Loverman, Canterbury and Tellison/KCLSU/12.02.09
Gigs at student’s unions are usually at one extreme end of the hit or miss spectrum whether or not you’re a fan of the band playing but tonight at KCLSU the drinks are cheap, the sold out venue is perfectly suited and the music isn’t half bad. Except music of first support band Loverman. As well as the fact the slightly thrashy drone they manage to produce doesn’t exactly suit the tone of the evening their performance is completely cringe provoking as their frontman constantly gropes the mic while trying to do his best Ian Curts impression. Thankfully the lukewarm reaction the band recieves suggests no one will ever take this band a seriously as they clearly take themselves.
Next up it’s baby faced Canterbury who steer the night back on track with an energetic performance of some rocky-pop tunes that show them to be a promising young band. Throughout their set the band ooze the kind of unashamed enthusiasm you’ll struggle to find in older bands but with musical talent you more likely will. The five piece are impressively tight and all accomplished musicians especially one member who is constantly dashing between guitar and keyboard while providing vocals. Though their songs are impressively performed there’s definitely some room for improvement which should hopefully steer them away from cheesy boy-band rock and closer to the pop-punk vibe their performance style is more suited to.
By the time Tellison take to the stage the room is most certainly at capacity and the four piece receive a warm welcome from their hometown crowd. With just a small, almost bashful, introduction they launch headfirst into their set which is equally split between their 2007 debut ‘Contact! Contact!’ and their new record which we’re told numerous times to expect later this year which suggests the boys are pretty confident with their new output. Every time they bust out a classic album track they’re greeted with increasing amounts applause, dancing and singing along, which is hardly surprising as the ever present ‘whoo ohs ohs’ in their songs such as ‘Wasp’s Nest’ are just begging to be performed live. Their sound may be more suited to a sunny American teen-angst drama than the snowy streets of London that surround the show tonight but the bouncy pop atmosphere of the show firmly puts that out of mind and the songs played from the band’s new album suggest a slightly more mature take on a similar sound.
In between songs the audience are treated to some charming banter from the band’s geekily attired frontman who mostly thanks the audience for what he sees as a surprising amount of kind applause and support tonight. Tonight’s set proves Tellison to be a band to be excited rather than forgotten about in 2009 and this thought is cemented when an encore in forcefully demanded of them and to which they kindly oblige. An absolute delight to see live.
Tellison-Fire
Tellison-New York New York
