“Oh Manchester, so much to answer for,” sang Morrissey on The Smiths’ era-defining debut back in 1984 as the city drowned in post-industrial greyness. As the decade moved on, though, rain-soaked monochrome gave way to Ecstasy-drenched psychedelia as acid house took root in the Hacienda, paving the way for the defiant optimism of Britpop. For more than a decade Manchester dominated the British musical landscape. From The Buzzcocks to Oasis, Joy Division to Happy Mondays, The Smiths to The Stone Roses, the once-mighty hub of North Western industrialization had evolved into a vibrant centre of independent creativity to rival London.

Then nothing. Since the late nineties Manchester’s impact on the UK music scene has been almost non-existent. While the capital was revitalized thanks to post-punk artisans The Libertines and other provincial cities grabbed their share of the limelight, Manchester slumbered. Until the emergence of Delphic, that is. Entering the UK album chart at number eight, Delphic’s debut album arrived on a wave of widespread hyperbole from the music press.

Embracing the pre-Britpop innovations of their hometown, the Lancashire-based outfit channel the electro-rock experimentation of New Order and the MDMA-fueled swagger of Happy Mondays into their bleep-laden indie-disco. Emerging from the synth-pop revival that has given rise to Editors, White Lies and Klaxons, Delphic pain over every beep and oscillation in their forward-thinking neo-rave, and it shows. Manchester rave on indeed.