The biggest thing ever to happen to UK Christian music are those Littlehampton wonders, DELIRIOUS? Here they talk to Mike Rimmer about their new live album, their warts and all video and their assault on the American music scene.

On stage Martin launches into a worshipful "Lord You Have My Heart" and suddenly the crowd turn their hearts to worshipping God. It's a beautiful moment. This is still what makes Delirious? so special, the seamless transition from being a great rock band one moment to suddenly lifting the crowd into the presence of God. Where others choose to pigeonhole Christian music into to either worship or artist/band related, Delirious? straddle the divide creating a whole new approach.

In corresponding with American friends, it is clear that there is a huge amount of anticipation across the Atlantic for the British invasion of Matt Redman and Delirious? if only because it's a fresh approach. The band have visited on promotional tours and regale me with tales of gruesome PR duties and bravery in the face of inquisitive journos. Tim Jupp explains that they have only had the chance to play a handful of American dates, "We've done a few gigs on the west coast, and up in Canada - Vancouver. The great story there was that we've never been there before and turned up at this gig and there were 2,000 people who showed up -and people had driven for 24 hours or so, and it was great, a really great gig." Even so, America has yet to taste the full monty Delirious? live experience.

Martin Smith is careful to keep things in perspective when he says, "I think that they're really digging the music over there. They keep on saying it's got a certain freshness to it, and I'm pleased about that. Whether or not Delirious are going to save America -1 think that's a bit too much - a bit too heavy a statement, but I think that we may have a small part to play in it.

The band's songwriting, whether it's the worship material on the 'Cutting Edge' releases or 'King Of Fools', has already won many fans within the music business in America and Martin reflects, "I think that some of the comments have been that it is quite honest in the writing, and that seems to be refreshing to the people over there. But I can't really comment - we've just released a record there and I think we need to see the reaction of the people really. It's fine to get a reaction from the industry, but we need to get the records out there and see the effect it is having."

The 'View From The Terraces' video shows that the boys have clearly had a good time on their trips to the USA, after all Jon Thatcher even went as far as getting married in New York! Tim Jupp shares his thoughts, "I think we've just made a lot of great friends really and we've been over several times last year, predominantly for promotional and business meetings. We're finding our way and planning the way ahead with Sparrow and Virgin. This year we're really going over there to play a lot more. We're going to be playing at a lot of the summer festivals and as we don't live there, we need to hit as many people as we can in the shortest amount of time. So I think we're on mainstage at nearly all these festivals this summer - we're reaching several hundred thousand people over a short amount of time. It's going to be a really good opportunity just to let a few more people hear our music and make a few more friends. America is such a huge place and it's difficult to know how to do it really, without living there."

Stu Garrard continues the band's consideration of playing in America saying, "I think that what America is picking up on is a couple of things. Firstly that they can see what is happening here amongst the young people and how one of the songs mentions the Revival Generation and that whole feeling of a people movement in the UK and we're just a small part in that, along with people like Matt Redman and others. Secondly, they see that there's honesty in the songs and music, almost a naivety about the themes and the lyrics, and a British sound as well, which obviously will go down well. So I think that's something that will really turn them on. And I think that a lot of these guys in the American Christian record industry have come out of the revival situations, like in the '70s with the Jesus Movement, and stuff like that, and once you've got that sort of taste you don't want to forget it - I think that's the sort of thing they can taste with us."

Many people have observed that there has been a change in the spiritual climate in Britain, especially amongst young people during the last couple of years. Thankfully that change has happened at a grassroots level and although many Christian musicians have played their part (and Delirious? are perhaps the most visible" wonderful lack of hype. Stu observes what he has seen. I think just a zeal, and a hunger for God, and an excitement about stuff which has been great to see. Tim continues, "Even locally, I think even back home in our own church, I just see there's such a seriousness in the young people about doing the business, and I think there's a real fresh evangelistic edge to a lot of these young people. They're really determined to go out there and spread the news and I think that has really come from a renewed passion and a hunger after more of God."

The fact that the band are choosing to record their new album near to their homes and the fact they don't want to move to America to make an impact there, is tribute to the fact that this is a family band! All the guys are married and my conversation with Martin was curtailed because he had to get home to baby-sit his one year old girl to let his wife Anna go out.

I imagine the pressures of being in a band must be difficult. Martin is disarming in his response, "I think that it's the same as anybody really. You have to sit down and talk about what your priorities are going to be. Every week is different. Sometimes it can be totally balanced and another week it can sometimes go out a little bit. But I'm just grateful that I'm in a marriage where we talk all the time and we're very, very happy. Anna is also someone who's totally behind what I'm doing. Without that, it would be impossible to be away and be so focussed. She's fantastic! I'm amazed for all the guys how with being married, it's been so successful, and I know that it is a priority to keep that as a first priority, and the music is second."

A little known fact is that three of the band are brothers-in-law! Martin, Stewart Smith and Tim Jupp are married to Jon Thatcher's three sisters! Martin laughs at the thought, "Can you believe having Tim Jupp as a brother-in-law? You work together and then you have Christmas and there he is! He's just around all the time! But what a great bloke!"

I suggest that the combination of family and work in such an intense fashion must in fact be a little, err...weird? "Well I think that's one of the reasons why the band and the core of it is really strong," Martin responds, '"cos we just have to continually talk about things. We can't let anything fester about issues that arise, and when we go away all the girls look after each other, and I think it works well. I'm amazed, but it works!"

That network of support was tested in the summer of '97 when Stewart Smith and his wife lost their baby in the 12th week of pregnancy. Talking to Stewart before the Leicester gig he told me a bit about it, "It was really hard and because it was so unexpected it really knocked us off balance. It makes you ask questions, "What's going on God? We'd had so many people praying and it's at time like that you have to ask questions. Do our prayers work? As time went on we pieced the bits back together and the fragments of what we were feeling, questioning God and talking to people and trying to chat and bring out the emotional stuff as well. Everybody says you can go through some really bad stuff but somehow this bad will be turned into something that is good and we did find God in a new way and found that God really cared. We really did find it tough but we found out something new about God for ourselves and we learnt a lot about each other and about being open. I learnt a lot about being a husband and how I comfort and get alongside my wife.

The close family network of the band also played its part as Stewart explains, "At times like that it's your friends that keep you going especially, especially when you're feelings disillusioned and you don't understand and they haven't got any answers really because everyone is as confused as each other! It's having people that come round and make you meals or just sit with you and watch the TV. Months later, you look back and see Jesus in your friends and your family and that's one of the good things."

The song "Summer Of Love" was written as a result of Stewart's experiences and is featured on the 'D:Tour' live album. It remains his favourite song when the band are playing live. He comments, "There's so much depth in it. We used to mess about in the van at the beginning of 1997 and say, 'This is going to be the summer of love' and as we got into the summer, the miscarriage happened. At the end of the day, it was the summer of love because God was involved in it all. But for me every time we play it, I think about what happened. My wife's pregnant now so it really is quite an emotional thing and it's a very passionate song as it builds to the end, it has that sort of intensity which really draws people in. Live we're using a different video and there are some of the words being written out by hand on the screen."

In Leicester the band kick into the song and it is an intense moment in the set. Now understanding the background, I find my eyes darting back and forth from the giant video screen to Stewart drumming, totally mesmerised by the song and trying to guess what he's thinking at that moment.

The gig closes with a huge version of their biggest song "Deeper" and as the music fades and the crowd disperses happily into the night, I'm left reflecting that 1998 is going to be the summer of hard work for the band as united in purpose they set forth to make an impact in America and continue work on much awaited new album.