Delirious? Interview

Delirious
Interview

Thursday 24th of April 2008

Interview

By Haydon S

Delirious?, once described as "one of pop's best kept secrets" on Radio One, are getting ready for a busy few weeks. For one, their new record, Kingdom of Comfort is out on April 14th (watch out for our review, coming shortly).
For another, the band are getting ready to say goodbye to drummer Stew Smith, who will be leaving at the end of April. The band are marking his departure by playing the Indigo2 in London on March 29th.
Delirious? are a band who have often skirted round the edges of mainstream success, occasionally reaching deeper, as tours with Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams attest. For the most part though, they remain a name fresh to many music lovers, in spite of more than a decade together. We caught up with Tim Jupp, the band's keyboard player, to ask him a few questions.
You're well into your second decade as a band now, but still you might well be new to some of our readers. How would you introduce yourselves?
We're 5 very normal guys from a small sleepy town on the south coast of England. Most people come to our town to retire-something we haven't yet thought about. We love life, and love playing music.
Your new record, Kingdom of Comfort, is out in April. What are your hopes for the record?
Our hope for all our records is that many lives will be touched through the music. Music has this amazing way of connecting with people, and that is part of what makes it such a privilege to be able to play in a band that is given a platform to reach so many lives. We hope this record will provoke, inspire and entertain.
Can you describe some of the influences on the writing of the record, whether that's musical influences or experiences which shaped the writing process?
Over the last 2 or 3 years we have travelled to many more countries, and some of these have been poorer developing countries such as India and Cambodia. What we have seen and experienced has affected us all, and many of the new songs are our thoughts, conversations, questions and reflections about the experiences we have had. These have been the strongest things that have shaped this record.
What was the recording process for the album like?
The album took a year to record in between touring. Many of the songs were written and rewritten many times during that period as ideas, melodies and lyrics developed throughout the process. There has been a lot of time and thought put into the lyrics which we hope people will appreciate.
What does the year hold touring wise?
In 2007 we visited 23 countries and 2008 is looking pretty similar. We are excited to be on the road playing the new songs from the new record, this really keeps everything very fresh for us. In the autumn we will be doing a large UK tour.
Do you have a favourite song on Kingdom of Comfort, and why?
At the moment my favourite is a track called 'All God's Children'. It is inspired by a project we have a connection with that helps support some children in one of the red light areas in a slum in Mumbai India. Whether we are church leaders, teachers, play in a band or from a slum in Mumbai, we are all God's children
There are changes afoot in the band at the moment with your drummer, Stew Smith leaving. Do the rest of you still have plans for the future as a band?
It's sad for us that Stew is leaving but exciting too to see him moving into the next chapter of his life. The band will be continuing and we have a new guy called Paul [Evans] joining us as the drummer from May 08.
With a career spanning more than a decade, you must have some pretty special highlights. Are there any particular moments you'd like to share?
There are so many that it is hard to pick out a few. However, playing at Wembley stadium in London in the very early days was a great thing, our first single entering the UK top 20 was another, and more recently playing to hundreds of thousands in India has been a really memorable experience.
Any particular lowlights?
None really, the hardest thing is still leaving home and saying good bye to the family, whether this be for a couple of days or for 10 days, it's still painful but a cost we have to pay.
Are there any new bands/artists you've heard recently that you think the world should know about?
I guess our Christian world already knows about Leeland. I think these guys are on a great and interesting journey and I am excited to see where things take them.
With your label, Furious? and your distribution company Fierce?, you've been blazing a bit of a trail putting out records and promoting yourselves independently for the whole of your career. As The Mag is a site promoting unsigned and independent music, do you have any advice for people looking to build a career away from the glare of the major labels?
It's a fascinating time for the music business, no one really knows quite where things are going and how, if at all , the dust will settle. I think with the internet there is so much that independent bands can do on their own and maybe no-one really needs a major label anymore, maybe just a means of getting music distributed which may not be through the traditional channels. One piece of advice I'd give any band would be to make sure you do all you can to know who is listening to your music and to collect names and email addresses at every opportunity.
Finally, do you have any particular closing thoughts to give to our readers?
Yep, keep relationships good and communication good with all those in your community. Keep safe, and press in to church. If you try and live dangerously you could fall off the edge.
We'd like to thank Tim for his time and Stephanie Bennett at Fierce Distribution for setting up the interview.

http://www.the-mag.me.uk/Music/Articles/Item/Delirious-Interview/