|  Delphic, photographed by Jessica Bracey | | Kitsuné Maison are on a one-label mission to prove that for every, ahem, Brokencyde out there, there's a Delphic - a band who can play
live electronic music with conviction and intelligence. Their crusade,
the aptly-titled Kitsuné Maison tour, tonight brings them to the
prestigious Southampton Joiners.
Setting the musical benchmark and opening for the evening are
Jazica, a quirky five-some who sound like a steamy night in a hotel
with Bat For Lashes, The Killers, a few synths, and a vocoder - and
there's nothing wrong with that. They may be a little rough
around the edges, but that is most certainly a good thing, and you
can't ask for more than a band who fit the bill and play a frantic set
of female-fronted, jerky indie-poptronica.
Two Door Cinema Club couldn't go all that wrong really. Having
already built a name of themselves as one of the most sought-after
Irish exports since Guinness, their abrasive but tight indie-rock
spliced sporadic blasts of programed beats and pulsating Casio keys
send dancing instructions to the swelling crowd who lap them up like
a thirst-quenched canine. Soon enough, about a hundred heads are
nodding and about twice as many feet tapping - approval, if it ever
existed, in the eyes of a gig audience.
Finally, amongst a wave of LEDs, smoke, and strobes, five
sharply-dressed gentlemen find their places on the stage, and
throughout the next 30 minutes prove why they're a live band, and why
they do it well. The music is tight, their passion unmatched, and the
general effort from a band who otherwise would seem to be quite
detached from the real world is on par of any of the stadium-pleasers
you might watch on YouTube. Wading their way through a healthy five or
six songs without stopping for as much as a breathe, Delphic are a band
of few words, but when the music is this good, you don't really want
them to speak anyway.
After a rousing performance of singles This Momentary and
Counterpoint, Delphic depart from the stage leaving the collective
rabble before them feeling like they've kind-of been electronically
hugged by a cuddly Kraftwerk. The ethereal noise exuding from the
instruments on stage, orchestrated by five men from Manchester has
reassured everyone that it's okay to like live electronic music again.
Contrary to what some of those god-awful American Crunkcore bands would
have you think - things are still progressing. Well done Delphic, give
yourselves a pat on the back.
Freddie Harrison | |