In Pictures: Temple Mania (Temple Bar 15.10.2016)

Gotta give credit where credit is due – Temple Bar has picked up the slack as of late. No more WHAI-athons; no more undercooked bills that cater to Temple’s regular dive patrons. Temple seems to be reaching out into the ether that is the music scene, rounding up and giving new acts some playtime, hosting offbeat events (like synth workshop Tuesdays and band cutthroat tourneys), and mixing it up. And while in many ways its still a circus over there – it’s a circus I’ll gladly play a part in. Hence, Templemania (a name which was shat out last minute) – an event we put together in early October which ballooned into a hell of a lineup, featuring bands, old and new, rocking out into the late night. First off, top honors to The Twenties, who are quickly becoming one of my favorite live acts right now – serious chops these guys have – everything from songwriting, to structure, to musicianship – they’re simply getting better and better with each go a round. They’re gonna hit it big – it’s just a matter of when. Next up, loving the raucous, rambunctiousness of Russian Roulette – they’re young, loose, and still rough around the edges – but they’ve got some devilish charm to them that’s gonna push them onto a lot of people’s radars. And their perverse take on Old McDonald – one for the ages. Perpetual Motion Machine – one of my first true loves of the scene here in Beijing. What can I saw – these cats have been busting their asses on the scene here and it shows. The crowd went wild for them and they’ve got quite a few new singles that I can’t wait to hear on record. Finally, the last minute addition to the bill – The Hotline – a killer closer to the evening. They turned it up to eleven early on in their set and did not let loose – electro rock that’s buoyant, with the perfect amount of grit – very accessible. They made lots of new fans. An exhausting for sure, but hey, who said rock and roll was all peaches and cream. More pictures below.