The Telescopes
Biographie The Telescopes
The Telescopes
Emerging from the dreary English East Midlands of the late 1980s, The Telescopes stood out with a noisy, psychedelic sound that was both chaotic and dreamlike. While lumped in with the shoegaze movement, the band had a distinct style that actually set them well apart from peers like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.
Frontman Stephen Lawrie formed The Telescopes in 1987, initially inspired by the experimental sounds of bands like The Velvet Underground. From the start, the band rejected conventional song structures, sometimes preferring long, hypnotic jams laced with layers of distorted guitars and effects and sometimes preferring...short, intense blasts laced with layers of distorted guitars and effects. Their debut album, Taste, is a neglected classic, half the time (as on 'I Fall, She Screams') wedding Lawrie's screaching vocals to Joanna Doran's even-more-screaching guitars and half the time (as on 'Violence') lulling listeners into a false sense of security with slower, sludgier methods.
After some lineup changes, The Telescopes' second album The Telescopes (later reissued as #Untitled Second) came out in 1992 on Creation Records, pushing their experiments with drone and noise even further. The album highlighted the band's daring uniqueness, though it polarized critics and fans alike.
The Telescopes have continued following their own creative vision over the decades since. In 2002, they released Third Wave, melding their psychedelic sound with electronics. Their album Hidden Fields arrived in 2005, featuring one long 60-minute improvised track.
In recent years, under the restless but steely guidance of Lawrie, The Telescopes have been increasingly prolific, releasing a string of albums and EPs that showcase their never-compromising style. Exploding Head Syndrome (2019) ran warped psychedelia through a modern lens, while Songs of Love and Revolution (2021) had a more urgent political tone.
Now past the 30-year mark - something that few people would have predicted back in the shoegaze era - The Telescopes remain ceaselessly innovative and true to their own artistic spirits. A strong case could be made that they are one of UK indie's best-kept secrets.
