Tellison - Stereo, York – 17th October 2011 (Live Review)
Monday, 24 October 2011
Written by Ben Bland
It’s a shame that Tellison aren’t a bigger band than they are. Compared to the vast majority of their ilk, i.e. British alt/indie guitar bands, they have so much more character and vibrancy. Tellison look like they live and breathe their music, unlike so many of their all too comfortable looking and stale sounding contemporaries.
Openers Where’s Hollywood? also seem pretty involved with their music, even if their noodling instrumental math rock occasionally flatters to deceive. They could also really do with a bass player. Three guitars are all well and good but there is a serious lack of bottom end to the sound. They also look like they have an average age of about 16, which is a bit weird. However they clearly have a local following (partly composed of parents by the looks of things) who provide Stereo with its biggest crowd of the evening, sadly but truthfully.
Copy Haho should be really endearing but there’s just something missing about their indie folk ditties. Compared with the likes of compatriots Frightened Rabbit they are rather disengaging, which is a shame because they clearly can write some well-crafted tunes.
Tellison’s tunes are up there with the best in the British indie rock game at the moment. This year’s 'The Wages of Fear' was a triumphant return for a band that has been through some difficult times over the last couple of years. The likes of 'Get On' and the delightful 'Freud Links the Teeth and the Heart' are up there with the most enjoyable songs released this year. It is therefore a mystery why this relatively small room is, at best, only two thirds full for the band’s set. It must be so disheartening for the band, considering how much they clearly care about their set. This is especially demonstrated by keyboardist/ guitarist Rick (or The RPS) playing despite feeling rather unwell and being off the side of the stage so that there’s somewhere more comfortable for him to collapse if he faints.
Frontman Steven Davidson is genuinely apologetic about the situation and also warmly grateful to those who have turned up to watch the band plough their way through a consistently entertaining forty-five minute odd collection of tracks. By the time the band depart the stage they have at least won the hearts of those in the venue, even if they haven’t set the place on fire.
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Tellison’s tunes are up there with the best in the British indie rock game at the moment. This year’s 'The Wages of Fear' was a triumphant return for a band that has been through some difficult times over the last couple of years. The likes of 'Get On' and the delightful 'Freud Links the Teeth and the Heart' are up there with the most enjoyable songs released this year. It is therefore a mystery why this relatively small room is, at best, only two thirds full for the band’s set. It must be so disheartening for the band, considering how much they clearly care about their set. This is especially demonstrated by keyboardist/ guitarist Rick (or The RPS) playing despite feeling rather unwell and being off the side of the stage so that there’s somewhere more comfortable for him to collapse if he faints. 
