Delphic

Clarion call

Delphic are an alternative dance band from Manchester, a spin-off from Snowfight in the City Centre. The Guardian made them a New Band of the Day in October 2008, and their debut single "Counterpoint", produced by Ewan Pearson, came out on R&S Records on April 13, 2009. They played T in the Park, Reading, Leeds and Creamfields that summer, and on August 31, 2009 released "This Momentary" on Kitsuné, whose video, shot by Dave Ma in the Chernobyl Zone of Exclusion, was nominated for three UK Music Video Awards. In November 2009 they made their first TV appearance on Later... with Jools Holland, playing "Doubt" and "Halcyon", and on December 7 the BBC placed them third in its Sound of 2010 poll behind Ellie Goulding and Marina and the Diamonds.

Acolyte was released on January 11, 2010 on Polydor, produced by Delphic and Pearson and recorded mostly in Pearson's studio in Berlin according to Wikipedia. It reached 8 in the UK, and BBC Music's Lou Thomas wrote that it might just be the first great album of 2010, and The Independent's Simon Price that it was on kissing terms with magnificence; Pitchfork gave it 5.0 and the Guardian 4 of 5. A sold-out UK tour with Mirrors followed in January 2010 and the band were nominated for Best UK & Ireland New Act at the 2010 MTV EMAs. Boardman said they exhausted the Acolyte sound, as there was just nowhere to go with it, and the members described creative burnout after two years of touring.

"Good Life", the official London 2012 Olympics single, came out on July 23, 2012; the band says management submitted the demo without telling them. Collections (January 28, 2013, Polydor), produced by Ben Allen and Tim Goldsworthy, reached 77 in the UK. They gave a Manchester International Festival residency on July 19 and 20, 2013 reworking the album, and posted the mixtape Get Familiar on April 22, 2014. Boardman founded The Six, a songwriting collective. The band returned in 2025, with 2026 singles "Between Forms" and "Everything Will Find You". "Counterpoint" was Sky Sports' Premier League theme in 2010 to 2011.