NEWS
EVENTS
The Telescreen ft. Frankie Cocozza play Hitchin!
Indie | Friday 27th February 2015 | Renée-Láuren
On Friday 20th February Danie Jerling played his last gig as the much loved guitarist in The Telescreen, a band who’s frontman is known as The X Factor’s most rebellious contestant – Frankie Cocozza.
Cocozza found his way into the nation's hearts in 2011 with his X Factor audition of ‘Valerie’. After being removed form the competition for his reckless behaviour, Cocozza was put into the 9th series of Celebrity Big Brother, surviving the full length of the show this time, and was voted runner-up to actress and presenter Denise Welch.
On December 19th, 2012, Cocozza made his reappearance in the music scene as part of a band, who later named themselves ‘The Telescreen’, at the 02 Academy, Islington. The band featured Cocozza as the frontman, Mark Day on drums, Tom Stamp on bass, and brothers Dominic and Danie Jerling on guitar. At this gig and the following 22 date UK tour, the band performed Cocozza’s solo EP’s Motorcycle and Embrace, and their independent album The Telescreen, which was released in September 2014.
Last Friday night the band played at Hitchin’s renowned music venue Club 85, a gig which was revealed on Twitter to be Danie Jerling’s last, as he leaves to fulfil his ambition of becoming a hairdresser. With fans flooding in from all over the UK, it was obvious that this was going to be a good send off. Despite initial disappointment at a timing mix-up on the fault of the venue, and then being held up a further 20 minutes because the doorman had not arrived on time, by 7:30 the party was in full swing with the band mingling with fans and having chats and giggles. It was obvious from the camaraderie both inside and outside the venue that this is a fan base that are truly happy for each other when they get to meet their idols. Talking to the band it was clear that they were very humble and loved the opportunity to spend time with the fans that obviously go to a lot of trouble to make it to these gigs.
Supporting the band were Skyla, Rain the Cult, and Late Homecoming – three unique but unknown bands who are rather popular on the underground indie-rock music scene. Skyla, previously known as White Fly, an awkward and sad sounding band, failed to kick start the party atmosphere with the majority of fans becoming bored of the constant droning and lack of fun.
Rain the Cult, a local rock band influenced by the likes of The Libertines and Radiohead, were a hit with many. Throughout their performance, mosh pits were started by obvious friends, fans and relations of the band and there was a feeling of genuine enjoyment among the crowd. With a distinctive rock sound, they made a good impression on the audience and I wouldn't be surprised if they have a new following of Coconuts (what Telescreen and Cocozza fans call themselves).
The final support band, Late Homecoming, a four-piece local to Hitchin and clearly familiar with the venue, were led by singer and guitarist labelled "Hot Tom" by the fans. Their set was attention grabbing and the a mixture of original tracks alongside covers increased the enjoyment of the fans, an favourite being their version of Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’. Fans patiently awaited the arrival of The Telescreen with a chorus of “We Love You Danie, We Do” loud enough to be heard back in London.
They kicked off their set with ‘Step Back’ and straightaway you could tell that this is a band that make their living on the road and know exactly how to put on a show. Their performance style was erratic with Cocozza sipping from a mug, presumably not tea, and deciding to take a rest on the elevated drum platform. The set was familiar: it has been played at every gig since the band emerged and is a chronological run through of the album, although the band did play one new track, which we were told is being recorded soon – the last ever track Danie Jerling will be playing guitar on.
The grand finale was 'Kids'. The band couldn't even get halfway through the song before the fans attacked. It was an obviously planned stage invasion which everyone was quick to follow. Frankie began singing along with fans around him and Dominic Jerling abandoned his mic which was quickly taken over. The security were quick to step up, removing fans from the stage, but many were persistent, and even Cocozza and the band held tightly to fans until the song was over.
The night definitely lived up to my high expectations, with the support acts warming up the crowd nicely only for The Telescreen to hype them up further. The gig had a certain sense of intimacy as the band communicated with as many of their fans as possible, even posing for selfies and acting up for the cameras waved at them. There was a definite sense of unity and friendship among the fans which gave the night an amazing atmosphere. No one left the venue without an ear-to-ear grin on their sweaty faces.
Skyla – Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud
Rain the Cult - Facebook, Soundcloud
Late Homecoming – Facebook, Twitter, iTunes
