As the weather becomes colder and the days shorter, you start to search for small things to look forward to or bring you joy. For me, that’s going to gigs. There’s something about bundling up in a coat and scarf, only to remove all layers when you’re in the venue, standing close to strangers as you take in the music that’s being sang to you on the stage.

Truth be told, Alfie Templeman was the first person I interviewed for KLAT. I hadn’t interviewed anyone before, so was extremely nervous. To watch him perform live last night was a total full circle moment that I still haven’t really wrapped my head around. Anyways, you don’t really want to know about that, do you? Maybe you’re just here to read about the review … so here goes.

Starting with support from Waldo Jeffers and long time friend of Alfie’s Margo Thirwell, they both created a cozy atmosphere that brought the crowd into an embrace and set them up for the evening ahead. Margo serenaded the crowd with sweet ballads, while Waldo Jeffers brought high-energy that had the crowd moving in anyway they could.

Alfie Templeman’s stage presence could be felt from everywhere in the room. Whether you were on the balcony, or in the crowd with the best of them, you felt his excitement radiating off of every member of the crowd and every member of the band. His music feels like the colour orange, warm and hazy, reminding you of brighter days where you didn’t have to wear four layers just to fight the wind and could just instead bask in the sunshine.

The crowd exploded from the moment Alfie came onto the stage, to the moment he left. Supportive and just as excited as he was, they danced their way through every single song, screaming back every lyric and laughing along with him in between songs. The setlist was a perfect combination of old favourites and new tracks from his latest album Radiosoul. It was the kind of show that left you with a buzz long after the final notes rang out and Alfie had left the stage.

Then the unexpected happened. A guitar string snapped at the beginning of Hello Lonely, but instead of panicking Alfie handled the mishap with grace and humor, turning a potential disaster into a memorable moment. This only served to endear him further to the crowd, who had his back the whole way through, yelling words of encouragement and bringing ten times the energy once the guitar was fixed and the show went back to its “regularly scheduled programming”.

As the night drew to a close, I found myself not wanting the gig to end. I hadn’t let loose like that in a while and truthfully, it was needed. As Alfie thanked the audience for their support, promising to return to Cardiff soon, I found myself hoping that I wouldn’t have to wait too long to see him perform live again.

It’s clear after this evening that Alfie Templeman is destined for great things. His infectious energy and stage presence as well as incredible talent really did make for an unforgettable evening and I’m so excited to follow his journey through out the industry.

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Written by Meg Ivy Brunning