Temples Stay in the Psychedelic Light

Every time I’ve seen Temples perform since their much-hyped U.S. tour for their 2014 debut album, Sun Structures, the band’s live show has grown by leaps and bounds. That’s admittedly not that hard to do, given that the band had left the stage for that San Francisco show after about three songs, due to singer James Bagshaw’s much-gossiped-about illness at the time. My friends and I turned to each other as the house lights came on, asking out loud, “Wait… is that it?” It wasn’t an auspicious Bay Area introduction to the band.

But Temples has always held the promise of bigger and better things just based on their radio-friendly rock alone. Sounding like a more rocking throwback to the ‘60s and ‘70s psych rock heyday, they’re reminiscent of Tame Impala but with grittier sass and larger-than-life panache. Even if they played a smaller Oakland venue this time around than that first Bay Area show a decade ago, they’ve grown into a verifiably great rock band, with an infectious kind of live performance that makes you want to put the songs on earphones as you head home from the show, heady with good vibes.

Their live show is now a well-oiled machine. Their groovy riffs and catchy rock hooks are spun and amplified into a kaleidoscopic, stereophonic sound live, with one foot in the psychedelic sounds of the past and the other firmly rooted in the melodies and head-bopping rock of the present. And they’re a gracious and charming live band, with a demeanor that welcomes you in but doesn’t linger too long before making sure you rock out. To this day, I’m still awed by Bagshaw’s enviable halo of curls and his ability to wear leather jackets and peg-leg pants like only a true rockstar can. Four studio albums into their career, they celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Sun Structures with this fall U.S. tour, so most of the setlist covered songs from that album. It was a holy racket. Songs like “Keep in the Dark” and “Mesmerise” sounded crisp and atmospherically gorgeous; the band seemed completely at ease onstage.

The crowd sang along for the album’s hit single, “Shelter Song,” which closed the set before a brief encore featuring “Paraphernalia” and “Gamma Rays.” I would’ve loved to have heard more from their discography, especially the solid-gold hits I love from 2019’s Hot Motion. But they left the crowd wanting for more, as Bagshaw thanked us before sending us off into the night to enjoy the rest of our weekend.

Alex Henry Foster (photo by Ayako Toyama)

Opening for Temples that night was the Montreal-based Alex Henry Foster, who brought a full band for a short set of industrial-sounding barn-burners that were full of emotional urgency and gothic passion. It seemed fitting, given that the musician talked about his near-death medical emergency last year.