Seeing is like stepping into another dimension in the space and time of music: Picture an elegantly groomed, bespangled Marc Bolan lounging on velvet cushions and taking tea with Aleister Crowley and Syd Barret. In the background of this scene is the surprisingly polished English psychedelic pop shimmer of Temples — the perfect soundtrack to rewriting music history.
Temples headlined a strong lineup of psychedelic rock music at Boulder’s on Wednesday night, which included openers Fever the Ghost and Wampire. L.A.’s Fever the Ghost featured a hooded, veiled frontman who led the band through a set of trippy but danceable psych pop, akin to a druggier Tame Impala. Portland’s Wampire followed with an eclectic set that vacillated between Wilco-esque folk-psych, acid surf punk and “Strawberry Fields”-inspired pop.
When Temples finally took the stage around 11 p.m., both impressive opening sets had made for tough acts to follow. Fortunately, their extensive touring in 2014 has resulted in a more mature, refined version of the band than was seen at their previous Colorado . Temples opened with the bright “Sun Structures,” the title track from their 2014 debut album. The song is a blast of driving psych pop complete with excellent Zappa-esque guitar fills.
Front and center in Temples is founder/guitarist/lead vocalist James Bagshaw, who embodies the glam/psych rock ideal: wispy, androgynous, glittery. Bagshaw’s high range vocals sometimes come across as a bit precious, but the band seems to find balance in offering swelling, orchestral rock jams layered with on point ’60s pop vocal harmonies. Temples sound is more refined than experimental, and their sense of precision in both songcraft and vocal harmony stand them apart from many of their peers in the modern psych rock movement.
Standout moments of the set included the lushly layered “Question Isn’t Answered”, featuring infectious vocal harmonies layered over a clacky drum machine track, and the jangly guitars over sweeping symphonics of “Colours to Life”. The band closed with an encore that welcomed members of Fever the Ghost and Wampire back on stage for an extended percussion jam. It’s worth noting, that there was a distinct lack of smoke in the Fox on Wednesday. During Temples’ April show, . Ahead of the Boulder show, he’d prefer if people smoked pot before or after the show.
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Amy McGrath is a Denver-based writer and regular contributor to Reverb.
Michael McGrath is a Denver area photographer. His work is available at Twist and Shout Records. Visit his website.
