They leave behind a legacy of powerful, heartfelt songs that are being sung - and will continue to be sung for many years to come - around the globe. Watching the DVD I was struck at just how much the music of Delirious? has become associated with various stages of my life.
My first contact with them came back in around 1994 when I was asked by a musician friend, Simon Jones, to play bass on an album he was recording down on the South Coast of England. The producer was a guy called Tim Jupp, and over the course of the weekend he was telling us about this band he was a part of called "Cutting Edge" (yes, this was pre-Delirious? times) and how they were playing local youth events and had released these mini-album cassettes. At that time they had already released two cassettes, each of which contained 6 or 7 songs, the style of which was unlike most worship songs I'd ever heard.
Over the course of the sessions, one of our songs was too challenging for the drummer we had, so Tim made a phone call upstairs to an office where a graphic designer called Stewart Smith worked. Turns out he was also the drummer for this Cutting Edge band, and he came down to play on the song, and the two of us nailed it in maybe 2 takes. That was a huge blast, and even though I really didn't know who he was back then, I can tell you that I remember he played LOUD.
On those early Cutting Edge tapes were songs such as "Thankyou For Saving Me", "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever", "Lord You Have My Heart" and "The Crucible For Silver". Tim told me that they were just about to release a third tape, which I bought (mainly to be supportive to our producer!) along with the first two. On this tape was the fearless declaration of "I'm Not Ashamed", the beautiful (and still, as this blog has attested, relevant) "Find Me In The River" and the joyful "I've Found Jesus".
The tape began however with an extraordinary 9 and some minutes of something completely new and quite stunning - "Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?". From that point onwards, if there had been any doubt before, I was hooked. Cutting Edge "Fore" followed, with the pop sass of "Louder Than The Radio" and the still stirring "Obsession".
I decided I had to go down to see this band play on their home turf in Littlehampton, so one Sunday in either 1994 or 1995 when I knew they were doing an open-air event in their home town, I went down by myself to check it out. I actually encountered Martin Smith walking along the sea front before the event, which was everything I could have imagined; powerful, joyful, heartfelt and soul stirring.
Not long after, the band became Delirious?, went full-time and the rest is history. As a part of United Christian Broadcasters in the UK, I had the opportunity to work with Delirious? on a number of occasions in the years that followed, whether it was through radio interviews or the several times that UCB broadcast their concerts live.
It was quite a challenge to be responsible for mixing their show for radio broadcast and I vividly remember one particular show at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland that we broadcast live. The Show had just finished and UCB UK's Robbie Frawley and I were into our post-show broadcast in our Outside Broadcast truck, parked backstage just outside the hall when Martin Smith came straight to the truck, gave both of us a big bear-hug and gave us an impromptu interview.
The future looks varied for all the band, although I'd particularly advise keeping a very close eye on Stu G's and Jon's new band (together with Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury) One Sonic Society. They are already sounding really promising, and their song "Forever Reign" is yet another one of those songs I can easily see being sung for some years.
We will always have the songs of Delirious? with us, and of course God will continue to use them as powerful rallying tools for all generations to "Take It To The Streets".
On the Delirious? farewell tour last December, Martin was (and still is) fond of quoting the Latin phrase "Fabula est vestri" - The story is yours. An apt way to close one chapter, and an exciting starting point for a new one.
1 comment:
thank you.
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