The Tea Street Band: Gulliver’s- Manchester

Reviewed: 25/11/18

Reviewer Matthew Forrest

There must be something in the water over in Merseyside; the city of Liverpool seems to have the knack of churning out damn fine distinctive bands. The Coral, Shack and The Zutons all have their own unique and unmistakable sound which sets them apart from their peers: well add another name to that list: The Tea Street Band.

It’s been an interesting couple of months for the group. They recently released their second album, Frequency and this was accompanied by new single, Only Love to huge critical acclaim. In addition to this, the band played the Shiine on Weekender and are amid a UK headline tour.

New Single Only Love is an absolute belter; a futuristic tour du force about never getting old. Front man Timo Tierney said the song involved “watching plenty of mind-bending films, the obvious ‘Bladerunner’ and ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’. Any song that comes in with a drumbeat is a winner in my eyes! There’s plenty of chorus and a super break and outro. It sums up The Tea Street Band!

The album continues in the same vein: a Sci-Fi adventure, tracks like BYFH are a journey into the unknown, whilst Marseille Blues is an upbeat anthem. It’s a glorious marriage of guitars and electronica, as the album is packed full of catchy hooks and funky beats. This is a record that does its best in taking you into outer space whilst ensuring you get your groove. Stand out track on the album for me is the fist pumping Enter the Void which bursts into life with an insidious guitar riff and never let’s go.

Frequency is an ambitious album, but one that rewards after every listen, but can the band cut it live? Well the answer is a definite yes!  This was a set packed full of psychedelia and groovy dance beats. You would be forgiven for thinking you were out in in the Hacienda during the late 80’s. their set is so good. Stand out moments from the set included Only Love, which had the loyal fan base singing along in unison. Old favourites Summer Dreaming and Disco Lights had the crowd getting their groove on… which is quite the achievement for a rainy Sunday night in Manchester.

The support band tonight came in the form of Sugar, who despite having a few injuries and looking like they should be in a Wes Anderson film, the band got the evening off to a great start with their brand of synth pop: drifting between heartbreak and joy, they performed an intriguing, engaging set with songs Truth and Never Gonna Change being the standout moments. The band will be back Gulliver’s on the 5^th December, raising money for mental health charity Mind, and are well worth checking out.

Despite being around for several years now, The Tea Street Band certainly showed that even on a sober Sunday night, if the tunes are right then you must get your groove on. But I’ll leave it to bass player Nick Otaegui, who perfectly summed the night up in one word, “Boss!”.