Temples (band)

English rock band

Temples

Temples in 2014

Background information
Origin| Kettering, England
Genres|

* Psychedelic rock
* neo-psychedelia
* psychedelic pop
* alternative rock

Years active| 2012 (2012)–present
Labels|

* ATO
* Fat Possum
* Heavenly

Members| James Bagshaw
Tom Walmsley
Adam Smith
Rens Ottink
Past members| Jack Prince
Sam Toms
Website| www.templestheband.com

Temples are an English rock band, formed in Kettering, England in 2012 by singer and guitarist James Bagshaw[1] and bassist Tom Walmsley.[2] The band's lineup was later completed with the addition of keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Adam Smith and drummer Rens Ottink.

They have released four studio albums, two EPs, and a number of singles. Their debut album, Sun Structures, was released in 2014 and charted at number seven in the UK.[3] They are signed to ATO Records and have toured internationally both as a support act and as the headliner.[4]

## History

[edit]

The band was initially formed as a home studio project in mid 2012.[5] Walmsley and Bagshaw had known each other for years before these projects. It was at this point that they were in rival bands based in their hometown of Kettering. The duo had later worked together in The Moons,[6] with Bagshaw also having sessioned with the Lightning Seeds and co-fronted another earlier Kettering band Sukie who formed in 2006 and charted at No 1 in the UK Indie Chart with their debut single "Pink-A-Pade".[7] Sukie were featured in the fanzine "Siren", edited and created by Walmsley to document Kettering's music scene.[8]

The duo uploaded four self-produced tracks to YouTube, which caught the attention of Heavenly Recordings founder Jeff Barrett, who agreed to release the band's debut single "Shelter Song" in November 2012.[9][10] They then enlisted fellow Kettering resident drummer, Samuel Lloyd Toms[11] (Secret Fix, ex-Koolaid Electric Company[12]) and keyboard player Adam Smith and started rehearsing as a band, so they could play their songs live, having never played live as a band before.[4] The band released their second single "Colours To Life" in June 2013.

Temples performing at Coachella in 2014

In an interview with Sound of Boston, lead vocalist James Bagshaw noted that signing on to Heavenly Records did not change their recording process.[13] "Nothing changed, everything stayed exactly the same... At no point did they say, you know, go into the studio. If they did, we probably wouldn’t have signed to them because we liked the idea of what we were doing," Bagshaw stated.[13] Temples' personal gear during recording comes from various gear from Vox and Orange Amps, along with synthesizers like the Roland VK-8 Combo Organ.[14]

Bagshaw also commented on the difficulty in selecting which tracks to release as singles.[13] The melodic nature of "Mesmerise" was a main reason why Temples chose to release it as a single; "I guess melody is something that assigns a single because that’s the thing that people listen to. But for us, we always found it very hard to choose singles… it might not be commercially viable, but that one sounds more catchy," said Bagshaw.[13]

Having played major UK and European festival and supported the likes of Suede, Mystery Jets, Kasabian and The Vaccines[15] alongside select headline dates, the band announced their first headline UK tour to take place in October 2013.[16] In November 2013, Temples announced their self-produced debut album, Sun Structures, which was released on 5 February 2014.[17] The band embarked on a headlining tour around Europe, North America, and Australia.[18] On 30 July 2014, the band performed for the first time on US television performing "Shelter Song" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Temples also performed "Shelter Song" on The Ellen Degeneres Show on 29 September 2014.

On 30 September 2014, their song “Mesmerise” was featured in the Forza Horizon 2 soundtrack.

The band's relative lack of airplay on major radio stations in the UK, especially BBC Radio 1, has been criticized by fellow musician and fan Noel Gallagher.[19]

They debuted two new songs live in 2015, entitled 'Henry's Cake' and 'Volcano/Savior' respectively. The band confirmed that they were working on a new album via Instagram on 9 July 2015. The band spent much of the first half of 2016 recording new material before embarking on a number of European festival dates. On 26 September 2016 the band announced a new single, "Certainty".[20][21]

The band released their second studio album, Volcano, on 3 March 2017.[22]

In early 2018, drummer Samuel Toms left the band to concentrate on his solo project Secret Fix, and has gone on to join Fat White Family. The band have made no announcement regarding Toms' departure, with Toms himself only confirming his departure in December 2018 months after the band had toured with PAUW drummer Rens Ottink and released press shots with just the other three band members. Toms acknowledged that fans were contacting him regarding his departure from the band, as the band had made no comment. Toms admitted that he was asked to leave the band for reasons he did not wish to divulge, but also claimed that he had been thinking of leaving the band since shortly after joining the band, as he was not able nor allowed to contribute musically.[23] The band also parted ways with Heavenly Recordings in 2018.

Temples' third studio album, Hot Motion, was released by ATO Records on 3 September 2019.[24] Their fourth album, Exotico, was released on 14 April 2023.

## Band members

[edit]

Current

* James Edward Bagshaw – lead vocals, lead guitar
* Adam Thomas Smith – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
* Thomas Edward James Walmsley – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Rens Ottink – drums

Former

* Samuel Toms – drums
* Jack Prince – drums[25]

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

* Sun Structures (5 February 2014) UK No. 7
* Volcano (3 March 2017) UK No. 23
* Hot Motion (27 September 2019)[26] UK No. 51[27]
* Exotico (14 April 2023)[28]

### Remix album

[edit]

* Sun Restructured (10 November 2014)

### EPs

[edit]

* Shelter Song EP (7 July 2014)
* Mesmerise Live EP (16 September 2014)
* Other Structures EP (4 October 2024)

### Singles

[edit]

* "Shelter Song" / "Prisms" (12 November 2012)
* "Colours to Life" / "Ankh" (24 June 2013)
* "Keep In the Dark" / "Jewel of Mine Eye" (7 October 2013)
* "Mesmerise" (20 November 2013)
* "Move with the Season" (3 November 2014)
* "Certainty" (26 September 2016)
* "Strange or Be Forgotten" (10 January 2017)[29]
* "Hot Motion" (2019)
* "You're Either On Something" (2019)
* "Paraphernalia" (2 September 2020)
* "Gamma Rays" (11 January 2023)[28]
* "Cicada" (14 February 2023)
* "Afterlife" (14 March 2023)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Dave Simpson. "Temples – review | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
2. ^ "Ankh". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
3. ^ "Temples | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
4. ^ a b Gourlay, Dom (5 April 2013). "DiS meets Temples". drownedinsound.com. Drowned In Sound. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
5. ^ Tuffrey, Laura (16 July 2013). "Ascending The Golden Throne: Temples Interviewed". thequietus.com. The Quietus.
6. ^ Cooper, Charlie (13 September 2011). "The Moons - bassist: Tom Warmsley". Orange Amplification. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
7. ^ "Discography of Sukie". Sukie.musikear.com. 14 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
8. ^ "Northamptonshire - Entertainment - Siren Magazine". BBC. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
9. ^ "Temples: 'You Never Know Where A Song Is Destined To Go'". Thisisfakediy.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
10. ^ "Temples announce debut single 'Shelter Song' with Heavenly" (Press release). Heavenly Recordings. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
11. ^ Parker, Jack (7 September 2011). "Secret Admirer: CROWS Interview". Hellosecretadmirer.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
12. ^ "Gimme Your Answers: An Interview w/ SECRET FIX | A Music Blog, Yea?". Amusicblogyea.com. 29 June 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
13. ^ a b c d Buckle, Jenna (20 November 2013). "Interview: Temples". Sound of Boston.
14. ^ "Temples Equipboard". Equipboard. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
15. ^ "Temples announce UK dates including support for Suede, Kasabian and The Vaccines" (Press release). Heavenly Recordings. 14 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
16. ^ "TEMPLES announce UK headline tour, Autumn 2013". Pressparty. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
17. ^ "Temples announce details of debut album 'Sun Structures'". NME. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
18. ^ "AU Review" Archived 31 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Gemma Bastiani, The AU Interview: James Bagshaw of Temples (UK), The AU Review, 10 February 2014.
19. ^ "Noel Gallagher criticises BBC Radio 1 for ignoring Temples and Jagwar Ma". NME. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
20. ^ "Temples". templestheband.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
21. ^ "Temples have a new album on the way". Kulbritania.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
22. ^ "HVNLP135 'Temples' 'Volcano' // Heavenly Recordings". Heavenlyrecordings.com. 31 October 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
23. ^ "[Interview] With ... Samuel Toms". Itsallindie.com. 6 December 2018.
24. ^ "Temples Release Third Album "Hot Motion"". ATO Records. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
25. ^ "Temples – the new band bringing psychedelic wonderment". Getintothis.co.uk. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
26. ^ Todd, Nate (5 June 2019). "Temples Announce New Album 'Hot Motion' & Tour Dates". JamBase. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
27. ^ "Temples | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
28. ^ a b Pearis, Bill (11 January 2023). "Temples announce new album 'Exotico', share "Gamma Rays" video". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
29. ^ "Temples announce new single 'Move With The Season' and details of their Winter UK tour // Heavenly Recordings". Heavenlyrecordings.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Artists|

* MusicBrainz