ABOUT DELPHINA KINGS

“Indie rock bands are so out of fashion” says Delphina Kings frontman Chris Gibson; “that’s what made us want to be one”. This is the mission statement behind the Manchester youngsters’ fuzzed-up neo-Britpop swagger.

Delphina Kings is the latest in a long list of genre-spanning outfits created by Chris and lyricist/bassist Andy Hoskinson since they met at high school in 2009. They’ve had their share of ups and downs along the way, including being featured on BBC Radio 1 whilst at university together. But, says Andy, “this is the most honest we’ve ever been. I think in our hearts we’ve always been a frustrated grunge band. It just took us a long time to come to terms with that”.

Joined by Chris’s brother Pete Gibson on drums and guitarist Charlie Dodson, the new four-piece began building their vision. “Our sound came from an accident in the studio”, recalls Chris. “We went in with this pop demo, and during recording we came up with this crazy, fuzzy guitar part. We freaked out; we thought people were going to hate it! But the song didn’t sound the same without it, so we went with it”. The risk paid off, earning debut single ‘Lovestruck’ a spot on the soundtrack of E4’s Made in Chelsea.

Word spread fast through the blogosphere. “Fresh, current and radio-ready, these talented lads are destined for the big time” proclaimed local music blog Emerging North. MusicRadar agreed, lauding the band’s “irresistible” sound: “think Suede, but raised in the North West with an un-ironic appreciation of grunge riffs”. Interviews and sessions on BBC Introducing in Manchester and BBC Introducing in Merseyside followed, with second single ‘Kid Calm Down’ featured as ‘Producer’s Pick’ on Dave Monks’ show.

Now, the North West boys are back with a new E.P and their sights set on the big time. Latest offering ‘Don’t Think This is Gonna Work’ was written and recorded for the most part in Chris’s Manchester flat. “We’ve only released singles so far, and we wanted to give people something a little longer to get their teeth into”, explains Andy. “In the age of streaming and Spotify playlists, an E.P isn’t necessarily the done thing, it feels rebellious”, adds Chris. “We like that”.

“When it comes down to it, we make the music we want to listen to, regardless of what anyone else thinks”, says Andy. “That might be a bad idea, but we couldn't do it any other way”.