A beacon of kaleidoscopic light shining from Kettering, psychedelic four-piece Temples have turned a fair few heads in the music industry in the last year, perhaps most notably Noel Gallagher.
The Oasis mastermind said about their debut LP, 'Sun Structures', that "The the future of the Galaxy depends on that record". So it would seem fitting, then, that Temples closed their triumphant UK tour at the same venue the Chief had ended his just over a year earlier.The band opened the set with a rendition of their second single ‘Colours to Life’, a beautiful start to the gig, and one which seemed to capture the imagination of the eclectic audience, as they all gazed wondrously at the Empire’s ceiling.
The band played album tracks ‘Sun Structures’ and ‘A Question Isn’t Answered’ before a blast of b-side ‘Ankh’, and held the highly inebriated crowd in the palm of their hands. Though it wasn’t just the usual cans of Stella intoxicating the London audience - it was the wonderful mystery of the band’s nostalgic sound, and perhaps the spell cast by frontman James Bagshaw’s Bolan-esque perm. Unfortunately, it was never clearer than during ‘The Golden Throne’ that the group’s fascinating analogue atmosphere doesn’t yet lend itself to arena shows. Maybe it was the fault of the venue, but the vast mix of sounds, both mellow and dreamy, seemed to blur into one indistinct mush. Nonetheless, this young act displayed with ease how to control an audience simply by having a fascinating aura and a collection of truly great songs, minus the bravado of Alex Turner or the controversy of Liam Gallagher. Before an encore of single 'Mesmerise', Bagshaw and co played three more tracks from their newly released debut ‘Sun Structures’.
Speaking to fans outside the venue after the gig, it became clear I wasn’t the only one who felt the setlist was slightly too short – nine songs and a one song encore. Regardless, this is a young group who show a heck of a lot of promise for the future.
RIFFED's Rating: 9/10
Watch Temples perform 'Shelter Song' at Shepherds Bush:
Posted by Mark Hayden.
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