Deloris @ Rocket Bar,Adelaide, (13/12/06)

Sat 16th Dec, 2006 in Gig Reviews

Having heard good things about Deloris through friends, though not being familiar with their body of work first hand, I rolled up to Rocket Bar with an open mind, with the hope of adding another band I was unfamiliar with to my list of “Ooh, I like that” and “Mmm, yes I’ll get along to see that one again”. Bearing that in mind, it could be said that perhaps my expectations may have been a little bit high?

So there were plenty of good vantage points to check the band out from in the sparsely populated room, my guesstimate being around 50 or so punters all up. Fortunately the ambiance of the venue still allowed a sense of intimacy even though there weren’t loads of people there to soak it up.

Fronted by Marcus Teage, the four piece from Melbourne were certainly faced by a group of people who wanted to be there and who wanted to see them. Deloris were tight and well rehearsed and obviously have merit as able musicians, however in total and complete honesty, the performance in aid of their Ten Lives album launch left me wanting for something more.

I would say the stand out effort was by their drummer Daniel Brimelow, who by far seemed the most enthusiastic and determined to rock, but it just seemed to me that the other members of the band were just going through well rehearsed motion as opposed to feeling passionate about inspiring the crowd, and more to the point, making us want to by their newly recorded album.

There were a couple of moments that made me want to sit up and listen more intently, as if maybe I had been a bit harsh or quick to judge (like when they picked up a little baby piano accordion) but their stage presence had me on the defensive and as I waited to be invited into one of their songs with some tasty little hooks, it became apparent to me by the end of the show, that I might be going hungry on this front.

Personal opinions aside, those who stuck around until the end certainly didn’t look disgruntled, although I would be lying if I said that anyone looked as though they were left buzzing from the show. At the end of the day I would say that Deloris are not a bad band, but the word potential plays on my lips much more so than do the words accomplished or exceptional.

I did not leave the Rocket Bar with a copy of Ten Lives, as I did not feel inspired to do so. I guess it will be a matter of time before I know whether this decision was my loss or if Deloris have to work harder on their songwriting or delivery before they can experience all out success.