Telepathique

For my birthday, the lovely Eimear got me a ticket to see New York scenesters Telepathe at The Academy on Tuesday (greatly appreciated because I can barely afford to eat these days...)

After the Lily Allen debacle, when we arrived three quarters of an hour after doors had opened only to discover that the support act La Roux had come and gone, we turned up at The Academy reasonably early. We needn't have bothered on this occasion, however.

As we arrived, we were ushered downstairs to 'Academy 2', a performance space much smaller than the venue's main stage, where a handful of people were listening to Wallis Bird's album playing over the sound system.

Gah.

Things took a turn for the worse when support act Neosupervital took to the stage, armed with some gobsmackingly clichéd lyrics ('If you want to be real, gotta do what you feel/If you want to be true, gotta do what is you'). Needless to say, the cooler than thou hipster brigade that constitute Telepathe's core fanbase weren't especially appreciative.

Let's go for a cigarette, Eimear. You smoke. I'll watch.

By the time Telepathe's Busy and Melissa began setting up at 9:30, a crowd of no more than fifty had gathered (it's safe to say they won't be troubling The 02 any time soon). Keeping on-stage banter to a minimum, the pair promptly launched into 'Chrome's On It'.

And suddenly, it all came good.

Despite lighting so dim we could barely make out the duo's boyish silhouettes and practically no audience interaction, Telepathe were completely captivating. I was completely in thrall throughout their three quarter hour set as they operated an array of electronic synthsizers and percussive instruments, all the while chanting eerily in synch. By the time they closed on indie anthem 'So Fine', even the most po-faced hipsters were shaking their, er, hips.

On a couple of occasions, the girls' vocals were overwhelmed by their bass-heavy backdrop but, nonetheless, it was abundantly clear that Telepathe's genre-melding tunes are best enjoyed in a live setting. Even if their music isn't 'your bag', if they crop up at any festivals you attend this summer, you'd be well advised to check 'em out.

[Image: Briana Purser]