Television are not a prolific band. Not at all.
Formed in 1974 Television originally comprised of Tom Verlaine on guitar and vocals, Richard Lloyd on guitar, Billy Ficca on drums, and Richard Hell on bass. Hell left after a couple of years and was replaced with the dependable Fred Smith on bass. After being a mainstay of the New York club scene, specifically CBGBs along with Blondie, Ramones, Talking Heads and others, they eventually recorded their debut in 1977. Marquee Moon was instantly acclaimed as a classic New York album. The follow up in 1978 was the criminally under appreciated Adventure, which refined and expanded Marquee Moon's taut tension. But Television split soon afterwards with Verlaine issuing a series of excellent solo albums. Without any fanfare at all, 1992 saw a third album, the unimaginatively titled Television. This was basically the perfect Television sound condensed into 10 shortish songs, almost like miniatures. Since then the band has issued just one new song, an instrumental on a compilation about five years ago.
Over the past 24 years they have sporadically played live, and at some of the gigs ten years ago almost half the set was made up of new songs. Things looked promising for a fourth album, but then in 2007 Richard Lloyd left. He was quickly replaced with Verlaine's long time guitar partner Jimmy Rip, so the change hasn't really caused too many problems when playing live, but it does seem to have halted all the momentum in the new tracks. Currently the band is playing most or all of Marquee Moon and just a handful or other songs in their sets. Only one of which is a new piece - "Persia" has been gestating and mutating in concert for nearly 15 years and the current 20 minute plus version is full of sinuous guitar lines, satisfyingly chunky bass and Ficca at his most nimble, drumming everything in sight.
It's perhaps a little disappointing that the band's set lists have remained pretty static over the past four or five years. You'd think they could mix it up a little more, play a slightly more varied set sometimes - after all they have less than 30 recorded songs from which to choose, so it surely wouldn't be that hard to have most, or all, of them gig-ready.
Having said that, despite playing much the same set, Television rarely play songs the same way twice, so even if you witness consecutive gigs, you're actually going to experience something quite different each time.
The recent show at the Electric in Brixton was full, opening act Lail Arad was pretty solid (interesting songs, though perhaps overdoing the quirkiness a little too much) and the crowd was in a very good mood. Television ambled onto the stage at about ten past nine and Verlaine immediately started tuning his guitar. He's made this obsession into an art form, and his lengthy tuning breaks have become almost legendary. As he's fiddling and tweaking Billy Ficca started drumming, the sides of his drums, the stands, the skins, it's all percussion to Ficca - he's a wonderfully inventive and entertaining drummer to watch. Then with no warning the tuning becomes a song. "Prove It" was a cracking choice of opening tune - everyone singing along right from the start.
Formed in 1974 Television originally comprised of Tom Verlaine on guitar and vocals, Richard Lloyd on guitar, Billy Ficca on drums, and Richard Hell on bass. Hell left after a couple of years and was replaced with the dependable Fred Smith on bass. After being a mainstay of the New York club scene, specifically CBGBs along with Blondie, Ramones, Talking Heads and others, they eventually recorded their debut in 1977. Marquee Moon was instantly acclaimed as a classic New York album. The follow up in 1978 was the criminally under appreciated Adventure, which refined and expanded Marquee Moon's taut tension. But Television split soon afterwards with Verlaine issuing a series of excellent solo albums. Without any fanfare at all, 1992 saw a third album, the unimaginatively titled Television. This was basically the perfect Television sound condensed into 10 shortish songs, almost like miniatures. Since then the band has issued just one new song, an instrumental on a compilation about five years ago.
Over the past 24 years they have sporadically played live, and at some of the gigs ten years ago almost half the set was made up of new songs. Things looked promising for a fourth album, but then in 2007 Richard Lloyd left. He was quickly replaced with Verlaine's long time guitar partner Jimmy Rip, so the change hasn't really caused too many problems when playing live, but it does seem to have halted all the momentum in the new tracks. Currently the band is playing most or all of Marquee Moon and just a handful or other songs in their sets. Only one of which is a new piece - "Persia" has been gestating and mutating in concert for nearly 15 years and the current 20 minute plus version is full of sinuous guitar lines, satisfyingly chunky bass and Ficca at his most nimble, drumming everything in sight.
It's perhaps a little disappointing that the band's set lists have remained pretty static over the past four or five years. You'd think they could mix it up a little more, play a slightly more varied set sometimes - after all they have less than 30 recorded songs from which to choose, so it surely wouldn't be that hard to have most, or all, of them gig-ready.
Having said that, despite playing much the same set, Television rarely play songs the same way twice, so even if you witness consecutive gigs, you're actually going to experience something quite different each time.
The recent show at the Electric in Brixton was full, opening act Lail Arad was pretty solid (interesting songs, though perhaps overdoing the quirkiness a little too much) and the crowd was in a very good mood. Television ambled onto the stage at about ten past nine and Verlaine immediately started tuning his guitar. He's made this obsession into an art form, and his lengthy tuning breaks have become almost legendary. As he's fiddling and tweaking Billy Ficca started drumming, the sides of his drums, the stands, the skins, it's all percussion to Ficca - he's a wonderfully inventive and entertaining drummer to watch. Then with no warning the tuning becomes a song. "Prove It" was a cracking choice of opening tune - everyone singing along right from the start.
The band were perhaps not quite as tight as I've seen them previously, Verlaine seemingly a little distracted by some sound problems on stage, and this unusually resulted in a few songs sounding a little underwhelming - "Venus" for example, seemed a little half hearted. But then they'd deliver a track like "Torn Curtain" which was so full of passion and fire and crackling energy, or a stunningly delicate "Guiding Light" laced with Jimmy Rip's sterling soloing.
Then you have "Persia", a tune which the band clearly enjoys playing, giving everyone chance to experiment and stretch out, and this begs the question - why only the one new tune? What has happened to all the other new pieces?
And of course, there is "Marquee Moon". It might seem obligatory for Television to play "MM" every set, but bloody hell this is a monster of a song. It is utterly enthralling, hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck thrilling, every single time I hear it. The build up at the end of the middle section is one of the most exciting sections of music as you'll ever hear, and then it all tumbles down with that glorious cascading shimmering guitar. Stunning.
The encore, "I'm Gonna Find You" was only ever going to be an anti-climax after "Marquee Moon". It's a decent enough song, but a poor choice on which to end the show I feel, as it's simply too slow, and not really interesting enough to warrant it's position as an encore track.
Anyway, even if Television were occasionally coasting, this band is still head and shoulders above most other bands. They seem to be enjoying themselves - lots of smiles between Verlaine and Rip - and can still more than deliver the goods. Long may they continue.
And, you never know, maybe one day that fourth album might get finished...
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