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