I’m going back in time this week to a band called Delirious?, who were, before they disbanded, one of the top UK Christian bands and have sold over 2,000,000 albums worldwide.
Back in the day when I actually bought physical CDs, I always looked forward to any new release from Delirious? and I gained quite a collection. Sadly that is no more but thankfully we have music streaming capabilities now, which means I can still listen to all of my old favourites.
I have seen the band in concert twice, the first time was at Wolverhampton Civic Hall with my youngest daughter and a family friend. I remember we stood at the stage directly in front of the speakers, we all absolutely loved it, although we were left a little hard of hearing the following day. I actually have a souvenir from that event, at the end of the gig the band threw some guitar picks out into the crowd, I missed them all, but as we were leaving I spotted one on the floor, so I was a very happy bunny that night.
The second time I saw them was for their farewell tour. This was a much bigger event and was held in the O2 Academy in Birmingham, again a very enjoyable night.
There are so many Delirious? songs that I could mention, but I have gone with my all time favourite ‘Miracle Maker’. The lyrics and whole arrangement of the song give a beautiful image of the Biblical account of an invalid who had been waiting by a pool for the moment when he could be healed. You can read the account here, it will help to set the scene.
It begins as a quiet ballad but as the song and story progress, it comes alive, I’ve never heard a song quite like it. The bass and guitar have the main musical impact for me but I also love Martin Smith as the lead vocalist. You can listen here. If you make it all the way through you will be treated to an awesome guitar solo.
Talking of the solo, just for a bit of fun and for anyone who enjoyed the amazing guitar playing, I have found a video made by the guitarist Stu G. He talks about the different effects and amps he used etc, but to see how effortlessly he plays and what sound he gets from one guitar is quite worth the watch I think. You can watch here
I hope you have enjoyed my introduction to Delirious?, I’ll share a few more of my favourite tracks next week.
The Church at Hiraeth 