The Tin, Sink or Swim & Just Dropped in Present: The Telescopes + Special Guests
19/10/2023
7:30 pm - 11:00 pm
£12 adv (+ booking fee)
The Telescopes are an all embracing concern that began in 1987, the only constant being sole composer/ instigator, Northumbrian born Stephen Lawrie. The band’s line-up is in constant flux, there can be anywhere between 1 and 20 members on a recording.
The Telescopes were initially signed to Cheree Records then moved on to What Goes On Records where they became regulars at the top of the indie charts before gaining more mainstream success on signing to Creation Records.
The Telescopes are now with Tapete Records. The previous album for the label – Songs Of Love And Revolution saw a return to the indie charts in 2021, including a Dinked edition with remixes by Anton Newcombe, Lloyd Cole and Third Eye Foundation.
The Telescopes music has constantly pushed at it’s own boundaries, it overlaps many genres following its own course, inspiration led.
Time has shown The Telescopes music not only withstands repeated listening but also reveals something new with each listen, it has been described by the British music press as ‘more a revolution of the psyche than a revolution of the sidewalk’; a thread consistent throughout a highly influential body of work spanning over 30 years. The Telescopes have been cited as an influence on many artists across genres, around the world.
The first five albums have all been re-issued by renowned labels such as Cherry Red, Bomp! Rev-Ola, Space Age Records, Weisskalt, Glass Modern, Fuzz Club and many more.
Of Tomorrow is the 15th album from The Telescopes, the fifth for Tapete. The album was created entirely by Lawrie at his studio in Shropshire, it is a departure from what the press often refer to as a ’wall of throb’ when describing the dense merge of noise and sound synonymous with most of The Telescopes output.
Of Tomorrow marks a complete change in dynamics. Here we have the poetry of motion, solid grooves to the fore, leaving crystallised trails across a fluttering undercurrent of uplifting rhythm and hooks.
Lawrie’s voice, usually treated as an instrument equal to the rest of the sound now takes the reins, engaging the listener in a melodic swirl of radiant harmony that speaks, sometimes in a whisper, of love as revolution.
Every song on the album stands it’s ground, each one unique. Everything from the composition to the performance, arrangements and production are leaps beyond previous offerings. This is an album to get lost in on the dance floor or headphones in equal measures.
Location
The Tin At The Coal Vaults
