So British band Temples is in town tonight, the group that both Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher have described as the “best new band in Britain.” How much weight you put on that depends on how much love you have for those two men, I suppose. You can be pretty sure Temples is the best new band out of Kettering, a small town in the Midlands region of the UK.
But enough of that. Bad Indians went on stage first at the Loving Touch, aided by a light show that increased the psychedelic vibe. Imagine being stuck in a kaleidoscope while the Doors played Turtles songs. The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti band has no stage presence beyond the lights, but that’s ok. That’s what the lights are for. The guys just stand still and blast through their short set. The songs don’t all hit the mark, leaving the band sounding static and tired. When they are on song, their ‘60s-drenched, acid-soaked rock is invigorating.
Mexican Knives plays in the dark. Not sure why – they’re certainly not ghastly to look at. Zachary Weedon (Readies, Dirtbombs, Lee Marvin Computer Arm) leads the line with his guitar, while vocalist Ruth Synowiec paces the stage like a panther in a cage. Even in near-darkness, she’s pretty damned intimidating. The band’s noisey, punky alt-rock has been compared to Fucked Up and the Jamaican Queens among others, and that’s fair. They sound like themselves, and that’s enough.
Didn’t stay to see Temples. I don’t need Noel fucking Gallagher telling me what to do.
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