The Telescopes

Though not as well known as some of its contemporaries, the forward-thinking alternative group The Telescopes was nevertheless instrumental in building the avant-garde rock scene that existed in the UK in the late 1980s. Formed in Staffordshire, England in 1987, The Telescopes originally pursued a defined noise rock sound, laden with guitar reverb and shoddy lo-fi recording techniques. As time progressed, though, the group matured out of its skuzzy rock sound and morphed into a band that was more reflective of the times--incorporating dance-friendly rhythms and respectable production into its style. These characteristics helped establish the band as a group in the same vein as The Happy Mondays or The Stone Roses; and even though these two aforementioned groups would go on to achieve noted commercial success, The Telescopes, though groundbreaking in its own way, never truly managed to break through and gain a far stretching mainstream fan base.