Interviews & Media Articles

Source: delirious.org.uk
Author: Dave Wood
Date: 23 Dec 2002

Looking back over 2002, it is clear that Delirious? have had an exceptionally busy twelve months. The previous year had barely ended before Delirious? were once again packing their suitcases and heading to the warmer climate of Australia. Before January had come to an end, they had already clocked up thousands of air-miles and five gigs in Oz, closely followed by two hectic nights performing at the biggest Christian music festival outside of the USA, New Zealand's Parachute Festival.

After catching their breaths in February, March saw Delirious? embark on their mammoth 'Deeper Tour' in North America. Accompanied by US band 'Everyone' and UK singer Matt Redman, a further 16 gigs were notched up stateside during the month of March, followed by a further eight in April. Martin Smith even found time to chat to BBC's Radio 4 in March about the rise of Christian bands in the world of rock and roll.

With the American tour finally at an end, Delirious? had one more pressing engagement to fulfill in April: An appearance at the prestigious American CCM Industry 'Dove Awards' ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. No stranger to the 'Doves', Delirious? were again awarded nominations and performed their classic worship song 'I Could Sing of Your Love Forever' at the live awards ceremony.

Having spent most of the first four months of the year away from their home country, Delirious? finally hit the road in the UK during May as they started their nine date 'Fire Tour', supported by US rockers 'All Star United'. Highlights included a specially filmed 'Mission Impossible' style intro video sequence and a whole host of other visual treats and musical masterpieces.

The Fire Tour came to an end in Ireland at the start of June, but was extended for a special one-off celebratory free concert on the seafront at the boy's home town of Littlehampton on 4th June. Not only was it the 10th anniversary of the very first 'Cutting Edge' event, but it was also Golden Jubilee weekend in the UK. A remarkable day saw a huge crowd turn out to see an action packed line up with numerous bands, artists and entertainers. Delirious? closed the show with an hour long set followed by a spectacular firework display.

That wasn't the end of June for the d:boys. After a quick trip over to Holland for the EO Youth Day, Delirious? again headed across the Atlantic for a further nine gigs in America and Canada. The US Tour spilled over into July as the band performed at some of the big music festivals like Creation and Spirit West Coast. Sandwiched in the middle of the US festivals came the biggest surprise of the year for Delirious?...

In the summer of 2001 the band had been delighted to join rock megastars, BonJovi on tour in the UK. Imagine their excitement when a year later they were approached by multi-million selling singer Bryan Adams to appear as his 'Special Guests' for three UK tour dates. So, in July 2002 Delirious? once again found themselves on the road with a big name artist as they warmed up huge crowds for Bryan Adams in Leeds, London and Cardiff. The London concert at Hyde Park gave them an opportunity to impress thousands of hardened rock fans with an hour of their top songs. The rapturous applause that followed was a sure sign of the crowd's appreciation.

With a couple more US festivals in August under their collective belt, Delirious? were ready for a well deserved break. After a few weeks off they returned with an appearance at the UK Greenbelt Festival. During August the band were shown in a compelling BBC News Report and on the entertainment programme 'Liquid News' with interview and gig footage.

September saw a quick hop to North Carolina to perform at the Harvest Crusade with tens of thousands watching the Webcast via their computers. Back home in England Delirious? took part in a special charity event called 'Two Dates To Change The World', performing concerts with 'The Tribe' in Manchester and London.

The culmination of months of negotiations, planning and hard work came to fruition at the start of October when Delirious? proudly launched the American arm of their Furious? Records label. Furious? Records Inc, based in Nashville, would give Delirious? a firm foot in the door of the US music scene. October held another first for Delirious? when they flew to South Africa to perform their debut tour of the country. All four dates in the South African cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town sold out and the band received a rousing reception.

November turned out to be the month of releases. Returning home from a two-gig weekend visit to California, Delirious? set about satisfying all corners of the world with a collection of new CDs. First up was the first-ever foreign language album from Delirious? Titled 'Libertad', the Spanish album contained twelve songs from the Cutting Edge era and was a treat aimed at the band's Spanish fans around the world. Next up was the long-awaited US cousin to Audio Lessonover?, now remixed, repackaged and released under the name 'Touch' - the latest Delirious? music hit the US shops like a thunder clap. As if two albums in a month wasn't enough, the UK fans were in for a stunner too. The brand new live album 'Access:d' hit the UK shops at the end of November and was quickly labeled as the best d:CD ever by the fans. Further publicity came along during November in the form of a five page glossy article about Delirious? in the Daily Telegraph's weekend magazine.

Delirious? ended 2002 in traditional fashion, with their annual Christmas Show in London. This year The Forum played host as a 2000 capacity crowd were entertained by the usual festive surprises and typical d:style Christmas celebrations.

Overall, 2002 will be seen as 'The Year of Touring' for Delirious?, with a total of 76 gigs being performed in seven different countries, covering four different continents. The band played 47 gigs in North America alone, and a further 17 at home in the UK. The band have continued to build on their mainstream success with high profile appearances with Bryan Adams, and publicity from major media outlets in both the press and TV.

The end of year report? Its an A+ for Delirious? A hard working year with some great achievements. Keep up the good work.