Temples talk about coming home to Northants as they tour the US

The band head to Europe next month before returning home for a run of UK dates in December.

Prior to heading stateside, we spoke to bassist Tom Walmsley at Temples’ return to HMV in Kettering.

Talking about new LP Hot Motion, Walmsley said: “It’s been really exciting to finally have the album out and also a bit surreal, it's something we’ve been working on for the best part of two years and now it belongs to the fans, not us.

“At the end 2017 we stopped touring the last record and took some time off.

“It was the first time we’d stopped in a while and we went back to the studio and just started working on some ideas and getting in that creative mindset again.

“Then, over the course of 2018, we wrote and recorded simultaneously.”

Hot Motion is the band’s third LP, following 2017’s Volcano and 2014’s debut Sun Structures.

“Your first record is a statement and the second is a reaction so your third is the sum of all your parts,” explained Walmsley.

“In many ways, it’s the most accurate representation of where you are in your journey as a band.

“We feel it’s a very honest record and we've got back in touch with guitars and they’re more the focal point.

“The record has a more primal feel to it, fewer layers and more focused in on the bare bones of what we think we are as a band.”

The cover of Hot Motion features the Royal Theatre’s safety curtain which was painted by Henry Bird. The interior also features the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh at 78 Derngate.

Walmsley said: “I wanted to go back to our home county on this record after having quite an abstract album cover with Volcano.

“I remember the curtain from being a child and it's something which has always held a bit of mystery and wonder.

“It seemed to match the feeling of the record, installing that mythical edge to everything again so it was nice to include it.

“It felt right to honour the home county in this way along with the images from 78 Derngate.

“The Royal is somewhere we'd like to play because it would tie in with the album cover.

“There’s so many wonderful inspiring locations in Northamptonshire it was good to get in touch with them again.”

Walmsley is joined in Temples by singer and guitarist James Bagshaw and guitarist and keyboard player Adam Smith. Rens Ottink recently joined as drummer.

Talking about their home town and their decision to play at the town’s HMV store for a second time, Walmsley said: “It's very important to us to do this in Kettering. We’re still to play a proper show here but I'm sure the time will come.

“This is a great way to tip the cap to our home town and home county.

“Whatever we go in the world, Kettering and Northamptonshire are our headquarters.”

For details of Temples’ forthcoming UK tour and to buy tickets, visit www.templestheband.com