THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT, Graveltones, Samuel Taylor @Leicester Academy 2 28/9/13

Back in the mid 1990s RTM went to see Feeder at the Wulfrun Hall. There were two support bands that evening. One was Straw, who we raved about and told everyone were going to be massive, the other was a new band that we had never heard of, didn’t like and confidently predicted we would never hear from again.

Straw split up after a second album that no one bought, a couple of them showed up in the Jeevas with ex Kula Shaker man Crispin Mills, while the first band that evening was from the West Country and called Muse.

RTM still doesn’t like Muse, but we tell that story to prove that we aren’t great tipsters when it comes to deciding what the public will enjoy. It does seem, though that we backed the right horse for once with The Temperance Movement.

Going to see a band whose album is riding high in the current charts is something of a new experience for us, but nonetheless that’s what’s happening right now. The group know they are on the crest of a wave too and intend to make the most of it, it seems. This is their third UK tour of the year, the second leg of which sees them finish in November after a trip to Europe and the size of the Leicester Academy 2 is a marked step up from where they played in the spring.  It is not without a sense of irony, you suspect that singer Phil Campbell begins tonight with the words: “Hello Leicester, it seems like we are rock stars….”

Before that there are two support bands to enjoy. Folkie Samuel Taylor, as he always does it seems, is performing opening duties for The Temperance Movement. This is not quite as odd a pairing as it first appears, given that two of tonight’s headliners produced his EP and play on the record. RTM liked Taylor when we saw him in May and he is even better tonight. There is a genuine warmth to songs like “Waiting For Nothing” which is allied to something quintessentially English and whimsical. It would be easy for this to get lost here and that it does not is great credit to Taylor.

About as different the acoustic charm of Taylor as you can get, The Graveltones are next up. The duo are making a name for themselves and are fast becoming experienced on the support band circuit. RTM saw them open for Rival Sons back in April and they largely play the same set tonight. Their massive riffs and drums approach draws obvious comparisons with a heavier and less eclectic White Stripes. “I Want Your Love” remains the pick of their songs, and they too could have a bright future.

Which brings us back to The Temperance Movement. Kicking off their set with the quite brilliant “Midnight Black” the 75 minute set is one that is well-honed and choc full of fantastic songs. The band are not re-inventing the wheel, in fact “….Black” is typical of many in that it sounds like prime Black Crowes jamming to a Free song with The Small Faces, but that is rather the point, and the Movement are proudly retro.

Their self titled debut record is superbly crafted and carries on where their EP from a year or so ago left off, and the likes of “Aint No Tellin’” and “Only Friend” benefit from repeated playing.

The bands true skill is that they make everyone feel part of it. “Chinese Lanterns” is played with no amps, just like when we saw them before and, rather than seeming pretentious, it actually seems like a really inclusive and fun thing to do.

They encore with “Know For Sure” and you just ….ahem… surely know, that in a few years time they will be headlining some festival with thousands of people singing it back to them, all of whom will claim they saw them on this tour.

If you have seen The Temperance Movement, you know what the fuss is about. If you haven’t, get to it, before they get so big they aren’t our band anymore, because they will be massive. Trust us…..

THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT, Black Dollar Bills, Samuel Taylor @Hare And Hounds, Kings Heath 12/5/13

Have a look at the cover of Bob Dylan’s first album, then have a look at Samuel Taylor. It will soon become clear where his influences lie. The opening line on his website says he is “armed with an acoustic guitar and a mouth organ” and will “treat the audience to one picky folk number after another.” As a general summation of his talents you will not find a better one. A series of pleasant songs and a nice line in self-deprecation (he claims his mum put his name on his guitar case so he didn’t forget who he was) he leaves the stage after singing “Waiting For Nothing” and does so with plenty more friends than he entered it with.

Not for nothing, you suspect, does the Jack White fronted The Dead Weather play after Black Dollar Bills are finished. The four piece no doubt have designs to play a similar type of heavy blues. At this stage, though, they are nowhere near the sound in their heads. The vocals don’t fit the songs and they lack the sort of charm of the other support. By the end of their half an hour they look like they would rather be anywhere else. Not an evening they will treasure.

For a band with one EP out the rise of The Temperance Movement has been quite astonishing. This show (albeit in the smaller room at the Hare and Hounds) is sold out. RTM was in Nottingham last week and their gig there was too. They are also pretty high up the bill at the Steelhouse classic rock festival in the summer and receiving rave reviews everywhere.

And here is the really astonishing news. They totally deserve the praise. If you have heard their “Pride” EP then you know how good they are. They are that band. The one where someone says something like “they sound like The Black Crowes playing Free songs” and they actually do.

Most of the EP is played. “Ain’t No Telling” and “Only Friend” sound even better in this setting, while they also dip into the new LP – apparently out in September – for “Smouldering,” which happily does exactly what the title says, amongst others during the course of an incredible hour long set.

So what makes them so good? Well there are few rock bands who can both rock hard and then use the lap steel, sometimes in the same song. There are even fewer who can pull off such stunning slide guitar that Luke Potashnick manages. But honestly, their trump card is their singer Phil Campbell, a singer-songwriter from Scotland, who might dance likew your drunk uncle at a wedding, but when he opens his mouth something very special happens. At one point they turn the mics off for “Chinese Laterns” and it is like watching a brilliant busker play your living room.

Not original, but not trying to be, The Temperance Movement, are as good as The Answer were when you first heard “Rise” or Rival Sons were when you came across “Pressure and Time.”

A quite brilliant concert, the band already have enough star quality to play an encore even in a venue this size, coming out of the landing at the top of the stairs, to play “Serenity.” They do so with the confidence of a band that knows they will never play a venue this size again – unless they want to do a warm up before their sell-out UK tour of arenas in 10 years. Trust me, The Temperance Movement are that good. Get on board now.