Temples on Mars - Agent - Palmerston North Gig
05 Nov 2005 // A review by Shade
Last Friday we headed along to the first gig we had been to since the muzic.net.nz 5th birthday gig and we were more than impressed with what we saw.
I've been wanting to hear Agent play live after hearing some tracks on CD about 4 years ago, but it seemed everytime they were playing in Palmerston North something else would come up at the last minute.
I've always been a strong believer that bands sound better when they perform live, and you really can't know a band's sound unless you have heard them live. It may have taken me ages to finally hear Agent play live, but I can assure you I was not disappointed - it
was definitely worth the wait!
Agent's sound is truly unique and while they may fit easily into many genres, they are a one-of-a-kind band. They play thrashingly intense beats that scream around the room - add to that their awesome attitude to their performances and just the right mix of bass, guitar and drums and you have a hard-hitting and mind-blowing performance which invites everyone to start jumping around.
Not only did this gig show that these three Naki boys are very talented, but it showed that they are a well rehearsed band that knows what it takes to put on a great show. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they give you that little something extra when playing live that no other band can manage to do.
Agent are a band that don't wait around for things to happen - they get out there and make things happen for themselves. It is this attitude that has got them to where they are today, and after seeing Agent play live I am more than certain that they are a band that is definitely going to go far.
About Temples on Mars
Temples on Mars is a London based progressive rock band. Originally formed in New Zealand (NZ) under the name Agent, the band relocated to London in 2008. Featuring James Donaldson on vocals and guitar, Daz Carikas on bass, Gerald Gill on guitars, and Dean Gibb on drums, Temples on Mars produces accessible, progressive tinged, rock music.
To date, Temples on Mars have headlined their own NZ tours and UK shows, featured at UK Rock festivals, released two EP’s, plus two full length albums: Expand/Contract which was given 5/5 stars by NZ’s leading music magazine Rip It Up and NZ Musician magazine, making a name for them in their native NZ, and their second album Kingdom of Fear, which created a buzz in the prog-rock scene in the UK and Europe earning the band a 2014 UK progressive music award nomination.
After relocating to London, Temples on Mars quickly became regulars on the live music scene and have shared the stage with numerous UK bands including Skindred, Devil Sold His Soul, Black Peaks, InMe and I Am Giant to name a few. Temples on Mars subsequently teamed up with long time friend and producer Paul Matthews of I Am Giant fame (whose production credits also include OpShop, Blindspott, Stylus and Six60). With Matthews, Temples on Mars began work on their second full length album Kingdom of Fear which was released world wide in December 2013. Kingdom of Fear was mastered by Tom Coyne (Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, I Am Giant) of Sterling Sound in New York.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Temples on Mars