Live Review: Telenova

Five-piece band JOTHI  warm us up with their steady grooves and funky baselines. They get the crowd swaying along to their soulful, jazz and indie-rock sound influenced by rhythm and blues from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. They may only have one song on their Spotify account (Goliath), but tonight they sample a whole lot more that’s worthy of being uploaded.

The band's vocalist, Gloria Ragesh, has a big voice and absolutely nails a massive note with ease. The band show off their instrumentals, including a killer electric guitar solo too. They play a song called Way The Wind Blows, which Ragesh cheekily tells us is about dirty, nasty sex. Another new song will be released soon so keep an eye out.

It's a family affair for Jade Alice with her brother joining her on drums and sister on backing vocals for tonight’s performance. Her set starts off at a slow-chilled pace with luscious vocals full of dreamy falsettos to conjure up sounds from a past life. She shares a nostalgic tune called wendy that takes us further into her fairytale of sweet sounds inspired by her love for Peter Pan – a crush she admits she’s had since a child.

Alice continues to elevate us with her gorgeous sad pop songs, including a new song she tests out for us tonight called clouds. “It’s about having someone who holds you down and keeps you grounded when you’re freaking out,” she explains. Judging by the audience’s response, it’s a hit. The set peaks with her final track – a cover of ABBA’s Dancing Queen that gets everyone in the room jumping and dancing along, singing at the top of their lungs with glee.

Telenova instantly draw us into their cinematic and haunting universe with an enigmatic soundtrack. It’s a full house tonight and the band could not be happier to finally play this venue in their hometown. The trio is made up of Edward Quinn (Slum Sociable), Joshua Moriarty (Miami Horror), and filmmaker/vocalist Angeline Armstrong. Together they craft a unique sound that’s dark and moody with a lush, nostalgic indie-pop feel.

We’re captivated from the very first track that’s not yet released but manages to hook us in and crave more. They also play their next single, which Armstrong promises is coming out in about a month. Telenova take us on a drive with some spooky road trip songs starting with Lost Highway – a nod to David Lynch’s film of the same name. They change things up with something a bit different and throw in a cover of Madonna’s Hung Up, which is an unexpected twist but proves to be a lot of fun.

“Thank you for connecting with our music. We put out a song almost exactly twelve months ago and it’s a dream to be here tonight,” says Armstrong. They continue to play the track (Bones) that started it all for them. As midnight approaches, the Blue Valentine Tour show comes to a close with the headline track.