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DELAYS So much has been written about Delays in the relatively short time since they emerged from the Southampton pub circuit that tonight's gig is almost a foregone conclusion. I know I'm going to get Byrds style harmonies over Britpop anthems and Cocteau's style dreamscapes, with a good measure of knob-twiddling electronics throw in. What I didn't expect was that it would sound this good. In the flesh, frontman Greg Gilbert's voice is quite simply astounding. Despite able backing (and excitable jumping around) from brother Aaron on keyboards and Colin Fox on bass, it's Greg that everyone is watching. When in the presence of something so obviously "great" it's difficult not to stare. It's not a unique voice, borrowing as it does from Jeff Buckley, Roger McGuinn and The La's Lee Mavers among others, but Like Finn Andrews from The Veils it stuns you into submission. He can play a mean guitar as well, switching effortlessly from indie jangles to shoe-gazey chimes via solid rocking riffs. And it's this musical variation that keeps you involved. It would be easy to lose interest in a set of 13 songs when most are unknown, but each song played tonight has something that distinguishes it. Wether it's the reggae tinges of opener "No Snow" or the familiar electronics at the beginning of set closer "Long Time Coming", there's a hook that drags you in. If debut album "Faded Seaside Glamour", out next week, is as good as tonight's performance suggests, these songs will soon become part of the furniture. Then we'll be able to look forward to enjoying them all, rather than holding our breath for the one or two that have been played to death on the radio. Richy [ April 1st, 2004 ] |