The Leadmill played host to a music masterclass this week as modern-day musical prodigy Alfie Templeman made his Sheffield debut. A teenager who has crafted his own coming-of-age soundtrack, Templeman threw 80’s inspired guitar plinks and basslines at the sold-out crowd in his ninety-minute set.
Simultaneously touring his mini-album Forever Isn’t Long Enough (released last year) and introducing fans to his new ‘full’ album Mellow Moon (released on the 27th May), Templeman gave us his take on sugary disco pop: each song bold and thrilling, designed to capture the essence of summer with woozy jangles and eclectic synth sounds.
First however, whilst the sticky small-room floor filled up with multiple generations in funky-patterned shirts, self-proclaimed “indie Britney Spears” Pixey opened the gig. Her bouncy bedroom pop sound contained multiple reverbed “heys”, strong basslines and a song that sounded suspiciously like an indie`rip-off of Cornershop’s ‘Brimful of Asha’. The crowd bopped along regardless, in eager anticipation of what was to come.
Fifteen minutes later than scheduled, Templeman – casually dressed in a t-shirt and Dickies – sauntered on stage with his band (in a somewhat underwhelming entry) to screams from the crowd. He quickly proved his right to be confident however, as he broke out into an epic rendition of ‘Shady’, the band’s unmatched energy filling the room. The multi-instrumentalist instantly set the festival vibe, upgrading the live version of the song with an effortless electric guitar solo to rival guitarists three times his age.
With the sleekness of a recorded album sliding from one song to the next, Templeman and his charismatic band powered out 2019 hits ‘Who Am I’ and ‘Stop Thinking (About Me)’, before taking a second to sip a can of Stella and talk to his word-perfect fans. Yet, before he could open his mouth, shouts from the front of the crowd revealed Templeman was playing to the son of his favourite dinner lady from his Bedfordshire school. Total euphoria came over Templeman and his guitarist, as they dedicated the show to their “G” ex-dinner lady who “always gave us seconds”.
Teasing his new album Mellow Moon, Templeman treated us to ‘Candyfloss’, an expert blend of electric pop and 70’s funk. There did appear to be a lack of chat between the audience and Templeman – but who could blame the man when he had his guitar pick in his mouth half the time, giving us a wicked guitar solo with every song?As fan-favourites ‘Film Scene Daydream’ and ‘Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody’ were met with cheers from the crowd, it was evident the chemistry between the band is one to be rivalled; each musician was integral to every song.
One criticism, however, would be that, when played live, some of Templeman’s songs lacked the musical integrity of the recorded versions, sounding more like demos. For me, ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ relies on the delicious, summer-y layers of twinkly percussion, bongos and brass that makes it so charming. Templeman’s pop-explorations – despite their seemingly effortless swagger – are meticulously constructed; the flawless instrumentation on each recorded song is delicately produced with layers of multiple of the 10 instruments Templeman can play. Yes, this would be difficult to recreate accurately on stage, but it seemed a wasted opportunity, not to see Templeman showing off his talents on the saxophone during ‘Film Scene Daydream’.
Despite this, the musicianship didn’t falter; transporting us back to the very beginning, ‘Like an Animal’ was popular with day-one fans lining the barrier, whilst new songs ‘Mellow Moon’ and ‘Colour Me Blue’ confirmed the spring album will be one to look out for. After teasing the ‘Do I Wanna Know’ riff (what else can you expect in Sheffield?) shouts of “red light, green light, go!” could just be heard above the crowd as the band broke out into an animated version of ‘Wait I Lied’, much to the crowd’s delight. Despite a lack of mosh pits (and the encouragement to form one), Sheffield’s dancing and vocals certainly made up for it.
After one of the most awkward encores I’ve seen (it took a while before the “Alfie” chants kicked in), he returned to the stage with more gusto and charisma than before, the unrestrained finale consisting of new single ‘Broken’ and the iconic ‘Happiness in Liquid Form’. The unruly teen spirit filled the stage as Templeman’s smile stretched from ear to ear and bassist Cameron stood aloft on a speaker, threatening to crowd surf, much to the thrill of the fans below.
Having charmed his crowd with his boy-next-door look and mind-blowing musicianship, Templeman certainly solidified his place in the indie crowd with this gig, leaving us itching for more of his talent.
Rating: 3/5
