Liverpool’s Temeraire bring chaos and charm to Camden

Written by Sacha Price

Temeraire performing at The Elephant’s Head, Camden | Credit: Aidan Lucking

Packed into the front window of The Elephant’s Head on Camden’s busy main road, the Liverpool-based four-piece band took themselves to the capital to turn the small pub venue into something far bigger. In their supporting slot before Dog Saints, Temeraire brought a familiar grunge sound to the iconic venue, proving themselves as one of the North-West’s best, noisiest upcoming groups.

Opening with ‘So Far, So Long,’ the band immediately set the tone: garage-leaning indie rock built on thick guitar chords and relentless percussion. Frontman Jake Holloway – all wiry energy and restless movement – delivered his vocals in a half-sung, half-shouted drawl that feels less like a stylistic choice and more like a necessity.

Bill Wells’ bass lines ground the chaos, while Sam Horsfield’s guitar cuts sharply through the mix. Behind them, Marc Thompson-Pueyo’s drumming is explosive and precise, driving tracks like “Girl” forward with a force that makes the already-steaming windows sweat even harder. The room is hot and sticky – the kind of heat that only comes from a packed out, intimate gig crowd.

By the penultimate track ‘Pretty Faces,’ Holloway abandons his guitar entirely, commanding the space with an assuredness that pulls the crowd closer. There’s no moshing, but everyone is moving – a blur of student faces and curious passers-by drawn in front the street by the sheer volume of it all.

They close with ‘Winter,’ easing the set into a slightly more restrained moment without losing the weight that defines their sound. Even when the tempo pulls back, there’s still tension humming beneath it, with simmering guitars and drums poised to push forward. Slightly rough around the edges yet entirely self-assured, they leave the stage hot, with the crowd fully on their side. In a venue barely big enough to contain them, they sound ready for something much larger.