Delta Rae Perform At Brighton Great Escape

Someone has clearly been sneaking something into the water supply over North Carolina way recently. At least, the state has been responsible for far more than its fair share of great bands of late.

But while six piece Delta Rae might be steeped in the same geographic musical traditions as better known neighbours Alabama Shakes and The Black Keys, namely folk, blues and country, theirs is arguably a much more inventive and innovative proposition than their more retro-slanted forebears. Take their set over the Great Escape weekend. They announce their arrival on the end of Brighton Pier in a bombastic blaze of widescreen post-folk country rock, their two front-women Brittany Holljes and Liz Hopkins delivering heartfelt vocals with all the force of a twister in full spin. But that’s just the beginning.

Just as you think they’ve got their number, they down instruments for the gospel-like acapella of ‘Bottom of the River’, a passionately and impeccably delivered treatise about the Salem witch trials, with Brittany’s brothers Ian and Eric Holljes proving they’re every bit as capable at turning up the lung power as their sister. It gets the first big cheer of the set, and deservedly so. Then come the delicate pianos and hip-hop beats of recent single ‘Scared’, with Eric taking on lead vocal duties and Brittany augmenting its catchy chorus with ethereal operatic flourishes. It’s all quite bewildering but brilliant so.

By this time the lethargic Great Escapers are being tempted out of the afternoon sun in droves, and they seal the deal with a fairly faithful but expertly executed rendition of “a song by our favourite band,” Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’. With the audience now more or less in the palm of their hand, they steer through ‘I Will Not Die’ and ‘If I Loved You’ before hitting euphoric set closer ‘Dance In The Graveyard’.

Strident and upbeat, and perhaps borrowing a little of Vampire Weekend’s marching tempo Afro-stomp, it reflects their southern roots again in its philosophical, celebratory approach to death. It’s like a New Orleans funeral party reinvented through the communal sing-along of American folk heroes like Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger. Although you probably wouldn’t imagine them cheekily sneaking a bit of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ into the climax as an unexpected bonus delivered with an innocent glee so infectious that even Horatio’s most reserved inhabitants can’t help joining in.

Check out the official music video for Delta Rae’s fantastic track ‘Bottom Of The River’.

Polished and well crafted enough to leapfrog straight from the underground into the hearts of the mainstream, Delta Rae are also unpredictable and surprising enough to have true longevity. The south, it seems, will rise yet again.