Three long years have passed since Delphic were tipped by all and sundry to crack the big time back in early 2010. Sadly, in today’s fast-paced music industry with its lengthy promotional cycles, this is often too long a period for a band to return and be remembered by the general public. Late last month Delphic released their second LP Collections and only hit #77 in the UK charts, in stark contrast to their Top 10 debut Acolyte. It would appear, then, that like many others they’ve left it too long and passed up their chance on stardom forever, particularly as the UK dance scene is so much stronger than it was three years ago. This is a crying shame, as this live appearance attested.

The two years Delphic spent on the road (accounting for the delayed new material) has honed them into a fearsome live prospect. Some of their new material, more overtly danceable than their old stuff, is clearly designed to play to these strengths and dwarfs the small environs of the Cockpit. ‘Memeo’, with its chiming keyboard stabs, is the best of these, closely followed by the funky Prince-meets-DFA of new single ‘Baiya’. Occasionally, they stumble when they discard their electronics – ‘Freedom Found’ comes across as overly earnest. But these wobbles are more than compensated for when the likes of ‘Counterpoint’, ‘Doubt’ and ‘Halcyon’ are unleashed to rapturous receptions. Delphic have a formula that comfortably straddles the genres of indie and dance. Whether the wider public give them the second chance they deserve is another matter.

7/10

words: Ed Biggs