The UrbanWire

The anticipation of hearing The Click Five live and in acoustic was evident in the loud cheers of the eager audience waiting at *SCAPE. After my interview ended with The Click Five, my photographer and I were ushered to the doors that led to the outdoor arena where all the fans were waiting for the band’s entrance.

The doors swung open into the outdoor arena, and nearly 300 pairs of eyes went to us, thinking that we were The Click Five. Their eyes lowered in dismay, as they realised it was just the media coming out of the doors.

After a period of waiting (unbeknown to the fans, The Click Five were actually having their lunch, and not standing around behind the closed doors), they finally emerged. One by one, they came out of the doors, to the audience’s thunderous applause and cheers. They took up centre stage, welcomed the audience, and started playing their new hit, ‘I Quit! I Quit! I Quit!’

And no, this upbeat and infectious song isn’t about The Click Five quitting, but more about not giving up on love. Just look at the lyrics. “I quit (my old ways) to keep you from lettin’ me go. You say it’s over but I’m saying no!”

The chorus got the audience pumping their fists in the air in time to the music, with Kyle (the lead singer) smiling and singing at the same time.

Next up was one of their newer songs, called ‘Don’t Let Me Go’. This song is of a slower tempo, and everyone could sense the band’s serious and somber mood while playing this song, reminiscent of ‘Empty’, a song from their second album.

Wanting to shake the audience out of the blanket of melancholy that had settled over them because of ‘Don’t Let Me Go’ (they knew how to play with the audience’s mood), they played their newest single, ‘The Way It Goes’, written by band member Ben Romans and composer Frank Ciampi, after.

The audience stirred and started getting high again, singing “It’s just the way it goes oooh oooh ooooh” along with The Click Five. The entire band was grinning from ear to ear while playing the song, getting high on the audience’s enthusiasm.

Then, questions from the floor were answered by the band, followed by a lucky draw session in which 10 people were chosen to take group pictures with The Click Five. Loud screaming ensued when the people in the audience realised that their numbers had been called, earning envious looks from the other members of the audience.

The friendly band bid farewell to the audience with their closing song, the ever-popular ‘Jenny’, and that was when the crowd energy was at its highest, with the audience’s voices nearly overpowering Kyle’s voice.

Their live renditions were just as good as the studio-recorded ones. Well done, The Click Five.

The crowd murmured in anticipation while standing around the makeshift stage in Zouk, and a huge screen behind the stage had a sole word emblazoned across: DELPHIC. It was pretty dark, and one could only catch occasional glimpses of the musical instruments in different colours when flashing red, green, and blue lights swept across the stage.

It was Delphic’s debut gig in Singapore. The alternative dance band, hailing from Manchester, England, had polled third on BBC Sound of 2010, which is a platform where critics, editors, and the media select the top 10 up-and-coming musical talents for that year.

The band mixes the genres of electronic dance and rock, creating a sound that is very unique. Listening to their music is akin to drinking an ice-cold lychee martini on a hot summer day – very refreshing. One could liken them as a cross between New Order and Crystal Castles. Delphic consists of James Cook on lead vocals and bass, Matt Cocksedge on guitar, Richard Boardman on synths, and Dan Hadley on drums.

When Delphic finally emerged from backstage after keeping us waiting for 40 minutes, it was to loud cheering and screaming from everyone. Without further ado, they started singing. The infectious beat caught on, and people started tapping their feet in time to the music.

Some of the more enthusiastic fans were swaying, in a trancelike state, as they embraced the rapturous melody.

The lead singer said his hellos to Singapore, before delving into popular hit ‘Doubt’. One thing about their songs – though it is of an electro-rock infusion, the lyrics are far from upbeat. If you listen to the lyrics closely, you realise that it is actually of pretty deep content, a far cry from the usual mindless lyrics of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber.

‘Red Lights’, the next song they played, was accompanied by stage lights that bathed them in an electrifying red, and the overall effect intensified further when James sang the repetitive ‘I wouldn’t stop the red lights red lights red lights red lights…’ chorus.

It was one song after the next without pause, and when one song was ending, they segued effortlessly into the next, displaying exhilarating stage presence. We could almost feel the passion Matt Cocksedge seemed to have with guitars as he strummed the strings with a near psychotic expression, so focused was he.

However, the crowd energy was not up to Delphic’s expectations. James shouted, “C’mon Singapore, we were in Hong Kong last night and they could really dance!”

He added, “Best dancer gets a free t-shirt from us”, before dangling a green t-shirt in front of the crowd.

Now that, sealed the deal for us Singaporeans, and the crowd started dancing with an almost frantic energy to clinch the prize when the next song came on. Singaporeans aren’t called kia su for nothing.

The jumping and cheering nudged those who were only tapping their feet to dance. Pretty soon, the entire audience was surging to the beat of the music, and everyone was enjoying the feeling of being high and singing along to the songs.

Then it was time for Delphic to go, but not before they responded to the crowd cheering for an encore that ended off with a nine minutes contagious dance piece.

All too soon, they bowed as they retreated, leaving fresh imprints of their debut in our minds. As some people remarked, “The encore didn’t even seem like nine minutes!”

Photos courtesy of Hoong Wei Long

Something big from Manchester is coming to Singapore. And no, I’m not talking about Wayne Rooney or Carlos Tévez.

Rather it’s the next big music act to come from the northwestern county – Delphic.

For one night only on August 11 at Zouk, the band is set to throw down their blend of alternative dance music that has garnered much acclaim since the release of their debut “Acolyte” early this year. Sounding equal part New Order and Pet Shop Boys yet exhilaratingly fresh and intense, Delphic is certainly one of the acts to watch in the coming years.

The Mancunian trio will be fresh off their tour in Japan (they played Summersonic no less) and Hong Kong and you can expect nothing less than a spectacle as the band work through singles like “Counterpoint”, “Doubt” and “This Momentary”. But don’t just take my word for it, check out the band’s impassioned performance of “Counterpoint” in the video below.

Tickets are priced at $45 and can be purchased at the door. Doors open at 1930 with the Delphic set slated to start at 2030.

For ticketing enquiries, email ticketing@kittywurecords.com or call 8359 8746.