Teleman, Gentlemen, Whammy.

Holy Molys Lev 1 Bedford Esquires. Lev 2. Friday 23rd May 2014.

With their brand new debut album "Breakfast" released on 2nd June, good things seem to be happening for tonight's headliners Teleman. This quartet include in their ranks the Sanders brothers, Tom and Jonny, as well as Pete Cattermoul who were formerly part of the band Pete And The Pirates, notable for albums "Little death" (2008) and "One thousand pictures" (2011). The venue has filled up steadily throughout the evening and by the time Teleman walk on stage, the crowd is quite sizeable. They all appear to be keen fans and seem to know every one of the ten songs that this indie-electronica band perform. I am very much in the minority as my knowledge of Teleman is very limited. They also fail to convert me tonight and the set does seem to drag on uncomfortably.

Some critics have described them as an intelligent persons band with lyrics written with a lot of intellect. On my first hearing and sighting of them I would describe them as a souffle band, namely light, fluffy and highly unsubstantial. The only real tangible interest I garner from spending some forty minutes plus in their company is working out the amount of bands that they have borrowed from. Influences certainly come thick and fast. I spotted a touch of Joy Division, Pet Shop Boys, some REM and the cheesy synth bits of Kunt And The Gang. "Skeleton dance" even contains the riff from "Party hard" (Andrew WK). "Cristina" seems to grip the crowd the most as Tom Sanders emotionally begins "I'm coming back to where I started, I never meant to be the bad kid" and follows with "Cristina's so good she makes me go across town, she makes me lie down". Applause is loud and deafening at it's close.

Signed to the prestigious Moshi Moshi label, Teleman play us a huge chunk of their new album. They seem proud of "23 floors up" and indeed Tom reveals that "it's been on the radio". This song will strike a chord with many touring musicians and describes the utter boredom and desolation of being cooped up in hotels. Although not a fan, I must concede that there appears to be a great deal of warmth between band and crowd. "Tom Sanders seems to foster it as he greeted everyone at the start of the set and as it draws to a close, he is only too happy to acknowledge the paying public. This is almost a party for Teleman being the last night of the current tour. Tom apparently is "never sure what to expect from Bedford", but he pauses, smiles and concedes that everyone has been "f**king great"! They reappear for a two song encore and prove to the vast majority here that they truly have been in control! Supporting Teleman throughout this tour have been Gentlemen. Based in London, this five piece feature band members from a variety of places. In keeping with the rest of the evening, Gentlemen also take their musical concoction from a range of styles. There are proggy psychedelic leanings, grungy elements and even Floyd-ish at times. They are showcasing material from their new "Night reels" EP (available for purchase tonight and on vinyl). This band gain from their singer's strong voice which, at times, prevents this from turning into an elongated jam session. A warm note is struck on their last offerng "Gentle duke" which is touchingly dedicated to "a special Bedfordian here". It turns out to be a band member's dad and I hope he enjoyed seeing his son on the main stage.

Fronted by Fergus Shipman, Whammy are not (I am relieved to say) a tribute to George Michael's eighties band! Instead they are an entertaining and inventive quartet who, for the main part, remind me of a very early melodic REM. Humour is never far away from these engaging musicians and Ferg tells of being given the ultimate challenge of trying "to write 14 songs in 14 days"! "Dark horse", we are informed, is not a Katy Perry cover but an original. It rocks out in a powerful Wolfmother manner and is the heaviest of an interesting debut set.