Naming your band after a member of The A Team is a smart move. While Dirk Benedict is somewhere on the forefront of moronic consciousness following his stint in the UK Big Brother house - is it just me or, whilst in the middle of a technocological revolution, has television become shitter than ever? - he will always be remembered as the suave Templeton 'Faceman' Peck. Not such a smart move is misspelling the name though. I'm guessing that the band have done this to avoid any kind of copyright problems. Not very punk rock, eh?

But it is punk rock that keeps getting mentioned in the same reviews as Templeton Pek and I'm a little curious as to why. If this is punk then it has rarely been more polished. This is modern, indie-tinged melodic rock that has spent a great deal of time going over the Fightstar blueprints. There's a hint of Angels And Airwaves in the string-laced opening to 'No Communication' but, let's be honest, the coolest thing about that band is the fact that the drummer used to be in Rocket From The Crypt. Templeton Pek have garnered some great press in their short career and some great gigs too - including the Give It A Name festival, Taste of Chaos tour and as support to Mindless Self Indulgence - but, while little of this wounded industry surprises me anymore, I'd stick my neck out and say that Pek are a little too familiar sounding to really break big. They impress but ultimately fail to excite and are the musical equivalent of watching David Blaine in a plexi-glass box.

by Gaz E.

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