The Telescopes were formed in 1987 by Stephen Lawrie and could best be described as a noise/space rock band. Their debut release was a split flexi disc with Loop on the Cheree label in 1988. There followed their debut single, “Kick the Wall”, and “7th# Disaster” also on Cheree Records. They moved to What Goes On Records and released their debut LP, “Taste” and “The Perfect Needle” single which is perhaps their most famous song. A live album appeared on Fierce Records and following What Goes On’s bankruptcy they signed to Creation Records. A more laidback, baggy influenced sound followed and the band scraped the lower reaches of the UK singles chart with singles like “Flying”, and released “The Telescopes”, their second album, in 1992. It was a commercial failure and the band disappeared from the public eye.

They toured again with a different line-up, new sound and all new songs in 1994 and later evolved into Unisex releasing a number of records. Unisex were Stephen Lawrie (Vocals) Jo Doran (Guitars/Backing Vocals) Nick Hemming (Guitars/Keyboards) Dan (Drums) Foz (Bass).

In 2002 they made a surprise return with “The Third Wave” on Double Agent Records. By this time they were a core of just Stephen Lawrie and Jo Doran and were a much more experimental band specialising in electronic soundscapes. In 2005 they released their fourth album “The Telescopes #4” on their own Antenna Records. They continue to tour, release singles and make numerous appearances on compilation CDs.

The Telescopes have been mining a unique anti-myopian seam of drone/dream psych for 20 years. Expertly bolting gritty blocks of noise, rich with fossil and sediment, onto minimal songs and melodies which are miles apart and miles beyond the reams of drone/ambience out there. In 2006 The Telescopes became a collaboration between Bridget Hayden and founder member Stephen Lawrie. Bridget was an original member of Vibracathedral Orchestra. The two met briefly when The Telescopes and VCO shared the bill at Audioscope festival in 2004, where The Telescopes finished their set by drilling through gtr pickups.

Following a narrow escape from a burning wreck on their UK tour in 2005, The Telescopes 5th line

up disintegrated. And In 2006 Bridget left VCO to explore new ventures. Bridget had already been working with Stephen on the Dream Frequencies artwork for The Telescopes Antenna label. Both were shocked by the intensity of their first session together.

As a volcanic two piece scythe spent 2006 spreading free noise around England, Scotland, Ireland, The Canary Islands, West Coast of America, Italy and Austria,recording all the time. Their first release for the Trensmat label sold out within an hour. Their second release for the label sold out a month in advance. Copies of the releases have been known to exchange hands for over 25 pounds. Together they harness a primeval drone, rich in texture, and build it beautifully in unison with soaring feedback, guitar manipulation & viola which forever spiral outward, fractal and hypnotic - a bed of noise percolating at the edges of audition.

About Infinite Suns

Infinite Suns begins a new era of change in the Telescopes music field. This LP is very much number one, the introduction to a serie of release (2 new albums and one live recording)


This new LP is a selection of analogue tape recordings taken between 2006 and 2007, using a multi directional mic to capture environmental response. Recording levels were set close to saturation, allowing for interaction with the tape machine itself. Side one closes with a piece centered around a lock-groove from the run-out of The Telescopes first album and is lock-grooved again to play endlessly. The recording took place in a room used by a deep trance medium to hold investigative seances. The album ends with The Telescopes channelling out on each others instruments. The sound of earthquakes dreaming, where black holes reveal infinite suns.

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