Things are going pretty well for Delphic right now. The Manchester trio are universally tipped to be everywhere in 2010 by every critic and punter and are storming the album chart with their debut album, Acolyte. This tour, their first headline jaunt, is almost sold out and should be their last in venues as small as upstairs in the O2 Academy.

It’s taken time for Richard Boardman, Matt Cocksedge and James Cook to get here, though. They began their musical life together as acoustic driven, early Elbow-esque Lisa Brown before evolving into Snowfight in the City Centre, who split in 2007. Inspired by that year’s meshing of indie and dance and choosing to reform as Delphic, they have been confined to their Manchester flat, creating their sound and mapping out their assault on the world. And it sounds brilliant.

Bouncing on to the stage with album opener Clarion Call, their own call to arms, all punishing crescendos and carefully moulded hooks, this is the perfect introduction to Delphic’s studious approach to dance music. Unlike, say, Klaxons or CSS, whose charm consists of constructing dance-floor fillers out of scrappy riffs and borrowed samples, there’s imagination and depth to the songs.

Tracks like Doubt, Submission and Red Lights first surfaced almost two years ago as rough demos, but have been fashioned into euphoria-drenched anthems with every bar beautifully crafted.

They sweep you along; rising and falling constantly and tonight Delphic are powered by a light show almost as mesmerising as the music. Barely taking a breath between songs, they segue the gaps between songs better than most DJs, weaving strands from their repertoire effortlessly throughout. Closing with the album’s title track and centrepiece, Acolyte, the band exit with every last member of the crowd’s arms firmly in the air.

This tour is proving to be a terrific start to what should be a brilliant year for Delphic.