TEMPLES at the Horseshoe Tavern, Wednesday, November 20. Rating: NNN
The UK’s psych-rock quartet Temples played their first-ever show in Canada last night, to a sweaty, full room at the Horseshoe Tavern. It sure felt like something special. Like we were in a London club at the onset of an English band’s awesomeness in the 1960s. (Which seems somehow more romantic than being in a Toronto club – however historic – at the onset of an English band’s awesomess in 2013.) Their look sure didn’t hurt the mood – velvet blazers, turtlenecks, shiny shirts and hair, hair, hair. (It’s a wonder lead singer James Edward Bagshaw can see through the head of curls that hangs over his sparkle-adorned face.)
And they’ve got mojo, for sure. The undulating psychedelic elements off their just-released debut album, Shelter Song/Colours To Life shine brighter live, definitely. There were just-lovely harmonies throughout, and Bagshaw’s voice was so much crystal-cooler and full, never drowned out. And certain tunes, like Shelter Song, seem to have been built on a guitar riff explicitly made to seduce a live audience.
But this year, the band’s been plagued by technical issues at a couple of gigs. And maybe that’s why you couldn’t help but feel they were holding back. Whether it was in a half-successful attempt at crowd participation (after his joke-ask of the audience to take their tops off fell a bit flat, Bagshaw tried to get everyone clapping along to Keep In The Dark) or a seeming hesitation to go all in musically lest there be any feedback, the show was a little on the safe side.
The album does a great job of making digestible pop tunes, but it would have been nice to stretch them out more than they did, to get a little bit deeper into the trances for a little bit longer.
Their set was also very short. “This is our last song,” said Bagshaw at the 35-minute mark. “We don’t have any more. We left the others back in England.” Fair enough, they’ve only been together a year (!). Still, an encore would have been cool.
But these really are just early days. A little more practice onstage and a bigger arsenal of tunes – the world’s their oyster.
