Farewell Show ­ Live in London
Artist: Delirious?
Label: Survivor
CD: 21 tracks / 105 mins
DVD: 22 tracks + Documentary / 146 mins

Apart from U2, there is no British band that has made such a difference to Christian music over the last two decades as Delirious? They have impacted the mainstream charts (ironically reaching their highest spot this Easter, five months after they disbanded, thanks to a Facebook campaign); they have given the church a wealth of songs; and their approach has influenced a new generation of worship leaders. Their catalogue has been the soundtrack to thousands of Christians’ lives over the last seventeen years.

With Kingdom of Comfort , they ended their studio career on a high. The My Soul Sings DVD that followed was welcome in that it brought some of these great songs into the live environment that is the band at its strongest. However, the visuals were blighted by what looked like a generator failure, leading to a dull and badly lit viewing experience.

When that disc came out, it was already common knowledge that their last gig would be recorded, so there were great hopes that Farewell Show should redeem their DVD reputation. Despite the prosaic title, these hopes have been absolutely fulfilled: there could hardly be a stronger or fairer representation of their career than the set list on this release. Especially welcome is the quality of the recording, which is well-lit and uses plenty of close-ups to capture the all-pervasive emotion of the event.

With such a huge range of material, it made sense that they should support themselves as their earliest incarnation, the Cutting Edge Band, named after the monthly events that their church held on England’s south coast.

To bring those days to mind, bassist Jon Thatcher wears a wig, the band don ‘90s clothing and they play a visually sparse set in front of a curtain. This set (a separate CD or a bonus feature on DVD / Blu-ray) includes the big songs from the mid-nineties: anthems like “Did You Hear the Mountains Tremble?” the latterly forgotten “Shout to the North” and, of course, “I Could Sing of your Love Forever.” It is also great to see “Find Me in the River” included.

When it comes to the main set, the curtain falls, opening the way into the full-blown experience. The screen lights up, lasers beam and the band finds another couple of gears. After appropriately borrowing a couple of lines from “All This Time,” they blast into “Bliss,” then up the tempo even further with the simple, but storming, solid rock of “Solid Rock,” with its groove that demands to be played live and loud.

There is a strong overlap with My Soul Sings material, with half of that set re-appearing here; but where that mainly featured later songs, this digs out some of the older ones. “History Maker” and “Deeper” appeared on the last disc, but “Sanctify” also gets a welcome back here and they dim the lights for one of their most atmospheric and visceral songs ever: “Obsession” is glorious and anthemic, rumbling off the stage like some huge, jet fighter that needs a red-engined, wheels-down charge up the runway before the jets kick in and tons of metal soar into the sky. It almost goes without saying that “Investigate” is also a dynamic tour-de-force, powered here by Stew Smith's welcome return on drums.

The mid-years, church-based era, when they seemed to have given up on connecting with the wider world, gets its share of songs. As well as the perennial ones, which the crowd loves (“Rain Down” and “Majesty”), “Inside, Outside” gets the airing that it has deserved for some time. Only “Our God Reigns” and encore closer “My Soul Sings” represent the last days.

This is a release where the DVD or Blu-ray is essential as the full impact of the atmosphere only comes through on the visuals. Martin Smith’s face tells a lot of the story (sometimes he's busy soaking it all up for the last time, sometimes preparing to miss it, and beaming in between) but the crowd express themselves too, reacting as one in various ways to various songs. Other things you won’t catch on the CD version include Smith giving his bullhorn away to ‘Beardy-man’ who’s dancing above the rest of the crowd; Smith turning in sync with himself on the video of the band from the ‘90s Wembley gig in “Sanctify;” an extra track (“Jesus’ Blood/King or Cripple/True Colours”); a decent half hour tour documentary and the band’s families making appearances.

It can feel a little intrusive when musicians’ families join them under the spotlight. Maybe the domesticity waters down the stage magic, or it interrupts the bond between artist and crowd. In this case, though, it is just kept to the right limit and is entirely appropriate. The families that have missed their Dads and husbands for the most formative and demanding years of a kid’s life deserve their moment of dancing fame for the family video collection. More than that, this is a huge party for everyone who has loved the band, whether industry, family or fans. At this event they are all one, celebrating a remarkable couple of decades.

Smith knows how to work a crowd (fortunately, this is one DVD where audience shots are not at all embarrassing) and the songs have had long enough to develop their own highs, lows and pauses for maximum effect on the punters at Hammersmith. This is not only a disc that does the event justice for those who were there, but it draws the rest of us in too. This is a great send-off for a great band.

Derek Walker
 

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