It seems like we’ve been hyping his jams for forever now, but it’s important to remember that Alfie Templeman only turned 21 years old earlier this year. The London musician has always been ahead of the game, and returned in February with another Vanyaland fave, a smooth funk-led dance floor seducer called “Eyes Wide Shut.” It should sound lovely when the rising star brings it and his arsenal of bangers to Allston’s Brighton Music Hall this evening (October 14).
With “Eyes Wide Shut,” part of Templeman’s June album Radiosoul, easy comparisons to Prince’s ’80s catalog, Beck’s dance fever, and “Fame”-era Bowie jump out of the speakers, but Templeman is quick to make the jam entirely his.
“’Eyes Wide Shut’ is an amalgamation of ruminations I faced on tour,” says Templeman. “My brain always seems to be on full volume after a show and I find it really difficult to wind down. The adrenaline used to turn sour pretty quick once you’d get back to your hotel that looked the same as every other hotel. ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ helped me express those feelings and since we started playing it live I often use it as a reminder to go easy on myself. It deters the burn out.”
ALFIE TEMPLEMAN + YOUR NEIGHBORS :: Monday, October 14 at Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. in Allston, MA :: 6 p.m., all ages, $20 :: Event info :: Advance tickets
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