The Peep Tempel

Tweet

Darwin Railway Club, May 30 2015

By: Julia Taylor

The Peep Tempel are literally rock n roll. This three-piece outfit, from Melbourne, ended up on tour in Darwin by pure chance.

The story of how the band came to Darwin goes something like this…they met the owner of the Railway Club and were invited to come up, so they did. A serendipitous moment not only for the band, but also for us in the NT.

I was fortunate enough to attend their first show in the Territory at the Darwin Railway Club while they were on their Gettin’ on by national tour, I’ll admit, I’m not the typical attendee of rock shows especially if I don’t know anything about the band. But luckily I threw caution to the wind and went.

The show was so energetic. The momentum in the music threw people on the dance floor.

The music is reminiscent of the late 70s, early 80s Australian rock sound. The raw and deafening guitar riffs. The sounds you hear blaring from the retro analogue radios from car garages – raw, definite, noisy and rebellious.

Throughout the gig, singer and lead guitarist, Blake Scott entertained us with recounts of his brief, yet interesting experience in Darwin – something about fishing, riding a bike and mudcrabs.
The head banging, toe stamping, body shaking fans went crazy for Peep Tempel and even requested their hit Carol a second time.

I couldn’t stop watching the drummer, Steven Carter, because his skills were epic. I’ve never watched someone who plays that hard and as fast as him. He was exciting to watch as he was to hear.

Bass guitarist, Stewart Rayner, was in his element throughout the show. Although he hardly spoke, his contribution added strength the band’s gig.

The turn out was limited, but the energy in the room enormous. Everyone who embraced Peep Tempel had a moment with them too.

Towards the end of the show, Blake, jumped into the crowd for a number. I could smell his rock and roll sweat pouring off him as he belted out another song before proceeding to end the show…or so we thought.

After a sweat-drenching set, they came out for an encore and the whole room erupted and spilled onto the dance floor for the finale.

Blake’s engagement with the crowd, between songs and stories, was brilliant. And in true Rock and Roll style, he’d address us with the guitar in one hand and drink in the other.