The initial line-up for this year’s Great Escape festival in Brighton has been announced, with an impressive list of bands.

The following have all been confirmed!
DELPHIC / CHASE AND STATUS / BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE / MARINA & THE DIAMONDS / ELLIE GOULDING / CRYSTAL FIGHTERS / SLOW CLUB / COLD CAVE / ESBEN AND THE WITCH / HURTS / JAPANDROIDS / REAL ESTATE / TIMBER TIMBRE / DARWIN DEEZ / BEST COAST / THE CHEEK / WILD PALMS / THE RUBY SUNS

Yikes – that’s pretty TLOBF friendly… BSS, Japandroids, Esben and the Witch… think I might have to find somewhere to stay in Brighton.

The festival takes place over 30+ venues throughout the city and hosts over 350 bands playing from May 13-15th.

More info when we get it folks!

Too often is the case that young and breaking bands are buried under the mass airplay of better known, established artists. A new Manchester-based company, Love & Disaster, are clearing the way for fresh talent by releasing a series of EPs. Backing some of the most exciting and attention-deserving musicians in and around the city, Love & Disaster are proudly sharing the overlooked local talent that they feel deserves recognition.

First up in the Northern showcase are Airship, an indie guitar band that surfaced last year. The fast-paced ‘Kids’ bursts open with a siren-like, snappy, Bloc Party-meets-Editors riff. An air of buzzy enthusiasm continues throughout the typical indie track, complete with a sing-along chorus, cymbal-laden percussion and reverberating distorted echo.

Genre-bridging Dutch Uncles have already had success with their self-titled debut album. The complexity of their new track ‘OCDUC’ is pulled off perfectly, making it intricate yet accessible. They seem to have a similar math-rock attitude as Foals, laying a mesh of interweaving keys, vocals and nippy guitars set to obscure and challenging time signatures. Their Talking Heads vibe creates a lively sanguinity, aided by their confidence to journey further into the realm of pitched percussion than Mystery Jets could ever dream of.

Ex-Fear Of Music vocalist Jo Rose, whose band was previously signed to Columbia Records, presents the most different offering of the EP with a promising early version of his track ‘Lastbreath, California’. This precious little song carries a moody, full-bodied atmosphere, plucking intrigue from the first chord. Gentle piano, with the moving sublimity of some of Elliott Smith’s calmer moments, floats underneath Rose’s pure vocals that hold the same chilling quality as Rufus Wainwright’s smooth, honest lulls. It is less distorted and angsty than a Fear Of Music anthem, instead opting for a mesmerising, transporting reverb and delicate, enchanting cries from a pedal steel. Out of all of the tracks, this is the one that hits the deepest nerve and shows just how much hidden talent exists.

The EP draws to a close by waking up from the dreamy headiness and catapulting into an energetic remix of Delphic’s ‘This Momentary’. The four piece have had their second single dabbled around with and invigorated by fellow Mancunians Everything Everything. The sturdy heaviness in the bass line of the original is exchanged for a Hot Chip style pulse and fluttering synths that Nintendo soundtrack creators would envy. A double layer of hazy vocals still lies in the forefront, keeping enough of the original indie-dance single in tact but giving it an extra zest.

Love & Disaster 1 achieves exactly what it sets out to do, i.e. promote promising and deserving artists that have vast amounts of potential. Unlike other compilations that tend to focus on a specific genre, this EP offers a diverse variety of some of the interesting, eager and inspiring talent that is out there. It would be extremely good to see and hear more of these artists this year, especially the notably talented Jo Rose.

Download or grab a copy of the beautifully presented 10” gatefold vinyl to revel in the creations of the under-acknowledged industry tadpoles.

Delphic’s much awaited debut Acolyte begins with glitchy electronic clicks and persistently dramatic staccato synths before exploding into a pounding drum pattern overlaid with swelling keyboards and a fist-in-the-air chorus of ‘a call to arms, a call to arms!’.

It’s an aptly titled opening (‘Clarion Call’) to an album that wastes no time in giving you an ultimatum; become an acolyte and heed their oracle, or else. Amusingly, you’ll probably jump at the chance.

With the two singles ‘Doubt’ and ‘This Momentary’ clustered together as second and third tracks respectively, there is an initial concern that the record will be top-loaded; a concern quickly disproved. Whilst both the aforementioned are delightfully atmospheric electro-pop tunes, the album as a whole is measured and cohesive. Delphic’s self-suggested moniker of ‘post-dance’ seems actually insightful; these ten tracks could almost be described as IDM filled with harmony and a highly rewarding grasp of dynamics.

The mid-point eponymous track begins much more pensively than the previous four; chords fade in and out suggestively until the steady beat and heavily phased synths build and swell to a false crescendo, resorting back to the elegant fade ins. Then, the beat proper is introduced alongside a range of awesome electronic percussion and a walking bassline; wordless vocal harmonies fill out the mix ending only in the best drop of the LP; it’s a intense moment and one that, in a sense, is the lynchpin of the Delphic sound.

If nothing else this track demonstrates the Manchester trio (what is it with the Manchester electro scene anyway?!) are just as comfortable with dense instrumental dance as they are more broaching the mainstream with catchy vocal harmonies and big drops.

Delphic were always promising and this debut delivers. A near-faultless journey through their more accessible singles to a dense inner core, ending with the arguably even better, mesmeric combo of ‘Submission’, ‘Counterpoint’ and ‘Ephemera’. Acolyte might well be an early contender for album of the year, especially amongst those who dig their atmospheric post-dance; they’ll soon be dedicated acolytes.

Having now turned up on the BBC’s Sound of 2010 longlist, perhaps we no longer need to shout about these boys… But we will anyway. Delphic, a trio of gents from the great pop city of Manchester, will be huge next year. Recent single ‘Doubt’ seemed to connect the dots from late 80′s New Order via their multitude of spin-off’s and then planting their feet firmly in the post-LCD Soundsystem dance-rock cross-over.

Their debut album, Acolyte, is out at the beginning of January and sets the early pace for not just great debut albums, but great albums period of the year… mighty praise indeed.

We fired off some questions to the band recently…

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should…
1. We try to make the perfect combination of organic and electronic music. We call it post-dance.
2. Although, we present ourselves as a dance outfit, we have good songs underneath the blips and the zaps.
3. We are from Manchester -

Can you recall the moment when you first decided you wanted to become a musician?
When did we become musicians?

Where do your songs come from? What’s your inspiration?
We are inspired mostly by things we don’t like. Then we try and do the opposite.

Name your Top 5 records.
Bjork – Debut
Daft Punk Homework
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works
Godspeed You Black Emperor – Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Atennas To Heaven
David Bowie – Low

What was the first gig you ever played and was it a success?
There’s a place in Ashton Under Lyne called the Witchwood. We played there the day of the petrol strike. Nobody came.

What one piece of criticism has stuck in your mind and was it justified?
Someone once told me I couldn’t sing. I decided to sing solely in falsetto from that moment on. I leave the main singing up to james and I just sing like a 7 year old girl in the background. I think it works.

What one thing has caused you to waste your free time in the past 6 months?
People keep promising us free time, but it hasn’t actually arrived yet. If we were to have some free time, i think the three of us would like to try hand-gliding.

If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d be doing?
Archeology or Futurism

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
I used to teach drums to groups of 5 year old kids. You can imagine how difficult that could be…

We’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
Japan:
The Field – Over The Ice
My Bloody Valentine – Sometimes
Flying Lotus – Golden Diva
Cortney Tidwell – Don’t Let Stars (Ewan Pearson Remix)
Radiohead – Let Down

Delphic on Myspace

Manchester trio Delphic have chosen ‘Doubt’ as the first single to be taken from their debut album Acolyte which will be released 11th January 2010.

The single will be available digitally on 3rd January and physically from 4th January.

They’ll be playing quite an extensive tour of the UK over the next two months as well…

December
04 – Academy, Birmingham
05 – The Forum, Hatfield
08 – Academy, Manchester
11 – Koko, London
12 – The Royal, Derby
13 – Optimo, Glasgow
18 – Central, Manchester
19 – The Plug, Sheffield
31 – Warehouse Project, Manchester (DJ Set)

January
14 – Norwich – Arts Centre
15 – Oxford – Zodiac
16 – Sheffield – Leadmill
17 – Bristol – Thekla
19 – Brighton – Audio
20 – Wolverhampton – Little Civic
21 – Liverpool – Kazimier
22 – Glasgow – King Tuts
23 – Leeds – Cockpit 2
26 – New To Q @ The Tabernacle, London