International Teachers Of Pop Age Of The Train
International Teachers Of Pop were one of a few brand new delights at this year’s Bluedot festival. It was something of a relief to catch such uplifting electronic pop, as to be quite honest during the day I’d been struggling to find anything that ticked my musical boxes at this year’s festival.
International Teachers Of Pop’s debut single ‘Age of the Train’ is a glorious, throbbing, wonderfully uplifting slice of ‘nerd disco’. Commercial enough to be played on daytime radio, yet conversely imbued with a seditious undercurrent which could be enough to unsettle radio show producers. The fact that The Moonlandingz founders and co-songwriters Adrian Flanagan (Eccentronic Research Council) & Dean Honer (All Seeing I) alongside The Soundcarriers/ Whyte Horses lead singer, Leonore Wheatley are the musical brains behind International Teachers Of Pop makes you wonder if ‘Age Of The Train’ also has a slightly subversive echo (even down to the train horn sound at the beginning) of an old TV ad. ‘This is the age of the train’ featured a gunning cigar smoking pervert whose name we will not utter here. Whatever the inspiration it’s a fantastic debut and after catching them live I can confirm their musical syllabus was rammed with infectious, quirky A* electro pop classics including a wonderfully hypnotic cover of (ironically) Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall.’
ITOP’s headmistress Ms Wheatley said of the single:
“Having been a perpetual passenger, spending hours and money on our beloved rail service. Now is the time to recognise and renationalise. Try and dissolve some of the stresses of not managing to escape your city for even just a day without feeling some kind of dread.”
Adrian Flanagan added: “The only thing stopping a revolution happening in this country is the fact that the very people it affects the most can’t afford the £120 it costs to go to London on a train from the North. I’m sure revolutions tried to happen but the bloody train was late. It’s a stitch up!”
