Television of Cruelty. What kind of music would a band with such a name produce? There should be three possibilities: Punk (in the same vein as Public Image Ltd or even Television); Metal (see also System of a Down) or Arty/Experimental (see Art of Noise).
It’s Only TV – And They Hate It
What you might not expect is a blend of English (or Anglophile) pop that covers such bases as David Bowie, The Flaming Lips and The Beautiful South. And you certainly wouldn’t expect to log onto the biography section of their web site only to be confronted by an unending (and unnecessary) diatribe against the excesses of Big Brother. But then they do call themselves Television of Cruelty.
Television of Cruelty are a lot smarter than your average band. When they are not posting essays on the Internet about the evils of reality TV, they are producing interesting sounding songs with some interesting ideas.
English Pop
The band have produced two EPs for your listening pleasure, "Happy 4 Less" and "Teenage Wasteland". In total, there are nine songs covering these two CDs and both are worth more than a cursory listen.
Television of Cruelty betray a typical English attitude to their songwriting that began with The Kinks and Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd, worked its way through to Blur and Pulp in the mid-nineties before landing in the hands of the likes of Franz Ferdinand and the Kaiser Chiefs.
Lazing On a Rainy Afternoon
They sing about rainy days ("Your Name Here"), more rainy days ("Midsummer Dreaming") and dull days in Doncaster.
"Doncaster Sidings" features a wonderfully dreary lyric: "I don’t think it rained that day/would’ve been too romantic/just dull, with the chance of more dullness later". Pure Jarvis Cocker if ever you heard it.
Elsewhere, there are mentions of the Countryside Alliance and deluges in Leicester Square ("Take the Flags Down"). It’s all suburban boredom ("Endless Street") and dreams of a better life ("Show Girl" and "Midsummer Dreaming").
These people couldn’t be more English if they hung bells from their trouser legs and waved handkerchiefs around on a Mayday afternoon.
Heavens Above!
When they’re not being typically English, their thoughts turn to the celestial.
On the early-Pink Floyd meets Bowie meets Ooberman "Teenage Wasteland", Television….. envisage a band’s line up of "God was playing lead guitar/and Jesus playing bass/and angels doing vocals/singing right into your face". But even here, the sense of quaint, English disappointment lingers.
The Most Democratic Band in the World
There is enough variety on these tracks to keep your interest going. Were they to stick to one vocalist or one particular style, Television of Cruelty could easily bore.
The band avoid this by changing the line-up singing duties are split between band members (Jak, Lady Muck, Blitzcat and Ian – only G and Bruiser avoid microphone duties).
Meanwhile songwriting is also split between the group. It’s almost like the good old days when Lennon and McCartney would give Ringo Starr a chance to pen a song.
There may not be an "Octopus’ Garden" on these EPs, but who is going to complain about that when you have an amazing Bowie-style piano solo on "Teenage Wasteland"?
Tune in Next Time for……
For all the navel gazing and adolescent pomposity of their anti-Big Brother rantings, Television of Cruelty are an excellent band with some good tracks behind them. No doubt there will be more to come.
In the meantime, let’s make a cup of tea, pass the cucumber sandwiches around and have another listen to some of the most English music on the planet.
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