Twin Temple first emerged on the scene like a breath of fresh air back in 2019 with the release of their debut album, Twin Temple (Bring You Their Signature Sound…. Satanic Doo-Wop), and Metal Hammer was immediately hooked by their spellbindingly unique and timeless sound. Satanic doo-wop, you say? We sold our soul to the devil right away. Here was a breed of satanic music you could really dance to, and whilst they may not be heavy, or indeed very metal, what they are is downright awesome, inventive and exciting.
Their inimitable sound – equal parts Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Dick Dale, The Platters, The Shirelles, The Shangri-Las, and Amy Winehouse – captured our imaginations from the off. And tonight, just three years on from the release of their eponymous introduction to the world, the band are set to headline the storied Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles – a venue Paramore will play the following evening, just to give you an idea of how far Twin Temple have come in such a short space of time.
The funky Art Deco building is the perfect setting for tonight’s Satanic orgy, and the fact that it’s the night before Halloween further helps set the scene for the band’s biggest headline show to date. The crowd are done up to the nines, although you get the feeling they would be whether it was Halloween or not as Twin Temple’s audience are amongst the best-dressed stewards of rock ‘n’ roll, satanic doo-wop, or any other genre for that matter. And you better believe they came out tonight to have a good time.
That’s the key ingredient of the Twin Temple live show: righteous, all-inclusive, self-empowered fun. It’s what marks the band apart from many of their contemporaries, if indeed they have any, and it’s the reason metalheads across the globe have united at the Temple to worship their innovative brand of Satanism; a Twin Temple gig is the most fun you can have with your clothes on (and some people gathered here tonight clearly have no intention of keeping their clothes on).
We shit you not, dear reader: midway through this evening’s powerhouse performance from LA’s sexiest Satanic power couple (vocalist Alexandra James and guitarist Zachary James), we catch a glimpse of a couple in the crowd engaged in a very explicit sexual act. We’ll leave the rest to your perverted imagination. If Twin Temple came here tonight to instigate a Satanic orgy, consider the job done! Only in Los Angeles…
If we were to have one complaint about tonight’s performance – and it is only a slight one – it’s that the set length is a little on the short side for a hometown headline performance in venue of this repute. But the band currently only have one full-length album and an EP to their name, so we’re willing to let it slide on this occasion. Plus, it’s always good to leave wanting more. We await their next record with eager anticipation, and we look forward to watching the band flourish - because right now, they seemed poised for superstardom. It looks like that deal with the devil really paid off.
