day he's going to be swallowed up by a large crowd and not manage to get back on stage in time for the chorus!

The concert ended with a blistering piece of guitar work from Stu G during Investigate. I watched with amazement as he broke practically every single string in his guitar by the time the song finished. Back in the dressing room I was asked which of the new songs I liked the most. 'My Soul Sings' I said, which prompted Jon to say "You're getting old Dave". Hmm.

The Future

2007-11-08T10:52:00.000Z

So, the superb new Delirious.co.uk V3 website has gone live, and what a treat it is. Lovely new design, additional features, lots of interaction and perhaps most exciting of all, the Living Room and its Sofa - home to the band's personal blogs. There are some additions still to be revealed which will continue to make it a superb resource for d: fans on the web.

Which brings me to the point of this post. Where does the future lie for Delirious.org.uk? Already people have started to ask that question on the forum, and I've avoided being too specific as there are a few things yet to be announced. However, I think it's pretty clear that Delirious.org.uk needs to change. The goal of my site has always been to provide a source of up to date Delirious? information for fans, giving them things they couldn't easily find elsewhere. The official site will always be the definitive source of information, but there tended to be a gap that I was able to fill with my site. That is until now. Now the excellent V3 is a lot more fluid, more up to date and more interactive. Time will tell how things work out, but early indications show that the band are more keen than ever to keep fans updated on what is going on.

That is exactly what an official band site should be about. So, where does that leave Delirious.org.uk? Is there still space for an unofficial site alongside such a splendid official site? To be honest, that is a question I've been asking myself recently. It would be nice to hear your opinions too. At the very least I think it is time for Delirious.org.uk to have a little facelift. Under the shadow of V3 it suddenly feels very old fashioned and out dated. So, what should change? What would you like to see added or changed with Delirious.org.uk? Simply a new paint job, a whole new design, a complete rebuild? I'm open to suggestions. Or perhaps you feel that Delirious.org.uk is no longer needed. Perhaps V3 fills the gap that Delirious.org.uk once filled, and now as a fan you can get everything you need from V3.

This isn't about my ego (honestly!). I'm not writing this to get a flood of comments saying how much you want me to keep my site. I'm not saying I'm going to act on every piece of feedback I get here. But it would be interesting to know what visitors to the site really think. Change or no change? Future or no future? Let me know. I can take it. I hope. (Well, be gentle with me otherwise I might get grumpy, ok?). Add your comments below.

NEC Arena Birmingham

2007-10-29T21:06:00.000Z

The NEC Arena in Birmingham is one of the most well known music venues in the UK, frequently hosting the biggest bands in the world. So to see Delirious? play there was a real treat. On arrival I went to collect my pass from the box office where the very kind box office lady offered to personally escort me to the backstage area. How's that for service! She led me passed several security guards, darkened corridors and closed doors before we arrived outside another door labelled "Delirious? Dressing Room". Inside Stu, Stew, Tim and a few crew members were relaxing on the sofa with an impressive buffet lunch laid out on one side. Just then my phone rang. The display said "Jon Thatcher". Simultaneously the dressing room door opened and Jon walked in, phone to his ear "Hi Dave, where are you?". "I'm in your dressing room" I replied as we made eye contact.

Jon and I went off to find a quieter room to talk shop, and we discussed the new Delirious.co.uk website and a few of their plans for the new album. Without wanting to give too much a way, I can honestly say the band have some very exciting plans for the future, and a very fan-focused approach to their new website. Back in the dressing room Stu's laptop was playing REM's 'Everybody Hurts' - probably the reason that later in the evening Martin burst into the same song whilst performing Majesty on stage! The concert tonight was being broadcast live on God TV and having not played a show in 2 weeks, and with only a very limited opportunity to sound check first, the band were perhaps understandably a little wary. Lee the guitar tech delivered Stu and Jon's guitars to the dressing room, and Stew's drum sticks and practise pad, for a little pre-gig warm up. I sat and watched in quiet admiration as Stu and Jon sat on the sofa in front of me performing an impromptu acoustic and instrumental rendition of one of the new songs. It was just the sound of guitar strings, no amplification, and a bit of foot tapping, but it was a delight to witness. Stew asked me if I'd been told the album title yet. "No, I haven't" I replied. Then silence. A few exchanged glances between them, a cough, then a change of subject. Hmmm, not ready to tell me yet I decided. It was time for the band to move from their dressing room to the wings of the stage. I stood on the side of the stage with Jon and Stew, next to Trevour's monitor desk, and chatted as they waited for show time. Again Stew broached the subject, "We can tell Dave the title can't we?" he said. "Yeah I think so" agreed Jon. "Ok," continued Stew, "the new album is called..."

I remember a few years ago getting a phone call from Jon Brown, head of the band's Fierce Distribution label. He was phoning me to tell me about the then forthcoming album, The Mission Bell. I was walking along a main road at the time, traffic thundering passed me, and I had to ask JB to repeat the album title three times before I could actually hear what he said over the noise of the traffic. "The Mission what??" I kept asking. It was an embarrassing moment, and the fear of the same thing happening again this time meant that I lent in close to Stew as he revealed the new album title to me as we stood on the NEC Arena stage. It's still a secret at the moment, a point Jon reinforced to me by standing on my foot as Stew told me, but I think they'll be announcing it on their new website in a few days. So stay tuned for that.

Finally it was time for Delirious? to start their set. I spent the first half of the show still stood by the monitors desk, getting a good view of the stage and Arena. God TV were doing an impressive job of covering the event. One cameraman spent his time moving between Jon and Stew on stage, poking his shoulder holstered camera through the cymbals or to within inches of Jon's bass strings. Another camera operator did the same on the opposite side of the stage with Stu and Tim. In the 'pit' between stage and crowd, a camera whizzed from one side of the stage to the other, pushed along on a trolley at break neck speeds. Another camera soared above the heads of the crowd on a crane positioned in the pit. From where I was stood at the side of the stage I could just make out a further 2 cameras on tripods near the back of the arena by the sound desk, another at the very back on a trolley and a further one in the seating on one side of the crowd. Clearly every available angle was covered. It made for a few 'interesting' moments where Stu nearly sent a camera operator flying when he dared to get a little too close during a guitar solo, and another moment where a photographer nearly got flattened in the pit by the 100mph camera trolley operator.

Deciding it was time to get a different angle myself, I headed to the back of the venue to enjoy the view of the stage's light show in full. As the final song of the main set ended, I met up with the band as they came off stage and chatted some more as we hung around behind the stage while the 'talky bit' happened. There was some debate involving tour manager Ian Cattle about how many songs they were coming back on stage to perform at the end. Originally they'd planned to end with God Is Smiling, but the event was running ahead of schedule, and with a live TV broadcast to fill Delirious? were given a 2 song ending slot instead. So Investigate was quickly chosen as the extra song, and before long the band were back on stage to perform the end of their set.

For the final two songs I watched from the other side of the stage, the side where Stu stands. Watching Stu play the Investigate guitar solo at close proximity was stunning. He was absolutely on fire, even Martin was stood there open mouthed watching Stu rocking away into his own little world. (Back in the dressing room later on Stu complained that his fingers were sore - can't imagine why!) As Investigate ended the band linked arms and bowed, before leaving the stage. I joined them back in the dressing room where Jon pulled out his laptop and handed me a set of headphones and let me listen to the title track from the new album. Apparently it's a good representation of the theme of the album. Needless to say I loved the track. It starts with a simple drum machine beat with a steady tempo, then two thirds of the way through the drums kick in and the song starts to soar. I politely declined the opportunity to join them for dinner, and instead said goodbye and left to try and find my car in the labyrinth that is the NEC car park.

Greenbelt

2007-08-28T16:40:00.000+01:00

There has been a gaping hole in my experience of live Christian music up till now. Since the early 70s the Greenbelt Festival has established itself as THE event of the year when it comes to live Christian music in the UK. Deciding it was about time I witnessed this festival for myself, I headed towards Cheltenham to see Delirious? perform at the final day of Greenbelt. Whilst on route I received a call from Jon and we arranged to rendez vous at the Air Balloon Pub, about 20 minutes outside of Cheltenham where he and his friend Jamie were stopping for lunch. Once there Jon filled me in on the band's recent tour to Asia, an eventful trip with numerous stories ranging from bomb-threats to police raids. A little while later (and several trips around Gloucestershire's roundabouts) the three of us arrived in convoy at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Making our way through the festival site, we located 'mainstage' and the glamorous 'backstage area'. Said place is a fenced off area immediately behind 'mainstage' where technical crews and artists 'hang out'. Yep, this is the place to be. You'll be needing your red 'mainstage pass' (see below) to get past the yellow-jacketed security personnel and into this exclusive, no doubt luxourius, part of the festival. Or so I thought. On arrival it appears that dressing rooms at Greenbelt are not quite what you may expect. In fact they're just small portacabins with a couple of chairs and a table (see above). So disappointing.

Jon was particularly keen for me to take photographic evidence of the provisions that had been laid out for the band. Yes I think it's fair to say that this band have some outlandish demands on their rider. A bowl of crisps - EACH, and a whole basket of fruit. Nothing but the best for these superstars. Anyway, enough about the backstage facilities.

Rumour had it that there was a 'contributors patio' which was reserved for holders of the 'purple pass' with provisions for contributors. I followed Jon and Jamie through the throng of people gathered by mainstage to watch Chas & Dave as we weaved our way towards this alleged nirvana, all the while feeling slightly guilty that I would be passing myself off as a 'contributor'. It turns out that Jon is a pretty popular guy. We could barely walk a few steps without him passing somebody he knew and stopping for a chat. Eventually we arrived at our destination, which was also slightly less glamorous than it sounded but did have a very pleasant man offering tea and coffee. After most of Littlehampton had said hello to Jon, we departed on a walk to the far side of the site guided by Mr Andy Hutch (lights and video genius) to visit the tented village he was sharing with another group of people who all seemed to know Jon (he really is Mr Popular). Anyway, in the interest of not getting completely bogged down in irrelevant details (and before I start writing about festival toilets), I'll just skip the next few hours of general browsing of the festival.

The remaining Delirious? band members had by now arrived, and they were due to do 'press' backstage, so I wondered off in search of some music. Before long I discovered a tent where Retrofect were playing. For those not in the know, there is a d: connection with this band, Jon's brother Ben is the drummer and Martin's nephew Tom plays guitar. I noted Mum & Dad Thatcher proudly watching their youngest, and Jon also had a quick listen. Anyway... some more time passed [skip to the interesting bit] and at last it was 9:30pm and time for Delirious? to go on stage. I stood at the back of the stage watching as the band walked on and rocked straight into new song 'God Is Smiling'. The view from on stage was stunning. I could see endless faces stretching out into the darkness like a vast sea, all focused on the 5 guys on stage just a few meters away from me.

Armed with a camera and my red pass I walked round to where the pit between stage and crowd was located. The yellow-jackets had other ideas. Apparently it was fine for me to stand within spitting distance of Stew and his drum kit on stage, but going in front of the stage was a no-no even with a red pass. After some careful negotiation they reluctantly agreed to let me in, on the condition that I wore ear plugs "for health and safety reasons". Their concern for my hearing was touching but it occurred to me that standing in front of a band with yellow and pink blobs of foam stuck in your ears was about as big an insult as you can pay any band. So I graciously accepted the ear plugs I was offered by the yellow-jacket, shoved them in my pocket and entered the pit to start taking photos. A tap on my shoulder and apparently yellow-jacket had noticed I wasn't wearing my life-protecting ear devices and was non too pleased. Reluctantly I stuck them in my ears and hoped the band wouldn't notice.

There were more photographers in the pit than I've ever seen at a Delirious? concert, but being a Christian festival there was no jostling or pushing. Just polite excuse-me-pleases and envious looks from me that everyone else had professional looking gear with lenses longer than your forearm. One yellow-jacket took one look at my less than impressive camera and whispered in my ear (well it was more of a shout to be heard through my ear plugs) "are you sure you're meant to be here?". I scowled and moved to the other side of the pit.

Before I knew it Delirious? were coming back on stage for their final song encore. I made my way round the back of the stage again and up the steps to watch from the side of stage as they received their applause and took their bow. It was an impressive sight. Back in the portacabin dressing room Tim was relieved they'd done ok without a sound check and everyone seemed happy. Now to negotiate the Gloucestershire countryside for the journey home.

New Forum Launched

2007-07-02T10:37:00.000+01:00

As I previously explained, the old Forum has been unavailable for a while now. The company that used to host the forum decided that it was too big and had to be removed from the server. But I have now launched a brand new forum, this time on the same server as the rest of the Delirious.org.uk website. Thank you for all of your e-mails and comments regarding the forums. I know it's been greatly missed while it has been unavailable, so I hope everyone enjoys the brand new forum.

The forum starts blank without all the old members and topics. My apologies for that, but unfortunately it was the only way to continue. So please register again to join the new forum.

RIP: D:scussion Forum?

2007-06-29T10:39:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed that the D:scussion Forum on Delirious.org.uk has been off-line for a week now. I'm sure, like me, many of you will have missed regularly dropping in to the forum to join in the interesting and often amusing debates about all things Delirious? I apologise for the lack of forum this week. The forum itself as actually hosted on a separate server from the rest of Delirious.org.uk, and for reasons unknown to myself, the company hosting the server has decided to suspend the account which contains the forum for an apparent abuse of its terms and conditions. Whether this is just some strange mix up or an exceeded limit or allowance, we don't know. But unfortunately it appears to be unlikely that it will be resolved any time soon. Therefore, I am currently considering, and looking into the possibility, of hosting a new forum on the same server as the rest of Delirious.org.uk.

Due to technical reasons (Delirious.org.uk is hosted on a linux server and the Snitz Forums we previously used are written in ASP and not compatible with linux) it will not be possible to use the same style of forum as before, and it looks unlikely that any of the user registrations or existing forum topics and posts will be able to be migrated. What this means is that we may have to start afresh, with a new style of forum (which looks and acts similar, but not identical, to the previous forum), empty of all previous topics and with every user having to register again. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than no forum at all.

Once again, I apologise for the inconvenience, but hopefully something will be resolved next week. In the mean time, feel free to comment below if you wish to have your say on the future of the forum.

Christmas Show 2007 Tickets

2007-06-15T11:40:00.000+01:00

It might still be 6 months away but tickets have just gone on sale for the annual Delirious? Christmas Show at London's Shepherds Bush Empire!

Tuesday, December 18 at 7pm
Tickets £14.50 from Puratickets

Delirious? has visited 16% of the countries in the world!

2007-06-12T15:11:00.000+01:00

With a little help from TravBuddy I came up with this nice little map showing all the countries in the world Delirious? have performed in over the years. 32 different countries to date. Not bad going, but there are still vast areas of 'grey' to be turned 'green'.

Glorious Oak

2007-05-01T16:12:00.000+01:00

So, Delirious? are in the studio at the moment working on their new album. Exciting times. What will it sound like? Well, I have a 'Delirious.org.uk World Exclusive' for you. Let me recount a conversation I just had with the bass-playing-extraordinaire that is Mr Jon 'The Bass' Thatcher. It went something like this...

Me: How are you?
Jon: Good. Just been putting down some bass
Me: How is it sounding?
Jon: The new stuff?
Me: Yeah
Jon: It's the new sound
Me: Err, right...
Jon: If our last records were the roots then this record would be a glorious oak standing on top of the past

So there you have it. Don't say I don't keep you informed.

Catching Up

2007-04-17T09:15:00.000+01:00

Ah yes, the Delirious.org.uk blog. I knew there was something I'd been forgetting. It's been gathering dust since I posted about the Christmas Show back in December. Lately I've only been posting on the blog after going to a concert, and since there haven't been any UK gigs since Christmas... well, you get the picture. But anyway, in the absence of any gig reports of my own I thought I'd write briefly about a couple of other things.

If you're anywhere in the USA chances are that Delirious? have been somewhere close by in the past month. They've just finished the huge 24-date Worship Revolution US Tour with Rebecca St. James and Vicky Beeching. If you couldn't make it to one of the shows fear not as a steady stream of concert photos from the tour has been pouring in to Delirious.org.uk lately. Feast your eyes on pics from:
Beaver Falls Pennsylvania, Camp Hill Pennsylvania, Portland Oregon, San Diego California, San Bernardino California, Santa Ana California, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Gainesville Georgia

The other big news at the moment is that the new Delirious? book, cleverly titled I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever, is about to be released. Available shortly in the USA and from 5th May in the UK, this stunning new book sees Martin and StuG telling the stories that inspired them to write 20 of their best known songs. I say 'stunning' because not only are the stories moving, emotional and intimate, but the visual appearance of the book is absolutely amazing. Each chapter of the book looks at a different song and is decorated with unique and beautiful artwork. My review is on the site now and you can pre-order the book at the FireceShop.

In the unlikely event that inspiration hits me soon I may post on this blog again (suggestions always welcome), but until then, enjoy the book.

The Christmas Show 2006

2006-12-18T09:38:00.000Z

The Delirious? Christmas Show is always one of the highlights of the year, and this year was no exception. I'd been told before arriving that my pass from the recent UK tour would be valid for the Christmas show, so I arrived at about 4:15pm and knocked on the stage door around the back of the Shepherds Bush Empire. When the security guy opened the door I waved my pass at him, only to hear the words "That pass isn't valid any more". Good start. Thankfully he was one of the few helpful security guards that exist, and I was escorted inside to the security desk where he asked my name and checked me against his list. "You're not on the list". Things were going well. Half expecting to find myself back outside on the street with a sore backside, I was surprised when instead he picked up his phone and called tour manager Ian. "I've got a Dave Wood at stage door" he said, before listening to the response for a few seconds and hanging up. Good news or bad? I wondered. Sigh of relief as he reached for a bright red pass marked 'AAA' and handed it to me.

With the potential crisis averted, I became aware of the unmistakable sound of a Delirious? sound check in progress. Heading through the doors, down the steps, and through a few more doors I arrived onto side of stage, behind Trevor's mixing desk (monitor engineer). In front of me, in the semi-darkness (stage lights not yet in use) I could see Delirious? and a large choir assembled on stage. The choir leader/conductor was stood in front of the choir talking to them. "If you don't know the words just sing 'Rhubarb' or something. Whatever you do, don't turn around and look at the words on the screen or I'll shoot you" she said to them sternly. The band and choir rehearsed the moment when the choir will walk on during 'Majesty' and join in for the chorus. Next up, Delirious? practice a very rock and roll version of 'Hark The Herald', and then the sound check is finished. The band come to greet me and I wonder off upstairs to the dressing room with Jon. On the way we pass Matt Redman arriving through the stage door (unlike me, his name is on 'the list').

One thing that always impresses me about Delirious? is that they surround themselves with top professionals, especially when it comes to their crew. Tonight they have Neil on lights, who has just returned from shooting a TV series. Matt their sound man has just rushed back from doing the sound for Jarvis Cocker on this afternoon's recording of tonight's Jonathan Ross TV show. Another crew members has spent the day working with Natasha Bedingfield, also shooting a TV show. These aren't just guys the band found hanging around a street corner, they're all recognised experts in their field of work who actively choose to fit Delirious? into their busy schedules, packed full of big name mainstream artists. It says something about the level of professionalism that goes into a Delirious? show. Anyway, a little while later it's time to head to a restaurant for dinner. Once inside, the band are pounced on by an extremely enthusiastic fan who has come all the way from Italy just for tonight's gig. Despite the slightly unexpected intrusion, they pose for photographs without complaint before we all take up seats for dinner. Sat either side of me are Jon and Stew, across the table are Neil (lights) and Jamie (a journalist friend of Jon, who I'm told has plenty of dirt on him - so I happily take his business card when it's offered to me!). Over pasta and pizza we chat about various things. It amuses me to hear that Jon has just had his adapted suit (complete with bat wings) back from the dry cleaners (I bet the dry cleaner got a bit of a surprise when they cleaned the outfit).

Back at the venue everyone gathers in the large room behind the stage for a pre-gig prayer meeting. The room is rather over crowded as the 30+ members of the choir, 5 members of Delirious?, Matt Redman and band, plus hangers on (like me!) gather together. Stu G says a few words, thanking everyone for coming to perform tonight and then looks over at Martin and says "So, what do we do now?". There's general laughter as people joke that Stu doesn't know how to pray. Stu responds with a story about the first band he was part of, many years ago, where he was the only non-Christian in the band and quickly had to learn how to talk like a Christian. Matt Redman quips that he must be talking about a band called "Cutting Edge" and more laughter fills the room. When things quieten down, Stu, Martin, Matt and a few others say prayers and then we file out of the room. On the way back to Delirious' dressing room, we again pass the stage door where Carrie and David Grant are just arriving. I see another familiar face behind them, who I'm fairly sure is athlete Jamie Baulch.

As we head upstairs to the dressing room, I pass Tom (tour manager Ian's right-hand mand) who stops me and says "Dave, would you like to fire a cannon tonight?". I ignore the pictures flashing through my mind of large black cannon balls flying off the side of a pirate ship, and focus instead on the confetti cannons that get fired to shower the crowd with millions of tiny pieces of paper, creating a fake indoor snowstorm. I happily agree, and arrange to meet Tom during the encore. In the dressing room the band start to ready themselves for the show. Setlists are looked over, Jon practices with his Bass and Stew hits his drumsticks against a practice pad on his knee. I'm amazed to find that Stew is an almost entirely self-taught drummer, having only had 2 lessons in his entire life "and they were a couple of years ago" he explains. I leave the band in the dressing room and head onto the side of the stage to watch the end of Matt Redman's support set. He's doing well and the crowd are very receptive.

Finally it's time for Delirious? to perform. I crouch down in the security pit between stage and crowd and take as many photos as I can for the first few songs, before heading again to the side of stage to take some photos looking out from behind the band out onto the crowd. Then it's up into balcony level 1 for some more photos. Later as I stand just off the side of the stage, I notice Matt Redman sitting on the floor, watching Delirious? and singing along to 'Our God Reigns'. Before I know it, the band leave the stage for the encore break so I dash off to find Tom. He hands me a clear plastic tube, about a metre in length, stuffed full of tiny pieces of paper. He gives me a few instructions and then we head off, along with several other cannon wielders, up the back stairs to balcony levels 2 and 3. He sends each of us off to a different part of the balcony so that we are arranged all around the perimeter, and then we wait for our cue.

Delirious? come back on stage to sing All This Time followed by Stronger, and then their final Christmas number, Hark The Herald Angels Sing. Mid way through the song we all pull the release cord on our confetti cannons and a cheer goes up from the crowd as the confetti fills the venue and floats down on everyone from high up in the roof. I pull out my camera again quickly to take some photos of the scene, before the show comes to an end. With everything finished I catch up with the band again in the dressing room, and then follow Jon down to the after show party where friends, family and colleagues are gathered. It was a stunning night. My only regret was not being able to stay for longer at the after show party, but as it was I didn't get to bed till 2am after the train journey home - and then got woken at 6am by my daughter, so I think it was just as well I left when I did!

Reuben

2006-11-22T20:55:00.000Z

Delirious.org.uk is being a little neglected at the moment and I thought I should probably explain why. The photo above is the reason. On 11th November my wife gave birth to our second child, Reuben James Wood. Those very nice Delirious? boys even gave us a special mention on their official site announcing the news - thanks guys.

Normal service on Delirious.org.uk will resume shortly!