Mezzamorphis Tour 1999
Last modified: 10 May 1999
Artist: Delirious?
Label: Furious? Records
Date: 10 May 1999
Delirious? Announce Tour Support
The forthcoming and much anticipated national tour from Delirious? will kick off each night with a opening set from new boys Switchfoot. Straight from California, the ultra-tight three piece will be bringing a little sun-kissed guitar rock to the table, and are sure to return home with more than a few UK fans of their own.
Switchfoot's 1997 debut album The Legend Of Chin got the critics excited, and their recent follow up - New Way To be Human - has taken the buzz a stage further. Blending a vibed-up rhythm section (sound familiar?) with some crisply written songs, they have the perfect credentials for success with the d:fans.
The two bands met last year in Vancouver where they were attending the EMI sales conference. As well as sharing labels in America, both bands are fresh and ready to do something different with the genre.
Once the Littlehampton five-piece are on stage, fans can expect a Delirious? show like never before: as well as a massive LCD screen and drool-inducing visuals, the band have been honing what is undoubtedly their best material to date. With some brand new tracks and a bag full of tunes form the album Mezzamorphis, the music is stronger than ever. If proof were needed all you need to do is turn to this month's Q magazine (who called it 'spectacular... dense, ingenious') or next month's (check out the double page spread on June 1st) or the Europe wide mag Rock Sound (dubbed them 'uplifting ... one of Britain's brightest new bands'). Things are certainly on the up.
D:BRIEF _ MAY
Some time ago, before the latest batch of singles and albums were prized out of the stockroom, there was a discussion going on at Furious? Records. No one knew how the current crop of chart-material would fare - would the album Mezzamorphis be too much of a jump from King Of Fools? Would See The Star manage to wedge it's way into radio? Speculation was rife.
In some ways things have gone as expected - rather, old patterns have been followed. The fans - God bless 'em - have once again waved the flag and pushed the material high into the charts. As before, these d:fans have powered the releases, waving them under the noses of the industry big boys.
At first sight it seems like the media were once again a little reluctant to push the band towards the front of the queue. TOTP and Radio One seemed to be suffering from a bout of shyness that presented the band with a strangely familiar looking closed door. But something was different. London radio station Xfm picked up the single and played it almost hourly. The boys had a laugh with Jonny Vaughan on Big Breakfast, at the end of which he commented on was a decent bunch of chaps they were. A few good reviews began to appear in the press (the prestigious Q and Rock Sound magazines)- not just two-liners or lists of tour dates, but opinions, analysis and even recommendations.
All this might sound pleasant enough to you, it may even grate a bit, sounding a tad self-indulgent, but there is a point. The press attention is not the goal itself; it's far more a tool. The real aim of the band - as it always has been - is to get the message out as far as possible. Today it appears that is happening: the audience is widening and the web sites and newsgroups have been inundated with new people keen to find out more about the group who they know nothing about.
On the eve of the biggest D:tour to date this comes as exciting news. The chance to hear the new material alongside new fans could be something special. It could be bliss.