Words: Jem Shaw
Visuals: Rajesh Pathak
Where are you from and how did the band happen?
"My uncle works in the industry and he knew that since my teens all I'd cared about was singing. Once I'd convinced him I could do it he began introducing me to producers. I was offered bits of work singing on dance tracks and stuff, but to be honest I wasn't in the least bit interested, I just wanted to find the right band.
"In October 2002 he gave me a phone number for some lads in Mansfield and I met Dan and Darren, who at the time were lacking a full time drummer and had let their previous vocalist go because he sounded exactly like Michael Stipe. We had a chat, then a jam at Dan's house, then that was it really.
"Shortly after that Dave joined the band, Dave's from, I don't know actually, I don't think anyone knows where Dave's originally from, he's got a mad accent, Christ knows, Hull I think, he lives in Nottingham now, anyway."
Who writes the songs?
"Dan writes all the music, and I write the lyrics. All the songs we now play are written by us, we don't use anything from the previous line up and we don't play covers. That first night we hooked up Dan and I decided to start from scratch, he even suggested we change the name but I said keep it. It works well.
"The first track we did, 'You Left Me Standing', was one I'd written before we'd met, likewise Dan already had this tune he wanted me to put words to, he played it and the lyrics fit perfectly. That was lucky, it doesn't always work like that, sometimes we get together to write, sometimes, we hook up, show each other what we've been up to and then put words to music or music to words. Time and money are the problem at the minute, Dan's in Mansfield and I'm in Radford, if we could get more time together in the right environment there'd be lots more songs.
You're not doing badly as it is, though - the chemistry's definitely there. How would you describe your sound?
"Well, I suppose, if I must, melodic rock."
It's hard to say who you sound like, who would you say influences the band, and who are your influences as a singer?
"We all like the Beatles, Stones, Small faces, lots of old stuff but also Teenage Fan Club, Sonic Youth, Ocean Colour Scene, Blur even, loads. For me, when it comes to singing, people like Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman.
Yeah, you sound a lot like Tracy Chapman!
"Ha ha! Yeah I guess I mean when I write I'm influenced by them.
You've recorded one EP and there are people showing a lot of interest in the band at the minute. What's up next for the Deltarays?
"Well we're still writing songs whenever we get together, and yeah, we're getting positive encouragement and quite a bit of interest from the right people. Glastonbury this year! I'm pretty excited about that but I can't tell you much, cause I don't know much! Dan's sorted all that out, we're in a new bands' tent, I think. Oh, and a video for 'Written On Your Face' has been very kindly shot for us for free by a mate who's directed a few before and it's nearly finished.
Your photographer was kind enough to show me the unfinished version earlier, I was impressed, especially by the talented young lady who starred! I heard you say earlier that Dan thought you needed a second guitarist, and you mentioned keyboards, is the band's make up going to change in the near future?
"Dan likes to wear a bit of lippy, and that's cool but I don't think he should take it too far. I don't list Kiss among my influences.
Structural make up, smart arse!
"Ha ha ha! Well we're beginning to branch out and experiment a little more with sounds, writing some slower songs and stuff. In fact, the new song we did tonight, 'Cold Heart Canyon' is probably our slowest yet. There are obvious limitations with only having three instruments, but I don't know whether we need more full time band members, we'll see.
Finally, when's the next gig?
"The twelfth of february, at Aruba on Hockley."
We'll certainly be there. Chris, thank you very much for your time.
Read our gig review from The Social here
The Deltarays Website
Vote for the Deltarays on Radio 1
Nottingham bands interviewed on LeftLion
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