Something
rather incredible happened to UK fans of Delta Goodrem last week. The
Australian star came to perform and promote in the country for the
first time in more than a decade, her last officially released single
here being the Brian McFadden collaboration Almost Here in 2005.
Since then, as far as UK non-followers of the star are
concerned, she disappeared. But as Delta obsessives well know (and yes,
I'm proudly part of this category – she's been my favourite
artist since I first heard Born To Try back in 2003), the singer has
released two albums since her last appearance in the UK, the 2007
LP Delta and 2012's Children Of The Universe. She has also
punctuated these years with a number of non-album singles in
Australia, including Together We Are One in 2006 and the Avicii-esque
Heart Hypnotic in 2013.
Just over a week ago the near unthinkable
happened – it was announced that Delta was set to promote her recent
Aussie No.1 single Wings in the UK. The first announced gig was at
the G-A-Y club night in London on Saturday night. But during the preceding week Delta popped up
everywhere from Lorraine to Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.
It was fantastic to see her back on UK TV and
heart-warming to see that media outlets such as the BBC and ITV still
had enough goodwill for Delta to gift her such high profile slots.
Then again, it's easy to forget 12 years on that Innocent Eyes sold close to one million copies in this country.
On Tuesday last week it was announced that Delta was to perform a
secret show somewhere in London, with entry accessible only via a
Twitter competition that required users to Tweet their favourite
lyric from Wings. I entered, hoped and prayed and then on Wednesday
night came the incredible news that I'd been lucky enough to secure
entry to the show.
I turned up to a Kensington-based art
gallery called The Dot Project at 6.30pm on Thursday and around 30
other Delta fans were already waiting. I met and chatted to a few of
them and they were all universally lovely and we shared our
experiences. An hour later we were allowed in and the organising
company, The Cantine Co, had put on a fantastic display of snacks and
drinks.
The small gallery (with art temporarily removed from
the walls!) filled with much anticipation and Delta came to the
makeshift stage at around 8pm. It was surreal but amazing to be stood
15 feet behind her as she beautifully sang a range of hits in a stripped back style, some in full and others as part of a medley.
The set included the classics, and UK hits, Born To Try, Lost
Without You, Innocent Eyes and Almost Here and fan favourites (and
Australian hits) In This Life, Sitting On Top Of The World and
Believe Again. She also sang the gorgeous You And You Alone, which
premiered in the summer, and finished with the incredible Wings.
Delta's voice was on top form, sounding purer, better and more
versatile live than even I could have imagined. Her warmth and love
for the crowd was clearly evident and her sass was unrivalled, particularly
during a brilliantly confident performance of Not Me, Not I. She
looked and sounded every inch a superstar.
As if all this
wasn't already enough, five minutes after she finished her
performance Delta returned to the room to meet and greet every single person
individually. And I can happily report that she is one of the most
genuine, down to earth and friendly celebrities I've yet to meet.
Delta spent a little while with each fan, greeting and hugging them,
chatting to them about their experiences, signing CDs and photos and
taking selfies. I had a nice chat to her thanking her for making dreams come true by coming to the UK and delivering a fantastic performance and then wished her well for her upcoming gig at G-A-Y.
I was incredibly grateful that she took
the time to meet us all individually, eventually leaving for her car
just before 10pm. It was also fantastic watching all of the other
fans in the room going through the same experience of finally meeting their idol.
A life highlight,
then, but there was more to come. Roll on Saturday night and the
aforementioned G-A-Y gig rolled around quickly. Perhaps not the typical setting for
the average Delta fanatic's Saturday night, the club opened at
10.30pm and most of the fans that had arrived early and rushed to the
front of the stage patiently waited through three hours of dance remixes of pop hits (also enjoying some regular clubbers
performing some rather unique dance moves in front of them on the
stage) until Delta arrived. Many had turned up just after midday to greet
Delta on her way into the soundcheck so anticipation was at something
of a fever pitch when she arrived at 1.30am.
And what an
arrival it was. Delta, who was glamorously dressed and seemed like
one of the world's biggest superstars for that moment, launched
confidently into Sitting On Top Of The World before performing a
range of other hits.
A dance remix of Lost Without You
entertained the crowd while the original piano ballad version of Born
To Try was as beautiful as ever though felt quite unusual to say the least coming halfway through a hi-NRG club night at close to 2am. Safe to
say the many loyal Delta fans in the room were in their element at
this point though, and normal service soon resumed for the
clubbers.
Delta continued the set with a short mash up of
Predictable with Madonna's Hung Up before and also performed 2012 single
Dancing With A Broken Heart, during which she invited a fan on to stage to dance with
her. The final two performances were my favourites though – indeed two performances that will perhaps go on to rank amongst my all time
personal favourites.
When it became clear she was about to sing Believe Again – my
third favourite song of all time – I went a little crazy. She had
performed part of it at the Thursday gig in a stripped back form but
this is a song in which much of the beauty lies in the breathtaking production. And Delta didn't disappoint.
Believe Again sounded absolutely
euphoric in the club setting and as incredible as it has done since
the first time I heard it on record around eight years ago to the
day. And Delta's voice is sounding better than ever, more mature and somewhat richer than it was in 2003, but still unmistakable.
Naturally Delta then finished with new single Wings,
which is absolutely up there with her best and in my opinion her best lead
single since Born To Try. It sounded amazing in the club setting and
Delta even stood on top of the piano to perform at one point, clearly in her
element.
Wings sounds like a No.1 single – indeed, it already has
been in Australia – so I'm keeping everything crossed that any of Radio 1, Capital FM or Heart realise its potential and playlist it. Radio 2 seems a little more likely than the others but time will tell if any of the major stations decide to support the song, which to my ears is as fresh and contemporary
as anything else in the top ten right now.
And that would be
fantastic, because affection for Delta Goodrem in the UK still
exists, 12 years after we all first heard of her as Nina Tucker in
Neighbours. A hit single – even a small one – may encourage Delta
to make another of these all too rare visits to our shores, and maybe
even put on a small tour and a full show.
We can continue to dream but, even if she doesn't, for Delta fans
in the UK the last week could have hardly been more perfect. A series
of life enhancing moments that I never dared dream I would have the
chance to see, so many thanks and all props to Delta Goodrem and
everyone that made the last week happen. We hope to see you back here very
soon.
