Temples, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

An hour before they’re due onstage, Temples members James Bagshaw and Thomas Warmsley are in the crowd of the Brudenell Social Club with glittered faces, watching touring partners Telegram set the scene for an expectant crowd in a sold out show. Without a nous of an introduction, they launch immediately into ‘Rule No 1’, inviting the curious mass to draw closer. While they begin with an impression of nervousness, by the time they play ‘Eons’ the crowd’s intrigue becomes a fuel for the group, who tear through a track that’s multi-faceted, showing flecks of motorik, glam and NYC punk. It’s a beast with many backs.

Debut single ‘Follow’ careers with pace and precision, with vocalist Matt Saunders producing a rallying call through the sound and fury. One half of Telegram wants to be beautiful and the other wants to be wild and, for thirty minutes, Telegram manage to be both. With so many different tones to their tracks, whatever they do, it’s compelling nonetheless. They’re still in their relative infancy of course, so there’s plenty of time to decide what - and who - they really are. The hybrid certainly works for now, looking at an adoring Temples, the glitter and glam has rubbed off on them already.

Temples hadn’t walked onstage before chants of ‘Bagshaw! Bagshaw!’ had started from an eager crowd. Beginning with ‘Sun Structures’ and ‘Prisms’, they bring with them all the sprightliness of a sand shifting sphinx, but one that is benevolent, devoid of any riddles or gimmicks. It’s a mesmeric introduction and one that entrances the audience spanning multiple generations, especially when ‘Prisms’ builds into something heavier and ominous. ‘Colours To Life’ is executed with real pomp, with the rhythm section driving the track’s momentum with James Bagshaw’s vocals pursed on the microphone.

Unfortunately, this is where things start to go wrong for them. During the performance of latest single ‘Keep In The Dark’, the group are dogged by technical malfunctions, with guitar amps perhaps showing their age. It takes nearly twenty minutes for a solution and during so, they play through another three songs, but the loss of such a crucial limb spoils the previous energy that the opening tripartite created. To pull back some semblance, the group play ‘Keep In The Dark’ again by way of apology.. Though it may not have been their finest performance, it would be churlish to blame them for what occurred. Maybe after all, the sphinx was malevolent to begin with.