A Beautiful, Bittersweet Journey Through the Cosmic World of Pete Bingham and Sendelica
There are some releases that arrive as albums, some as compilations, and some as something much more emotional than either of those things.
An Introduction To… Sendelica, released by Fruits de Mer Records, is one of those very special releases. It is a four-CD set, running to over five hours of music, and for anyone who has ever wondered where to begin with Sendelica, this is absolutely the place to start.
But it is also a bittersweet release. Pete Bingham, the guitarist, creative force and guiding spirit behind Sendelica, helped bring this set together before he sadly passed away. That knowledge changes how you hear it. This is not just a compilation. It feels like a map through a musical universe that Pete helped create, and in many ways it now stands as a celebration of everything that made Sendelica so unique.
I interviewed Pete twice for the Now Spinning Magazine Podcast, and although I never met him in person, I felt I knew him through those conversations, through messages, and most importantly, through the music. He was warm, funny, authentic, full of integrity and completely devoted to the idea that music should be free to go wherever it wants to go.
That is exactly what Sendelica sound like.
What Do Sendelica Sound Like?
I was honoured to have one of my own quotes included on the sleeve of this release:
“Imagine The Doors were having a jam with Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly, where all the vocalists were at the bar next door enjoying a beer.”
Having lived with Sendelica’s music for longer now, I would add a few more people to that imaginary bar. Hawkwind would definitely be there. So would Black Sabbath. There is something heavy, cosmic, hypnotic and completely unrestrained about Sendelica. They are psychedelic, but not in a nostalgic or museum-piece way. They are space rock, but not simply because they use cosmic sounds or long instrumental passages. They create journeys.
This is music that feels as if it has no rulebook.
There is no sense of anyone saying, “You can’t do that.” Instead, you hear a band saying, “Why not?” Why not stretch this idea? Why not let the saxophone take off? Why not let the guitar spiral into another galaxy? Why not build something heavy, strange, beautiful and otherworldly?
That freedom is one of the reasons I connected with Sendelica so strongly.
A Perfect Entry Point
One of the challenges with Sendelica is that so much of their music has appeared in limited editions, small runs and releases that have sold out. That is part of the charm, but it can also make the band difficult to navigate if you are new to them.
That is where this set becomes so important.
Across four packed CDs, An Introduction To… Sendelica draws from different corners of the band’s world: Fruits de Mer covers, early recordings, rarities, unreleased tracks, album pieces and live performances. It gives you a way in. It opens the door.
And what a door it is.
The first disc includes tracks such as “Venus In Furs”, “Urban Guerilla”, “Hard Coming Love”, “Love Song For The Dead Che”, “Journey To The Centre Of The Mind”, “Nile Song”, “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” and “Nite Flights”. That gives you some idea of the territory Sendelica are moving through: The Velvet Underground, Hawkwind, Zappa, Pink Floyd, The United States of America and beyond. But they never sound like a covers band. They absorb these songs into their own atmosphere.
“Urban Guerilla”, the Hawkwind cover, is a perfect example. In Sendelica’s hands, it becomes part of their own strange, heavy, space-rock language.
The later discs move deeper into the band’s own world, including demos, unreleased material, extended pieces and live recordings. This is where the set really begins to feel like a journey rather than a sampler. You are not just dipping into Sendelica. You are being invited to lose yourself in them.
The Sound of a Band Without Boundaries
The core of Sendelica’s sound comes from Pete Bingham’s guitar and electronics, Glenda Pescado’s bass, Jack Jackson’s drums, Lee Relfe’s saxophone and Colin Consterdine’s beats, keys and production. But even that does not fully explain it.
The saxophone is a huge part of what makes this band so distinctive. Lee Relfe’s playing often feels as if it is coming from somewhere ancient and futuristic at the same time. There are moments where I imagine that saxophone being played from the top of Glastonbury Tor, sending notes out across the landscape. It has drama, melody and wildness.
Pete’s guitar is the other guiding light. It can be heavy, searching, bluesy, cosmic, delicate, chaotic and deeply emotional. He did not play as if he was trying to impress you with technique. He played as if he was trying to open a portal.
That is the difference.
Sendelica’s music is not about showing off. It is about transport. You put it on, turn the lights down, make sure you know where your cup of tea is, and let yourself go. With this set, you could be gone all day.
A Fruits de Mer Release Done Properly
Fruits de Mer Records have done a lovely job with this package. I have always liked the way they present CDs so that they feel connected to the physical ritual of record collecting. The discs themselves have that vinyl-style look, and the whole package feels full of care.
This matters. With a band like Sendelica, the physical object is part of the experience. You are not just clicking on a track. You are entering a world.
The artwork, the track listings, the photos and the way the set is put together all make this feel like something made by people who genuinely care about the music and the community around it.
Remembering Pete Bingham
For me, this review cannot simply be about the music. It has to be about Pete.
Pete Bingham was a wonderful musician and a lovely man. He had that rare quality where the humour, the integrity and the creativity all seemed to come from the same place. He believed in music. Not the music business. Not the algorithm. Not the idea of fitting into neat little boxes. Music.
And that is what you hear across these four CDs.
You hear a musician and a band who followed the sound wherever it wanted to go. You hear friendship. You hear exploration. You hear imagination. You hear a refusal to be ordinary.
It makes me sad that Pete is no longer with us. But it also makes me grateful that I have been able to hear this music, talk to him, review Sendelica’s releases and hopefully play a small part in encouraging more people to discover them.
If even a handful of people read this, watch the video and decide to give Sendelica a go, that would mean a great deal.
An Introduction To… Sendelica is brilliant. It is also emotional. It is the perfect starting point for newcomers, but it is also a heartfelt celebration for those who already know how special this band is.
If you have never heard Sendelica before, start here.
Turn off the lights. Put the first disc on. Let the music take over. Do not expect verse, chorus, verse, chorus. Do not expect everything to make sense straight away. Let it unfold. Let it drift. Let it roar. Let it heal.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
