Northside Festival: Luke Temple @ Union Pool, New York 06/12/14

“Ladies and gentlemen, hello.”  Luke Temple opened his set at Union Pool Thursday with a simple line, fitting for his simple set-up: just him and a guitar.  Playing solo (Temple is also in New York band Here We Go Magic), Temple’s music is quiet and his voice carries a sad tone, yet is powerful.  Performing in the small backroom with about thirty people in attendance, the set was fitting for the space.  Temple plays as if he was playing in his apartment by himself and is not apologetic for his somber songs like one he wrote about his aunt.  (“It’s not the happiest one.”)  This song in particular was more like a narrative accompanied by background music than a traditional harmony of singing and instruments. To see fully appreciate Temple’s solo act, one has to be in a melancholy mood.

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