Twin Temple and The Bridge City Sinners at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco

With Halloween upon us, Twin Temple’s “Satanic Orgy” Tour could not have been better timed and, in retrospect, The Bridge City Sinners could not have been a better touring partner. Who could have predicted that Satanic doo-wop (does that qualify it as boo-wop?) and blackgrass could be such an appealing pairing? Apparently the San Francisco crowd knew what was up because folks turned up early to catch both sets and were more than happy to dance and sing along as TBSS reveled in the response.

If you haven’t seen Twin Temple, they sound exactly like how they describe themselves; there may be only one band on the planet playing Satanic doo-wop but by the looks of the packed Regency crowd there may be room for more. Seriously, what’s not to like about an opening ritual including swords, chalices and a human skull to usher in “Sex Magick.”

What’s great about Twin Temple is that their embrace of the Church of Satan isn’t about worshipping the devil. Listen closely to the lyrics and you’ll see that this is a feminist band through and through … “Don’t get me wrong, I love men/I just want equal treatment/Disrespect use our bodies for sex/You’re going to die a sudden death” … and the catchy tunes are the means to ensnare a willing and open audience, hopefully for the betterment of humankind.

One can only hope that getting a roomful of folks to repeatedly sing “Satan” to the chorus of “Satan’s a Woman” will create a better world.

Twin Temple Setlist: