Whoooooooah...hey man, what’s happening? Going to
see Temples at The Institute? Cosmic...faaaaar out dude. Okay, enough of the
trippy 60s lingo (for now at least, I’m still having flashbacks from this show
so frankly anything could happen in the next few paragraphs) but tonight was
another of those time travelling gigs that made you question which decade you
were living in.
First up to mess with your minds, Dark Bells, an
Aussie trio with a neat line in quiet/loud/quiet psych-gaze. There ain’t enough
female fronted rock acts in the world, a situation that becomes increasingly
difficult to comprehend when you hear/see the Bells’ lead singer Teneil in
action. Musically things start off on an almost acid folk tinged vibe with a
song that may possibly be called Do You Remember? (oh for the day when bands
tell you the song titles...makes life a whole lot easier) before spinning off
into more of a shoegazey universe. Vocally Teneil veers between slightly trippy
space cadet and full on siren whilst the band’s bassist spins out some
gloriously funked up basslines.
It’s a bewitching mix, the sort of
sound that makes you want to rip off your top and do that weird hand dance
thing that people seemed to spend most of the 60s doing (or maybe that's just me). New single In Head (out
April 24th on RIP Records) capped off a powerful set of tunes in
fine style. Ding dong.
‘Stoned’ Roses anyone? There’s certainly a hint of Madchester’s
finest in Childhood’s sound, especially in 2013 single Solemn Skies...in fact more
than one You Tube comment has recently wistfully recalled the late 80s early
90s scene into which this lot could slot.
Actually they’re a lot less chilled
out live than they often appear on ‘record’ or whatever you crazy kids listen
to music on these days. Whilst the jingle jangly indie guitars are in place
lead singer Leo is happily far more animated this evening, coming dangerously
close to rocking out in fact. Most of it’s all very good in a head nodding way
but you get the sense that there’s a lot more to come from them, as hinted at
by the rather splendid wig out jam at the end of the set...yes wig out jam...it’s
stored right next to the honey in Aldi.
Well and truly back to the 60s for tonight’s
headliners, Temples, who seem to have a particularly uncanny knack for penning
the kind of tunes that our dads/granddads/great granddads (delete according to
your age) might well have turned on, tuned in and dropped out to. Hmmm...maybe
they sold their souls to Syd Barrett? Via a ouija board obviously. The really
clever bit though is that pretty much every tune is shot through with a cunning
pop sensibility, catchy hooks and riffs pour off this lot like water off a
ducks back, albeit a duck tripping off its beak. I’m guessing lead singer James
Edward Bagshaw honed that particular skill during his time with indie chart
toppers Sukie back in the day. Wherever it’s come from it’s freaking brilliant.
Like the first puff on a spliff tonight’s opening number Colours To Life draws
you into its warm embrace and for the next hour or so you’re on a different
planet. Looking more than a little like Marc Bolan (even down to the glitter
round the eyes) Bagshaw’s dreamy vocal is the soft caramel heart around which
the band wraps rich, dark psych. There’s other stuff going on though. Sun
Structures hits a bit of a Krautrock/proggy vibe, recent B Side Ankh has a
distinctly glam feel to it and Move With The Seasons wanders into Pink Floyd
territory. Unsurprisingly given all these influences there was a decent age
span here tonight...more than one ‘dad and son’ combo uniting uneasily over
their collective love for this band. At times Bagshaw seems genuinely overwhelmed
by how far they’ve got in little over a year commenting that “it’s amazing to
be playing to so many people” (cue huge whoops from the fathers and sons). He
shouldn’t be surprised though, each and every single they’ve released so far
has been naggingly addictive with the aforementioned Colours To Life and the
flower powered Keep In The Dark both going down a storm tonight. I’d not heard
the proto metal (this really came across in tonight’s version) of Sand Dance
before but it perhaps hints at a heavier possible direction for the band in the
future. Who knows? Who cares when you’ve got something as fabulous as set
closer Shelter Song to enjoy. Kicking off with Beatles-ish guitars it’s as
gloriously 60s as miniskirts, lava lamps and flower power. Breaking with his
rather deadpan expression I couldn’t help notice Baghshaw allowing himself a
little grin to keyboardist Adam. It was well deserved judging by the sea of bobbing
heads, hairy and...er...not so hairy, in the heart of the crowd.
Of course one song was missing from the set so far and
perhaps they really had left the best for the encore. In a ‘does exactly what
it says on the tin’ way Mesmerise extended way beyond its usual three minutes
or so, tripping off to a different place altogether for a full five minutes or
so. I reckon some of the audience could have watched it all night. Temples...truly
a group worth worshipping.
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