TWIN TEMPLE WITH THE BRIDGE CITY SINNERS AT THE UNDERGROUND

Photos and Writing by Lee Flythe

Twin Temple and The Bridge City Sinners was one HELL of a show! These raucously unholy bands are a perfect pairing and a sinful delight.

To start the evening, The Bridge City Sinners, with their self-described “Appalachian Death Folk” really got things moving. The band is fully acoustic and draws on old-time musical influences ranging from bluegrass to 20’s ragtime jazz, employing a lyrical tilt toward the macabre, and is bathed in an undeniable punk rock ethos that doesn’t require amplification to be apparent. Fronting the band, Libby Luxury plays an instrument that seems to be the unholy union of a banjo and a ukulele, captivating the audience with her mischievous presence, while wielding a voice that whip-saws from a sultry purr to a grindcore growl with ease and elegance. The Sinners as a whole blend into a perfect cacophony of fiddle, banjo, upright bass, and resonator guitar to deliver driving folk rhythms that are like the reincarnation of a bygone era.

The evening could have ended there and been a resounding good time, but when Twin Temple took the stage things went to a whole other level. To begin, Twin Temple, a husband and wife duo, play Satanic Doo-Wop………like legit 50’s and 60’s early rock and roll, but with lyrics that pay homage to the Dark Lord and revel in the distinctly feminist reclaiming of Satanism’s core principle of free will. And then, there’s the aesthetic to consider……..full occult symbology……black robes and custom suits with little devils, pitchforks, and inverted crucifix. Candelabras line the rear of the stage, pentagrams are ever-present, Alexandra carries what appears to be a bible of sorts. Twin Temple delivers a full theatrical immersion into the underworld. Don’t allow yourself to think, however, that they are all schtick and kitsch. They absolutely have the songs to back up such an outrageous high concept, and lay them down with enough authority to keep the crowd shimmying all night long. The soaring chorus’, hammond organ, and blaring horns deliver a euphoric sonic experience that feel like coven anthems in the making. The final song was capped by the ritualistic imbibing of a chalice of blood, spilling down the front-woman’s lips as the final notes rang in the air and the unholy exuberance of the evening came to a close.