Temples Perform In Exeter

As one half of us had already seen the Midlands group at Boardmasters festival in Newquay, we were both interested to see what Temples had to offer in a more intimate venue. There is no doubt that in the recorded form of their music Temples show serious promise, and having heard the four or five songs on their Spotify page we were eager to hear what else might be in the pipeline for their forthcoming debut album. In this respect they certainly delivered – the classic psych-rock Sun Structures and the slower more thoughtful Move With The Seasons stand up extremely well alongside the singles already released.

Of their recorded material, Ankh was a standout, which really showcased the depth and range of the band’s sound: from the tight rhythm section with bass and drums combining to lay down an arresting beat during the verses, to the explosion of ethereal synths which form the chorus, this was the definition of eargasmic. Colours To Life, the band’s second single was another pick, a simply brilliant piece of songwriting which was more guitar driven, but again from bass to synths the band created a theatre of sound, complimented perfectly with flawless vocal harmonies. The band are clearly perfectionists, a point highlighted by singer and lead guitarist James Edward Bagshaw’s frequent change of guitars, sometimes even taking up a 12 string for more complex songs. Sonically speaking, the band were totally on the money. The issue was more about their on-stage presence.

Throughout the performance, the attitude of the crowd was generally more impressed than excited, and this was in some part down to the lack of interaction from the band members. The band rattled through their set with little pause for chat, and when the lead singer did try and get the audience involved, his reasoning was that ‘his voice was going’ after a long tour. Not exactly in the spirit of Rock and Roll that’s for sure. Another issue was the showmanship of the frontman: clearly a talented guitarist but inexplicably turned away from the crowd at every solo he played. These quibbles probably have something to do with the introverted nature of Temples, which, granted, comes across in their unusual and cryptic lyrics.

All in all an accomplished performance which leaves me in no doubt that Temples’ album will be one of the most eagerly anticipated debuts next year. The band were a tight unit and perfectly in tune, and the songs themselves were brilliantly crafted. However, what they lacked as live performers was simply passion and drive on stage, and there wasn’t any real feeling that the band actually wanted to be there and were enjoying themselves: this kind of thing doesn’t rub off so well on the objective spectator. Somehow at the end of their set when Temples (flawlessly of course) played through first single Shelter Song and abruptly left with little comment, we were left wanting something more.