_Moth Club, London
_September 26, 2026
Fair warning, this review is probably one of the most biased I've ever written. Ever since being introduced to Tellison in 2011 when they opened for The Get Up Kids at The Underworld in Camden, I've been head over heels in love. They've only released three albums in total, but each one has shown growth in their brand of pop-punk meets powerpop meets math-pop that nobody else can quite touch. Even though they tend to only play in London once or twice a year now, considering they're all living all over the UK, every single time is an absolute joy to watch and sing our collective hearts out.
So on a balmy night in September, we ventured to Moth Club in Hackney, as the almighty Alcopop Records are celebrating their twentieth year as a label (oh god, we're old), to fill up on a dose of Tellison goodness. Starting proceedings were Sunny Side Down, an indie-pop band from London, who really reminded me of Chase Petra in all the best ways. They have an effortless, effervescent way of playing that was causing me to smile ear-to-ear for their whole set. If these guys don't get signed to Alcopop soon, I'll be very surprised.
Next up were Encyclopedia from Yeovil, who dusted off their myspace-era powerpop for us for the first time since 2016 (as far as I can tell). These guys weren't really my cup of tea, but the crowd were absolutely loving them. Their Weezer-but-more-dense sound filled Moth Club easily and had everyone bouncing along. They're one of those bands that I think I need to dive into a bit more, because they feel like a proper grower that I'll be singing along to when they play another show (possibly in ten years).
Finally, it was time for Tellison to take the stage. As they made their way to the stage the room was completely crammed and thrumming with excitement. From the opening layered vocals of 'Hanover Start Clapping', I knew my voice was going to be completely raw at the end of the night. They've been playing together for almost twenty years, and it shows. They're one of the tightest bands I've seen, and every time is just as good as the previous. And they did not let up at all for this perfect mix of songs from their three albums. From the early joy of songs like 'Hanover', 'Henry Went to Paris', or 'Wasp's Nest', to the beautiful subtlety of songs like 'A Letter to the Team' and 'Freud Links the Teeth and the Heart', to the absolute bangers like 'Say Silence' and 'Tact is Dead', the entire room sang along to every word, throwing their hands in the air, and reliving the past twenty years of brilliance.
It's pretty amazing that even after two decades, they keep the energy up on stage and deliver a pitch-perfect performance. At one point, second vocalist and guitarist, Pete, commented that his watch was telling him to watch his heart rate because he was in danger, and it made sense. They were throwing absolutely everything into it. Topping the set off with the opening track from their 2011 masterpiece The Wages of Fear, 'Get On', the pit opened up for some joyful jumping around and fevered screaming of the words. We were all clearly too old for this now, but it felt like I was in my twenties again in the pit of the Underworld.
We all left with full hearts, clear eyes, convinced we can't lose. Now hurry up and record the next album, Tellison.
Setlist:
- Hanover Start Clapping
- Helix & Ferman
- Edith
- Boy
- Say Silence (Heaven & Earth)
- Tact Is Dead
- Disaster! Disaster!
- Wrecker
- Wasp's Nest
- Freud Links the Teeth and the Heart
- Orion
- Henry Went to Paris
- Collarbone
- Letter to the Team (After Another Imperfect Season)
- Get On
