M'Lou Elkins
I suppose I should have expected to encounter the barrage of vitriol shouted at me from the group of angry Christian protestors I encountered outside as I made my way inside the Echo Lounge & Music Hall in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, February 17th. I was there to see Twin Temple after all. The husband and wife self-proclaimed Satanic Doo-Wop duo hailing from the City of Angels are in town tonight to entertain us with their audacious and unusual tunes from a genre you never realized you needed in your life.
Against an expansive and elaborate backdrop of Baphomet, the backing musicians filed onto the red-lit stage one by one and stood statue-still with their heads tipped down. Alexandra and Zachary James appeared onstage to uproarious cheers and while Zachary got busy dousing the packed audience with unholy water, Alexandra held up a human skull for all to see. Once their props were placed on the table behind them, Alexandra began:
“In the name of Satan…send us the very flames of hell, so that we may burn down all ignorance.” And with her “holy sign of the horns” raised high she chanted, “Hail Satan! Hail Satan! Hail Satan!…Do y’all want some rock n roll?” And with that, they immediately launched into “Sex Magick.”
Now THAT was something different!
On tour in support of their latest release, God Is Dead, Twin Temple treated us to a devilish night of classic 60’s rock n roll with a twist: Satan. Alexandra’s soulful pipes were impressive and mixed well with Zachary’s retro guitar tones, and their backing band was amazing…that saxophone!! She effortlessly drew the crowd in with her commentary between songs, and during “Satan’s a Woman” when she encouraged the crowd to participate by singing the chorus, which was simply “Satan,” the cheerful attendees were all too happy to oblige. It was a wicked, jovial time that had me giggling.
Towards the end of “Let’s Have a Satanic Orgy” off of their latest album, there was a malfunction with the venue’s PA system which caused the band’s sound to cut in and out. Though an awkward few moments for sure, the band recovered well and the evening’s satanic festivities continued with no further technical interruptions. But what I found ironic, and quite honestly pretty hilarious, was that this PA mishap was blamed on the one person they were here glorifying…you guessed it: Satan!
Twin Temple’s provocative style might not be everyone’s cup of tea (or sacrificial blood, as it were), but this crowd was there for it. The packed house knew the hilariously sacrilegious lyrics to every song and loudly sang along to each one. As someone who isn’t a Satanist, or a believer of any particular god or religion in general, I’m not offended by anything I’ve witnessed tonight in the least. It felt more like a breath of fresh air to catch a show so vastly different than anything that’s currently happening in the music scene at the moment. Their performance, their songs….their very style sets this band apart from most of their musical contemporaries, if indeed they actually have any of those, that is.
And speaking of style, clothed in Western suits chain-stiched by RoseCut Clothing and with a mostly sold-out collection of clothing made for the goth brand Killstar, Twin Temple obviously take their style very seriously. It’s unreal that a relatively new band [their debut album, Twin Temple (Bring You Their Signature Sound… Satanic Doo-Wop), dropped in 2019] operating in such a specific, under-the-radar genre of music can almost completely sell out a clothing line.
So is their shtick for real or is it just a gimmick? As I discussed this topic with one friend after the show, he suggested: “Maybe it’s a for-real gimmick?” And that sounds good to me.
This is only the fourth night of their tour, so you still have plenty of chances to get your Satan on. See the tour flyer below for a devilish date near you. Check out our complete Twin Temple concert photo gallery below as well.
Twin Temple Concert Photos
