Photo: Charlotte Patmore
The Anglo-Welsh four-piece, Telegram, are a band that anyone even vaguely interested in guitar music either already knows about - or else should put at the forefront of their listening plans.
They produce a hybrid of ballsy punk reminiscent of The Buzzcocks and psych rock circa 1970s Eno or Hawkwind. Excitingly, however, they don't merely resemble great bands of the past: they play an important role in the present.
Adding weight to an already strong, London-based scene of bands such as Toy, The Voyeurs, and Temples, that can be seen as new psychedelia; they stand alongside their most established counterparts, if not in terms of recognition, then, at least, in quality. That said, the punk element here is strong.
It makes for an adrenalised evening of music that grabs the full attention of the sold out crowd. Flashing strobes, and fully cranked distortion fed valve amps embellishing the scene already accented by a band with haircuts that Noel Fielding would be proud of. Behind the show, however, are cult hits that half the crowd are fully acquainted with. 'Follow', and 'Regatta' being stand outs among tracks that will come to represent part of Telegram's hopefully imminent debut album.
The absence of a debut album after two years of touring is notable, however, their following is huge, even without the weight of an album to propel them: people are struggling to get in tonight and many are left gazing past the crowd to get a glimpse of the rockers. It goes to show how far consistently electrify live performances can go.
An album though - when it arrives - will hopefully capture the spirit of these early gigs: documenting their stylish, psych punk sound for future generations to hear what London's most exciting underground sounds were in 2015. Not to mention see the gig atmosphere bulge as the songs become familiar. Let's hope it isn't too far away.
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