Telegram, Moth Club, London

Telegram seem to have been around forever already, but tonight marks the genre-fusing Anglo-Welsh foursome’s first London gig with an album under their belts. Released in February, ‘Operator’ is a gripping journey through music past. In sound and in look, Telegram epitomise ‘retro’, and it’s precisely this quality that gives them such an alluring presence in 2016.

It surrounds their every move on stage, as they deliver a scintillating set translating record to live with sublime accuracy. With cuts as tempestuous as album opener ‘Rule Number One’ at their disposal, it’s fair to expect Telegram’s live show to contain an element of chaos. As is the case on record though, it’s of a controlled variety. But that’s not to say it’s anything less than thrilling.

They intensify on psych-infused joyride ‘Follow’. Previously the group’s debut single back in 2013, the reworked version is a standout moment of the LP. Tonight, it serves as centrepiece of an occasion that feels like a celebration of the first chapter of their career.

The surprise of the night arrives shortly after – and a most welcome one it is too. It’s been almost two months now, but the tributes to the late, great David Bowie keep on coming, and Telegram’s is in the form of an impassioned cover of ‘Heroes’. It’s a moment of magic.

“I think we’re probably too loud,” comments black-clad frontman Matt Saunders after an electrifying rendition of ‘Aeons’. “Nooo!” is the immediate response from some members of the crowd. Common sense prevails. After all, where a band who play with such intoxicating intensity as Telegram are concerned, it’s most certainly a case of the louder the better.