Teleman at Rough Trade East

Although there is something dangerously derivative in the music of this London-based quartet – for instance Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch-esque voice of singer Thomas Sanders, or a general sound taken from Pete and the Pirates (Teleman’s members’ previous line-up) – the band have managed to leave their mark on the music business in the first half of 2014. This is all thanks to a powerful trio of tracks (Cristina, Steam Train Girl and the ghost track Not in Control) and thanks to perfect production by Bernard Butler – whose new super group Trans share some skills with Teleman. New record record Breakfast is a witty and far-reaching melodic new wave pop debut with catchy, radio-friendly singles and sophisticated melodies.

At Rough Trade East in Brick Lane last night, the band played a 30-minute set, despite Sanders suffering a sore throat. The formation onstage is slightly different from the one in the studio, as the band have a proper drummer, while the sound becomes more aggressive, improving the noise rock elements of their music. Cristina is a Brian Wilson-esque song, with a notable bass line and a powerful melody, while Steam Train Girl pushes the accelerator in terms of bpm and guitars. Poppy and with a colourful arrangement, Skeleton Dance reminds of a juvenile version of Metronomy, while Monday Morning is extremely 80s. The surprise of the gig was the ghost track Not in Control, a pure German rock track, with touches à la Can, Circlesquare and Zombie Zombie (listen to Sun Ra’s Rocket #9 cover by the latter).

Teleman are a young band with clever ideas and good taste in terms of musical choices, but they should work more on a precise direction for their music in order to secure finer definition and style.

Lorenzo Cibrario

For further information and future events visit Teleman’s website here.

Watch the video for Not in Control here: