Blackpool trio Darlia have been touted “The most exciting new guitar band in the UK” by various, high-profile media platforms. Trouble is, these grandiose statements are thrown around so loosely these days that they don’t carry nearly enough clout as they should. That said, Darlia are a very important band right now, their gig at Thekla provided an insight into why, and to the steady momentum that Darlia have built up nationwide.
Front man Nathan Day’s dead bleached hair could be spotted under his black fedora, his heavily charcoaled eyes oozing confidence and almost derisory nonchalance toward the on looking crowd - who in stark contrast were a sweaty mangled mass of anticipation, hysteria and post-teen angst.
It really is quite hard to find a new band to believe in, to invest in and to obsess over – a lot of us are left feeling quite un-stimulated by today’s guitar music. It seems that new bands are completely transient - as the underlying ‘money making’ aim from their labels seems to stifle and dilute, making sure that they don’t lean too far into a particular sound, as to not alienate anyone who might come under the ‘alternative music market’ umbrella that they're trying to engage. Darlia has somehow managed to cling onto a strong sense of identity, with their dark lyrics and 90’s grunge bravado.
What Darlia upheld throughout the gig was an unmistakable confidence in what they were doing. Storming through their string of absolute blinding tracks including ‘Dear Diary’, ‘Candyman’ and ‘Queen of Hearts’, drummer Jack Bentham was topless and gleaming with sweat, Day strutted around the stage with an air of pure arrogance whilst guitarist Dave Williams seemed almost turned on by the sound of his own guitar. It was dirty. It was conceited. It was absolutely perfect.
