Kevin Bronson on July 5th, 2015

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Pioneers of the New York City underground, Television visited L.A.’s Teragram Ballroom on Thursday, displaying the sophisticated guitar work and enigmatic style that influenced scores of punk and alternative rock bands since their 1970s infancy.

||| Photos by Michelle Shiers

The quartet’s seminal 1977 album “Marquee Moon” dominated the night, as fans of all ages whooped and hollered while the band — Tom Verlaine, Jimmy Rip, Billy Ficca and Fred Smith — pushed through drawn-out versions of their songs and kept the audience ebbing and flowing through the 1-hour, 40-minute set.

Frontman Verlaine started off the evening by telling the audience that some pretty interesting stuff was going on with the planet Jupiter recently and between songs he would enlighten us with more planet facts. What followed was some celestial guitar playing.

They opened their set with an intro and then into “Prove It” and “Elevation” from “Marquee Moon,” with the most recognizable songs such as “Venus” and “Persia” earning the greatest reponses — but none greater than the title track. Audience members were either intently watching fierce licks from guitarist Rip (who replaced original member Richard Lloyd in 2007) and drummer Billy Ficca’s improvisational erratic drummer style, or they stood rap with their eyes closed, totally immersed in the band’s sometimes dissonant but trend-defying scale exploration.

It would seem, with the length of some songs, Television are still trying to challenge their audience. With age, these pioneers of progressive jamming haven’t totally maintained an outward punk energy, but the punk ethos is still very much there. They closed their set with the rarity “I’m Gonna Find You” and “Glory” from sophomore album “Adventure.” Verlaine’s perfectly imperfect sneering vocals and enigmatic guitar playing proved his unwavering craftsmanship and sans encore, Television left the audience pining for more.

Television were preceded by quirky songbird Phoebe Bridgers whose sweet voice and generally heart-wrenching tunes were quite a contrast. Wearing a sparking black jacket along with a sparkling guitar capo, she charmed with her self-deprecating shyness and vocal prowess leaving no wonder as to how she caught the eye of producer Ryan Adams.