FEATURE: Spotlight: Alfie Templeman

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Alfie Templeman

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I am enjoying this series…

as it gives me opportunity to dedicate some space to a new-ish artist who one should keep a look out for. I have been following Alfie Templeman for a little while now, but I think this a year when many more people are discovering his music. His new E.P., Don’t Go Wasting Time, gained some positive reviews – I shall come to that later -, and it seems like Templeman is primed for some big things. He is only a teenager at the moment, so I think his best years are ahead of him. It is a strange year, and I am not sure whether some of his cancelled gigs will be rescheduled. Whilst we might not be able to see him on the road much this year, there is his music out there; we can all buy and stream his stuff. There is a lot to unpack when it comes to Templeman, and I want to source from some interviews as I go along. He spoke with DORK early last year, and they put the rising star under the spotlight:

“Alfie Templeman doesn’t follow the norm. With the sort of mind that jumps and flows with everything he hears, no matter genre, style or era - it’s more of an unstoppable reality that music was going to be at the core of everything he does than a question.

“I’m not interested in anything else apart from music, so my life does revolve around it,” he admits, looking back over the past few years. Growing up in a house where his dad’s instruments were everywhere, it was an unexpected source that first lured Alfie in.

“It’s odd,” he cracks, “when I was young, the first band that I got really into when I was about 7 was Rush. Quite a complex thing to start with, but I just didn't have any expectations, and I dived right in. I wanted to see what it was like and it blew my mind. There’s so much going on, and watching them play live as well with there only being three of them… how is that even possible? It’s amazing.”

“I kept listening to other progressive rock bands,” Alfie continues, “bands like Yes and King Crimson, and it went from there. It’s all really colourful. It's progressive, all these time signatures and intricacies. There are all these different flavours of music going on, all these influences - it just stood out as really colourful and full of all these different sounds.”

What may seem like quite a distant influence from the music Alfie makes now, is actually bang-on for that freedom he now exudes. Shown across his debut EP, that attention to detail rings through - with his pulling voice sounding like a modern heir to Gaz Coombes across slinky indie, 80s synth-pop rides, dazzling gaze and even some jazz kicks. There are more tricks here than in a magician’s hat”.

Not only do his two E.P.s (Like an Animal was released early last year; Don’t Go Wasting Time came out at the end of last year) stand up and sound wonderful; he is one of the most engaging and popular live performers of the moment.

It is a shame Templeman cannot cut his teeth and play some of his newer material to fans right now, but there will be time for that later in the year. I want to go to a DIY interview from last December, where the nature of Templeman’s live dynamic and pulls was discussed. He also talked about what it was like releasing two E.P.s whilst at school:

“Show us a performer having more fun on stage this year than Alfie Templeman and we’ll laugh you out of the room. There’s an infectious energy and enthusiasm about every second that the 16-year-old spends in front of a crowd, and it’s impossible not to be sucked in.

Along with a rotating cast of friends (“if you can get the time off school, you can play” is the unofficial rule), Alfie’s live show is uninhibited in a way that only someone of his age could transmit. Take his turn at November’s Mirrors Festival in London, where he scaled the drum kit like a climbing frame while living out his Led Zeppelin dream. Two weeks later, meanwhile, on the first date of a tour opening up for Sports Team, he’s teasing the guitar riff of their track ‘Here It Comes Again’ in between songs like a true entertainer, before thrashing out ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ while his bassist tunes up.

Releasing his first two EPs while still at school, a lot of the chat around Alfie’s music has predictably been defined by his age. Now, however, Alfie is ready to cement his status as a Very Good Songwriter, not simply a Very Good Songwriter (For A Teenager).

"The whole age thing you can't really escape from," he says. “But that's just something that I have to live with. Age doesn't define anything nowadays. You see these kids that are playing the hardest solos in the world and they're, like, seven! If you think I'm talented, look at them! I've been doing it all my life, so it's no different to someone playing guitar for seven years when they're 20, and then getting really good when they're 27. I just hope my age isn't the reason why I'm kind of popular...”

Though irrelevant to his talent, Alfie’s age - and the generation that’s he’s grown up in - does impact his consumption of music. He’s at the age when people discover the bands that will go on to define their lives. But, rather than fucking up his mum’s computer trying to torrent albums from Pirate Bay or passing a CD around his whole class at school, Alfie had a world of music at his fingertips from day one, and it informs his loose, genre-shrugging sound.

“I grew up listening to indie music, and then got into stuff like Frank Ocean a bit later,” he remembers. He also fondly recalls how he and his bandmate would FaceTime each other, playing tracks out loud on Spotify before dissecting their merits”.

I think his E.P.s are currently unavailable on vinyl at the moment but do try and buy his music if you can. Failing that, go and stream the work of this wonderful talent. There is a very bright future ahead of him and, when we discuss those who are going to make waves in the next year or so, Templeman’s name needs to be near the top of any list.

PHOTO CREDIT: Emma Swann

I am keen to source from a couple more interviews, as Templeman is someone who is fascinating to read about – in addition to grabbing the mind with his music. Earlier this year, Templeman spoke with Atwood Magazine about the Don’t Go Wasting Time E.P., and which artists influence him:

“YOU TITLED YOUR EP “DON’T GO WASTING TIME” AND YOU CERTAINLY HAVEN’T WITH STARTING YOUR MUSIC CAREER AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. WHAT INSPIRED THAT TITLE?

Templeman: A lot of people at school were procrastinating, and I know everyone is really young, but still. The EP is about doing what you want to do. Not caring too much about what other people want you to do in life, what you want to with your life. Because for me when I’m on my death bed, I want to know that I did everything in my life that I wanted to. It’s also about relationships and focusing on the present instead of looking back, moving on and focusing on the future.

SO YOUR FIRST ALBUM YOU RELEASED COMPLETELY INDEPENDENTLY, AND YOUR SECOND ALBUM YOU RELEASED UNDER A MORE TRADITIONAL MUSIC INDUSTRY MACHINE. WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT THESE TWO PROCESSES?

Templeman: When I started out with my first release “Like An Animal,” that was just to show what I could do. I recorded it all in my bedroom and did all the production myself, all in a really short amount of time. Then awhile later I met Chess Club, my label, and they brought the tracks I released in the last half year and pointed to the ones that they thought were the best. It was easy because we agreed, which is always the most important thing, it’s about being on the same track. While working on the second album, it was more of a partnership working with the label and myself to create something that we both wanted.

YOUR MUSIC IS OBVIOUSLY VERY COLORFUL AND VARIED, SO THIS QUESTION MAY BE A TOUGH ONE – BUT WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATIONS?

Templeman: It ranges from Todd Rungren, Big Star, Can, Bad Finger, then we go over to the Mac DeMarco’s, throw in some 80’s pop and Nirvana as well, grunge music, it’s just a big melting pot of everything. The end result is something that’s so different, that it’s similar in a way? Everything glues together in a way that really works. The first time I’ve properly done that is with Don’t Go Wasting Time. Each record to me is about branching out a little more. The first two EP’s I put out were great, but they were only a few tracks. I’ve got about 1,000 songs in the bank now, so I’m just really looking forward to releasing more music and showing people more of what I can do”.

I do think that these early days are fascinating with regards artists who go on to make it big. I wonder whether Templeman will make an L.P. soon, or whether he will continue to put out singles and E.P.s for now. Don’t Go Wasting Time is a fantastic E.P., and it is one that everyone needs to have a listen to. The reviews for it have been largely positive. Journalists are picking up on this original and engaging songwriter who is making music on his own terms. This is what NME had to say when reviewing Don’t Go Wasting Time:

“But it’s when he reaches towards funk and disco – genres a young lad from suburban Britain arguably has no place meddling in – that his true spirit shines through. There are undeniably elements of this EP that Jack Peñate might claim some credit for – certainly the like of ‘Movies’ and ‘Circles’ – but it’s hard to care when they’re this sublime.

Yes, there’s laidback energy here energy here, but you sense it would be mistake to believe Alfie Templeman is simply chasing a good time. “There’s never been a better time for kids to raise their voices,” Templeman recently told NME. “As a younger generation, we’re trying to make a difference, and it’s just good to see so many forming together to prove a point, to prove that something needs to change.” Relatable? Yes. Irrelevant? Far from it”.

I shall leave things here, but please do go and spend a bit of time listening to Alfie Templeman and following this promising young artist. It is amazing to hear the music is producing right now: many seventeen year olds do not have his confidence and songwriting skills. It is testament to his passion and determination that means Templeman is being singled out as an artist with many years ahead of him. It is early days but, when it comes to worldwide acclaim and enormous longevity, few would…