The Telescopes

The Talleyrand, Manchester - 17th October 2023

We have been to some tiny venues in our time and The Talleyrand turns out to be the smallest we have encountered for quite a while: a concrete pre-fab shed tacked on to the back of a pub which couldn't have been more than fifteen feet wide and perhaps three times as long. It promises to be a very warm and cosy place as The Telescopes are in town and tickets have sold out. We manage to park the car in the road not ten yards from the venue and sit down for a few drinks in the very decent bar before simply strolling ten feet through the back door. There is a small, raised stage at the back and everything is lit by red strip lighting which creates an atmosphere without the need for additional lighting.

This is the first time we have caught The Telescopes for some eight years and we are pretty excited as their recent albums have been quite startling and we are desperate to hear the songs in the live arena. When we last saw them, Stephen Lawrie was accompanied by Glasgow band St. Deluxe, though the fluid nature of the band means that any such arrangements are inevitably short term and The Telescopes are Stephen and whoever is in the right place to contribute at any given time. For the first time in a while, though, it seems that this reality may be altering. Though Stephen has recorded most of his recent albums on his own, his latest live band have certainly had a positive impact on him and when we chat he refers to them as "keepers".

"I met drummer John when he put The Telescopes on at The Half Moon in Putney and our drummer didn’t show up. John spent the afternoon before the show learning the songs on a car stereo then played a blinder. We've never looked back since. I met Rob on bass when I had to catch a coach to Manchester to play a psych fest. I could hear a gang of folk on the back seat getting excited about seeing The Telescopes. When they got off the coach they walked straight past me without a second glance. Obviously on the return journey it was a different story. We got chatting and became firm friends. Guitarist JB was in a band that played with us at La Méchanique Ondulatoire in Paris. Our paths kept crossing and we became good friends; soon he was helping us out on guitar and putting a lot of energy into the band. It grew from there. I think we met Tara on synths for the first time when she booked us to play in Paris. I think we knew her band before that. I have always been impressed by her screamy vocals, she does it really well. When we were stuck for someone to play the keyboard parts on the Stone Tape tour Tara stepped up and it worked so well that it had to be her playing the new stuff which has a lot of synths and keyboards. Tara was our first choice."

"With everyone in the live band now it’s all down to spirit, we all share a commitment towards removing all obstacles from getting in the zone and summoning up a sixth element which is the connection between the five of us when we're really playing together and taking things to another level. After an average of ten-hour drives between shows this is our reward for our thrombosis, we don’t let anything get in the way of that."

The Telescopes are supported by popular psychedelic rockers Sonic Jesus from Italy who have stationed their keyboard player on the floor at the front as the stage is too small to fit him on. The Telescopes do the same with Tara's keyboards off stage which makes the floor space even smaller and cosier. It does get bloody hot. Sonic Jesus play a fine set of traditional psychedelic rock and it goes down well. The difference between them and The Telescopes is that Stephen Lawrie cannot be limited by genres, traditions and boundaries. He is one of the few artists around who is always looking to stretch music beyond what is expected to the limits of what is possible. And then look further. It's a spiritual journey, a quest, and it is abundantly clear that his bandmates are on the same wavelength. It's unusual to watch a band where all five musicians have their eyes closed as they lose themselves in sound. It is as though The Telescopes are grinding out their songs from the depths of their souls and leaving themselves helplessly exposed. It's powerful and honest and revealing.

It's pointless going to watch this band and waiting to hear old favourites. They have their place, but this is not their time. We are offered three tracks from the brilliant Songs Of Love And Revolution (This Is Not A Dream, Strange Waves, This Train) and four from Of Tomorrow (Butterfly, Where Do We Begin?, Only Lovers, Under Starlight). The closing track is from the new album, due out in February 2024. We are thrilled that these songs sound just as they do on record, and even more thrilled when they are then taken to new places in a storm of glorious noise. It's the odd notes that are picked out amidst the hurricane that hit the hardest; the elusive treasures that can only be found in a world of danger and pain. They are the humanity in a destructive universe. We hold on to them. And grasp them tightly as the storm abates.

The Telescopes are such an important band. Such an important concept. They walk where other bands fear to tread and refuse to compromise their art. This is what makes them so vital on record and unmissable on stage. The experience may leave you cold, or it may thrill you. But you will never forget it.

Set List: This Is Not A Dream, Strange Waves, Butterfly, Where Do We Begin?, Only Lovers, This Train, Under Starlight, There Is No Shore.