Tellison

Tellison are a four piece alternative-indie-rock band hailing from West Hammersmith, London. They are a band that you may struggle to put it one genre but they have found success in the independent UK indie/emo/pop-punk scene. They describe themselves to have ‘formed out of a shared love of unsuccessful indie rock bands of the late 90s and early 00s’ – this has shared love is exactly what has brought them so much success in that very genre. They have released two studio albums, a number of singles and an EP with a new album in waiting. They have already garnered a strong fan base playing the independent circuit, having previously worked with Banquet Records’ Gravity DIP/Banquet label and recently signing with independent label Naim Label. They are often compared to punk rock bands like Apologies I Have None and Crazy Arm due to their DIY ethic and energetic live shows. They remain a big part of the indie/rock/emo/punk scene and have recently played with big names like Saves The Day and Kevin Devine at Banquet Records in London.

Tellison generally perform in small venues and independent festivals – this is where their sound truly comes to life. They engage with the crowd well introducing every song to a big round of applause. They blast through bangers like ‘Drink Red Wine, ‘Vermont’ and 'Freud Links The Dentist and The Heart' in their distinctive thick accents. The quieter parts of these songs offer the crowd opportunities to really come to life in heartfelt sing-alongs. Their stage presence is quirky and friendly – perhaps more reminiscent of indie/math-rock artists playing to a pop-punk crowd. There are fans of every kind of music at a Tellison show and everyone fits in perfectly. This is not to say that their modest beginnings have not left them off the radar of big channels like Kerrang and Rock Sound. As genres become less strict, with independent bands like Gnarwolves and Moose Blood making it big, I am sure that Tellison will continue to succeed. They are perfect for anyone tastes lie somewhere in the alternative rock genre and enjoy enthusiastic, fun and friendly live shows.

It's a relatively new venue on the circuit and a relatively new thing to have in town, touring bands and mid-week gigs.

So it's with luck that not only was there a crowd, but some of these people were in walking distance of the venue. These were new people to the scene,venue and promoter, meaning that there is definitely a group of people willing to pay for quality live music, and boy were Tellison quality.

The band hadn't performed live for 18 months, so this was a gentle introduction to the tour in a small out-of-the-way venue. So if it was going to go wrong tonight would have been the best place for it to do so.

But we're talking about a band who have played together for over 10 years, toured extensively. Any cobwebs were not evident to the throng who attended. Classics were played, even an incredibily rare outing for an old song at the request of a punter and they even managed to omit a fan favourite and still go away heroes.

They played their hour, there was no encore, just wall to wall love