Like Rocky Balboa joining forces with Apollo Creed to take down Clubber Lang, Scottish newcomers Delta Fire crossed the divide of rival bands to create a new rock force. The result is an alternative rock sound that offers a nostalgic nod to 90s rock and grunge, which they describe as “energetic, powerful and fierce.”
The Rocky reference may be a touch of hyperbole, but the Glasgow quartet started out with Kieron McManus (vocals and lead guitar) and Liam McLaughlin (rhythm guitarist), who’d known each other for years having played in competing local bands. Early last year, they decided to put rivalries behind them and join forces, completing the lineup with drummer Andrew Knox-Watson (Knox) and bassist Aidan Spencer.
On the sound they’ve honed since, Knox told us: “We’d say energetic rock, in the style of Guns & Roses, ZZ-Top and Thin Lizzy. We create tracks that touch on themes of love, loss and unrequited emotion, reminiscent of late nights in a smoky dive bar.
“We have been fortunate enough to have recorded at the storied Chem 19 recording studio – in the same hallowed walls where Franz Ferdinand, Deacon Blue and Calvin Harris recorded some of their biggest tracks. With regard to our debut single, Lady Danger, it fits alongside any and all high-energy rock tracks whilst also running parallels with all other interpretive lyricism tracks.”
As alluded to, our first taste of this is Delta Fire’s debut single Lady Danger, which was released two weeks ago. It opens up with laid back guitars that drop into drawn out guitar with a funky little bassline that continues under Kieron’s engaging vocals. The vocals increase in intensity, ending in repeats of “Now it’s over for the first time, for the very first time.” A little guitar interlude leads into a verse with backing vocals and a second chorus gives way to a funky guitar solo, which continues into a lively outro.
On the track, Knox said: “The reception has been fantastic! We are obviously very proud of the music we’ve created, to dash up to over 500 Spotify streams (now over 2,000) in a couple of days was mind-blowing and sort of a confirmation that we did good. We want to get into as many ears as possible, and we hope people can feel the high energy and passion we’ve flooded into the track.”
The band’s members bring eclectic tastes to the table, led by Kieron’s love for blues and classic rock like ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin. Liam is more into Radiohead, Biffy Clyro and Twin Atlantic, while Aidan loves alternative DIY rock and Knox is big into 60s and 70s rock, taking inspiration from the likes of Keith Moon (The Who), Ginger Baker (Cream) and Neil Peart (Rush).
And on what inspires them to write music, Knox told us: “What’s really wonderful is that (we) all come from such different musical backgrounds and have such eclectic tastes. As such, the inspiration really comes from everywhere. The evolution through the writing process of each track is so important; often, one of the boys will bring a skeleton structure, a riff or even a drum fill to a rehearsal and build from there.
“Lady Danger was a track that came along early in our time together. It was presented to the band by Kieron at about 80% of the finished track but, even up to the day of recording, there were still lyrics being moved around and verse structure being tweaked to get the raw emotion across more effectively.”
There’s plenty more to come from Delta Fire, who will release their second single, Eyes Burn Gold, on 3 April. They also have more time booked in at the Chem19 recording studio to lay down their next two tracks, with plans to have a full album ready and recorded by early next year. They’ll also be busy gigging to craft their live show, starting with a free entry gig at BLOC+ in Glasgow on 31 March.
And Knox added: “We are constantly writing and evolving our musicality. We love sharing our music with everyone and, if you like what you hear on the tracks, we turn that energy up to 11 in our live performances.”
You can follow Delta Fire on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify and YouTube.
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