Teleman – Dusseldorf

This week’s selection of older tunes focuses on the theme of wonderful bands and artists who do not get the kind of exposure on mainstream television that their music and talent warrant. It was inspired by a recent episode of TV comedy quiz show ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks,’ in which Teleman’s main man Thomas Sanders (also of the band Pete And The Pirates) appeared in the mystery person line up. It reminded me a bit of the days when a national TV appearance from a favourite indie band member was a rare and exciting thing, a little moment of infiltration and victory for the kind of musicians normally hidden from view. This felt just like that, almost like Thomas would never have been in contention for landing a slot as one of the main contestants on the show but he got in through the back door anyway and both of his excellent bands got a mention. So here is some Teleman with a track from their 2016 album ‘Brilliant Sanity,’ followed by five other tracks from artists similarly deserving of the more widespread recognition so often afforded to far less (for me) worthy recipients.

Peggy Sue – Always Going

Even though I still found a few things to enjoy in the 2025 series of ‘Later With Jools Holland,’ there was often a sense of frustration at booking opportunities missed and unnecessary chat time offered to guests with little of interest to say. But maybe one of the biggest ‘so near yet so far’ moments came when the main front duo from a favourite band of mine, Peggy Sue, appeared on the show as one of the headliners (I should add as a side note, they were not credited but I am certain it was them) but not under their own name or playing their own material. No, they were part of the dance troupe performing with Self Esteem. Obviously I cannot fault Rosa Slade or Katy Young for taking the work, whatever pays the bills I guess and besides, I am sure if Self Esteem offered me enough money to pull some shapes I would quite speedily suspend any critical issues I might have with the music. But all the same, Peggy Sue are a wonderful band in their own right and to see them appearing, playing Peggy Sue songs, on any national TV show would be a massive win for music. Here they are performing a number from their 2014 album ‘Choir Of Echoes.’

Andrew Bird – Lazy Projector

Andrew Bird was actually an artist I discovered via a TV programme, probably a good fifteen years ago now, possibly more. My next door neighbour at the time had been raving about this amazing musician that I had to see, which elicited the usual “I think I will be the judge of that” private scepticism from me because, like all music obsessives, nothing seems quite as exciting and revelatory as the thing you discover for yourself as opposed to that which someone else puts your way. I thought the sound of him was a bit gimmicky, as the USP put to me was that Andrew played all his own instruments simultaneously and built up the sound using loops and pedals. But then I did stumble across him playing on a live music show called ‘From The Basement’ and sure enough, he was as incredible as had been described. The thing about him for me is, aside from the multi-faceted facilities on various instruments, is that he can write a rather fine song, like the classic presented here.

Inspiral Carpets & Mark E Smith – I Want You

Mark E Smith’s band The Fall were potentially the number one cult UK act in 1994, beloved by John Peel as well as clued up sections of the music press and record buying public but seemingly forever destined to miss out on the kind of wider recognition their believers anticipated. All the same Mark was a relentlessly quotable presence in the weekly music press and the news that he was finally going to be appearing on the BBC’s long running chart show ‘Top Of The Pops’ promised to be much watch TV. He did not disappoint, prowling around the stage with a live microphone to recreate his ad-hoc additions to this brilliant Inspirals tune, you can sense the nervousness around at the unpredictable presence. He walks those boards like he wants to follow a feckless punter around a pub bar intent on picking a fight. There is even a story in circulation that he threatened to pull a knife on a member of the ‘Eastenders’ cast in the BBC canteen. If that is true it has to be a candidate for the most unusual route taken to national treasure status by anyone, such was the warmth that eventually grew around Mark E Smith’s unfiltered personality that the BBC even let him read out the Saturday afternoon football scores on one memorable occasion.

Spoon – Hot Thoughts

If it felt like I was giving ‘Later With Jools Holland’ a bit of an undeserved bashing in my text for the Peggy Sue song, it was only because I genuinely felt there were too many missed opportunities in the 2025 series and a wave of acts that I felt worth a national television leg-up not appearing whilst some far less essential, predictable names with major label clout pushing them forward, ate up too many broadcast minutes. That and the shorter length format, not to mention a dismal Hootenanny, gave the impression, for me, of a show running out of steam. But I do not want to lose sight of what essential viewing the show has been since its 1992 launch, with a winning eclectic music focused formula. It has frequently been the only place where acts of a certain stripe would be seen on the box. Spoon are one such example, one of my favourite bands for the whole of the 21st century but equally one that I do not recall seeing on British TV other than here, on ‘Jools’ in 2017.

Ween – Exactly Where I’m At

An uncategorisable oeuvre or a love of the absurd and the unpredictable might be enviable facets in the story of a band, but they are not qualities readily appreciated by TV producers and bookers. Ween have never been an act with an easy answer to the question “what do you do?” They are essentially a deeply skilled band who can get a hold of the essence in any genre or style, be it heavy metal or country, folk songs or the avant-garde, then put it through their own Ween blender and produce something that is impossibly, sometimes hilariously, wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have had a few TV appearances in the US and, although I would like to direct readers to the eccentric charms of ‘Mister Can You Please Help My Pony?’ I could not find a television version of that one, so I present this superb rendition of the opening track from 2000’s ‘White Pepper’ album, arguably one of the bands more easily accessible efforts.