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Deliriou5?

Crazy name aside, these five guys are out to rock their world—and they're ready to take you along.

by Chris Lutes

Delirious.

No, make that Delirious-With-A-Question-Mark.

Like, Delirious?

Well, not exactly.

Make that Delirious? with a "5" instead of an "s."

Like, Deliriou5?

Yeah, that's it.

OK, what are these five guys from England up to, and why are they making their name so hard to write? So far we've seen magazines call them "Delirious," "Delirious?," "Deliriou5," and "Deliriou5?"

"It's just a bit of fun, really," says lead guitarist Stuart Garrard. "We tacked on the '5' at the end of the name, because there are five of us. And the question mark was as much to keep ourselves off-balance as anyone else."

Off-balance?

"I think one of the things we're discovering in America is that things are put in a box," says lead singer Martin Smith. "If you're in country music, you go in that box. If you do worship music, you're put in that box. It's not exactly like that in England. …

"What we are trying to do is stay out of the box. We don't want to be predictable. We don't want to be labeled. We want to be free to be who we are."

Delirious (however you spell it) is, indeed, a band that's full of almost uncontrollable energy—kind of, well, delirious. And it's this energy that's helped attract quite a following in the British Isles. With a sound noticeably influenced by U2, Delirious has played before 50,000 people in London's Wembley Stadium. (A video of the concert shows a crowd totally into the music.) And even though they made their American debut with the album King of Fools (Sparrow), they've already landed on British pop charts with several songs from earlier indie-label albums. They've had videos gain heavy play on Europe's MTV cable station. And this past summer, they grabbed the attention of American audiences while performing at Christian music festivals.

As the guys in the band put it, they don't want themselves—or their music—confined to some kind of a "box." They want to kick out the sides, making their music attractive to both Christians and non-Christians.

"We are trying to influence people who have never been to a church," says Martin. "We hope Delirious can be used to help point people to God."

And, Martin says, their popularity isn't simply about energy—or a cool "stage presence" (which they definitely have).

"We feel that what really points people to God is not a particular style of music, but the Spirit of God working through what we do, and through how we live," Martin says.

"I think how we live is extremely important. Living a life that brings glory to God means keeping our relationships with each other real and honest. It means loving our families. And while we're far from perfect, we hope our music will reflect who we are and what we believe."

"We don't ever want to be seen as better than anyone we play for," says Stuart. "We believe we are on a journey with our audience. It's a journey that hopefully will lead all of us closer to God, and will help us worship him better."

Yes, the band wants to have an influence. And this passionate desire to bring about change in the world comes across loud and clear in their song "History Maker":

Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes, it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

It's true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to
all mankind …

Yes, it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth
in hand

We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes, it's true and we believe
We're living for you

Whoa. Sounds, kind of ambitious doesn't it? And it would be, if the song was just about five guys in a rock band. But, as the guys of Delirious will tell you, it's about God and his power—and what God can do through each and every Christian.

"We're amazed that God is using us," says Martin. "We're amazed that God has picked us—five ordinary guys. …

"As Christians, all of us need to strive to be like Jesus. We need to strive to love others, like Jesus would. We need to let God's Spirit work through us. Again, it's not what we do. It's the Spirit working through us that will make any kind of a difference."

And that makes a whole lot of sense—no matter how you end up spelling that crazy name.

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail clmag@CampusLife.net.
January/February 1999, Vol. 57, No. 6, Page 22

Read more from 'Bands & Artists'

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