Far Out Magazine November 17, 2012

2012年12月 the Brudenell Social club

Moon Duo のサポートアクトとして演奏した時のレビュー。人は見かけによらない・・・ってことか。

 

 

 

When a band comes on stage to set up what’s the first thing you do? You stand there, pint in hand, silently judging them.
So up step second support act: ‘Temples.’

“Fucking hell, he looks like that guy from the horrors mixed with the kooks prick and a bit of Noel Fielding or summat. That keyboard player’s going for the Ringo Starr reincarnated look. God these are gonna be crap.”

These were initial judgments of appearance and taste. It’s important to say at this point that nearly every band that have big hair and keyboardists are shit. And nobheads.
 

But then a weird thing happened, Temples started playing and they were good, really good. Self proclaimed ‘neo-psych’ rockers, they’re probably getting sick of all the references they receive about bands from the original era but its hard not to. They’re more pop, Beatles, magical mystery tour style than they are rocking 13th floor elevators. They’re the good acid trip, the one that ends in laughing at pepperamis and praising beetle god rather than the one that culminates in rolling on the bathroom floor, being sick while the floor’s trying to eat your face off.

The crowd was pretty hyped up for a Tuesday night when Temples started. Thankfully the sound was good throughout, I guess the psychedelic era was all about discovery and playing about with things and that was consistent in the music. The singer and guitarist, James Bagshaw, used three guitars which seemed a bit strange for a support band that probably only played 7 or 8 songs but it persuaded you that they knew what they were doing. They’re musicians in a band trying to make good music rather than lads that can play an instrument and see being in a band as a good pulling technique.

Support act Temples

I said before that most bands with keyboards are shit but in fact, Adam Smith, on keys really set the tone and held the rhythm, adding the neo-psych elements that no guitar effect pedals could. Sam Toms on drums was great and unleashed some real energy into the crowd, whilst bassist, Thomas Warmsley, was as consistent with haircut and musical prowess as the others.

Bagshaw between songs was polite but pretty quiet, during songs he was different, he was a proper front man. A conductor as well as a guitarist and singer, a showman, twitching at every note as if electricity ran through the top end of his guitar.

Temples, as a support band were great, lasting just the right amount of time and definitely got an, ahem, older crowd going. But you get the feeling they won’t be supporting for long and finished with their debut single: ‘Shelter song.’ A Beatles influenced track if ever there was one complete with; a battle between vocals and backing vocals, a Sgt peppery riff and a plea to take it to the ‘twilight zone.’

Before last night I didn’t know anything about Temples but I do now and they’re definitely starting to create a stir having been named as one of the guardian’s ‘new band of the day’ and in NME’s ‘10 tracks you have to hear this week’ all in the last month or so.
They’re also supporting Mystery Jets on the same tour that Drenge will be supporting. I highly recommend seeing this band live before making any judgments about their records, or their hair.