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Steve Barnes: Guitar
Steve first picked up the guitar at the late age of sixteen. However, he practiced as much as possible in an attempt to catch up his peers, certainly not helping his studies! The constant practice paid off and before long was playing alt-rock with his friends often making his own songs up, being far too lazy to learn covers!
Later Steve moved to Milton Keynes and started a rock band with a pacy heavy sound, unfortunately there were disagreements and he left the band.
In the following years Steve decided not to actively look for a band and merely honed his technique for his own pleasure. Having worked together and being good friends with Craig and John, Craig suggested that they form a metal outfit together. Steve Barnes knew it was time to shred again.
Craig Hughes: Guitar
Craig first picked up a guitar at the age of eight, starting with classical lessons through the local school, he also joined the school orchestra and was a prominent player, picking up awards.
In 1998 he received recognition for his efforts to the orchestra, including a plaque on the school’s wall. He was introduced to the music of Zakk Wylde (hence the bullseye-style Les Paul he originally played) and a distortion pedal during guitar lessons about two years later.
Graham Day: Drums
Originally a guitarist by trade, Graham spent his early musical years studying the riffs of Metallica and other metal bands. After a stint as a guitarist in Northampton's Conspiracy, Graham made the switch to drums for Temples Burning with uncanny ease, joining his friends (and former Chappell of Bond Street colleagues) once more.
John Swain: Lead Vocals; Bass Guitar
John started his musical career when he picked up an acoustic guitar at school aged 9 and learnt some well-known folk songs. After some years, he was bought his first electric guitar and went through a succession of private guitar teachers, acquiring a more advanced technique, knowledge of music theory and enhancing his ability. His first taste of rock performance took the form of a live performance to the entire school playing Eric Clapton’s classic ‘Layla’. Whilst at university, he was subjected to large amounts of heavy music - System Of A Down and the Smashing Pumpkins, to name but a few. Between university semesters, John worked at his local music shop where he met various interesting musical minds and influences, including Craig, Steve, Graham and Tony. After that shop’s demise in September 2005, Temples Burning was formed.
Tony Salway: Keyboards
Tony first started messing around with keyboards when he was seven, using an early Casio machine; he started having piano lessons shortly afterwards progressing through the various piano grades. Having worked with John, Craig and Steve at his local music shop, Tony joined the band in 2006 adding a new angle to their lineup (and some alternative sounds).
Discography
Recorded over several months in autumn/winter 2008/2009, Endless Sacrifice was the most technically-ambitious recording to date. The second CD to feature the current band line-up, the CD was once again self-produced which, whilst capturing a sound the band prefered to that on Suffocation, meant that it wasn't until summer 2009 that a finished product was ready - mixing, an orchestral intro and cover artwork being the main culprits for the delay. Endless Sacrifice features the studio-recorded tracks Prologue, Die For You, Machines Of God, Through My Obsession, Broken Mind and the live tracks Never Surrender and Suffocation.
Recorded in 2007 at Mr Gig Studios, Suffocation was the first studio recording to feature Graham on drums. It had just 3 tracks - Bloodshed, Dead Of Night and the title-track Suffocation. Though the CD tone's was heavier overall than the first EP, it hadn't really captured quite the sound the band were aiming for.
Recorded in Spring 2006, Temples Burning: The EP featured the original touring lineup with Kit on drums. Due to budget constraints, the CD was self produced and used a Yamaha electronic drum kit. Although Temples Burning's later sound would be a radical departure from that featured on this first CD, The EP succeeded in its goal of securing gigs and entry into Milton Keynes' Summer Band Blitz competition. The CD features the tracks Rose And The Thorn, Devil's Doorstep and Inferno.
Gallery
About Temples Burning
Temples Burning are a 5-piece metal band based in Milton Keynes, England comprised of John Swain, Steve Barnes, Craig Hughes, Graham Day and Tony Salway. As of August 2009, they are an unsigned act.
Temples Burning was formed when guitarist Craig Hughes, working for the soon-to-close Chappell of Bond Street Milton Keynes musical instrument store suggested to friend and colleague Steve Barnes (also a guitarist) that they start a metal band. The two enlisted fellow colleague and guitarist John Swain and began writing.
With little experience playing metal riffs/chords on guitar, Swain took up bass duties with Hughes covering rhythm guitar. Initially, Barnes took up vocals as well as lead-guitar but his self-admittadly 'Elvis Presley-esque' vocals were at odds with the band's Machine Head and Killswitch Engage aspirations. Swain instead attempted the metal rasp and scream vocals earning the approval of both Hughes and Barnes.
Their search for a drummer involved trials of several musicians including fellow Chappell MK colleague Ben Platt but Platt's inexperience with the heavier metal sound made him unsuitable. Eventually, the band opted for drummer Kit Bancroft whom Hughes knew from Denbigh High School.
The band name was originally inspired by a quote from Machine Head's Rob Flynn's live introduction to the song Crashing Around You ("When I wrote the lyrics to this song I was sitting in my living room, staring at the floor with a knot in my stomach, my jaw clenched, my temples burning. Because, I was so pissed off at the world that day.")
As such the band name refers to the anatomical term temple (rather than the homonym for a place of religious/spiritual activity); burning in Flynn's context refers to pain or pressure rather than combustion. It is unclear whether the band intended to keep this meaning of burning - the original band logo shows flames around and on top of a human head (this may be a metaphor referring to the volume levels the band intended to deliver to audiences).
Eager to gain entry into the 2006 Milton Keynes Band Blitz competition (held at the Pitz Centre) the band recorded their first demo, The EP, in spring 2006 (the Band Blitz organisers required a CD for evaluation). The tracks were recorded with assistance from friend, Chappells-colleague and future band member Tony Salway and, following a request from the band, featured an organ introduction played by Salway.
The original logo was drawn from a brief by the band; the original website was created by Geoff Platt Creative.
The band played several gigs and secured entry to the Band Blitz competition.
Temples Burning gained entry into the 2006 Band Blitz but when the heat dates were released, it became apparent that Bancroft would be unavailable for the gig due to college big band commitments. Eager to keep the Band Blitz position, the band agreed that a stand-in drummer would be found to play gigs during that summer with the intention of Bancroft returning to the band in the Fall.
Hughes hired university housemate Phill Deavall to cover for Bancroft. Deavall played just one gig - the 2006 Band Blitz. After being impressed by Deavall's commitment and ability, Hughes, Swain and Barnes reconsidered and decided against Kit Bancroft's planned return and spoke to Bancroft to inform him; Barnes later noted that the conversation was 'a horrible thing to have, and to have to have'. Deavall had reportedly already expressed his desire to continue in the band.
The band failed to win their Band Blitz heat and this lead to an apparent loss of self-confidence within the group (a period of 5 months without gigs being sought or booked ensued). Swain expressed a desire to concentrate just on vocals and for the band to enlist a bassist. Sensing an opportunity to bring in more than just bass, Hughes persuaded Swain and Barnes to trial keyboard-player Tony Salway - initially to test a keyboard's ability to cover the bass lines. Salway's familiarity with much of the band's existing material made the trial relatively straightforward though without the use of a bass speaker cabinet, the bass sound lacked the volume or punch using just the studio PA system. Although Swain would continue to play bass guitar, Barnes persuaded Swain and Hughes to keep Salway on for additional 'bass-reinforcement' (the keyboard could produce higher 'bass' frequencies and tone which complimented Swain's rig) and general keyboard work. On 16th September 2006, Swain offered Salway the position of keyboard-player on the agreement that Salway would "step down immediately should the band not be happy with how things work out".
Due to other commitments, travelling difficulties and possibly influenced by Salway's arrival, Phil Deavall decided not to continue as drummer and the band begun searching for a replacement, whilst continuing to rehearse the existing songs. Having been offered a gig at the Chappell of Bond Street Milton Keynes Christmas reunion show Sausage On A Stick, organiser Alex Meissner suggested to former Chappell employee and drummer/guitarist Graham Day that he fill in as drummer for the gig. Day, former guitarist for thrash metal band Conspiracy agreed and rehearsals began.
Day's existing familiarity with (and love of) the metal genre almost instantly brought a heavier feel to the band's set list; several songs were reworked slightly to include the keyboards and Day's drumming. The Chappell reunion gig was relatively well-received and shortly after the band completed the set, Day announced to the band his desire to continue as a permanent band member. Agreement for this was instant and unilateral from the other band members.
Now made up purely of former-Chappells MK colleagues, Temples Burning began work on new songs and securing gigs, with regular slots at Milton Keynes' Snobar and New Bradwell's The County Arms.
Mr Gig Studios in Bletchley was employed to record and produce a new demo (Suffocation EP) - the completion of this led to more gigs to promote the CD (including a 'Launch Party' gig).
Whilst the title-track Suffocation generally found favour with listeners, the recording quality was almost universally criticised.
By mid-2008, the band was regularly gigging and had amassed new songs and gained confidence. For the second time, the band entered the Milton Keynes Band Blitz (the first time with Day and Salway) and again failed to pass the first heat. Sources at the time suggested the band lost marks for sounding too much like metal-greats Metallica (a comment that both puzzled and pleased Temples Burning). Undeterred, the band continued to gig and began the recording for a new EP in September 2008.
Titled Endless Sacrifice, primary recording completed in December 2008, though additional recording and an orchestral introduction were added in the following months.
In December 2008, John Swain sustained a broken leg forcing the cancellation of a gig at the Snobar and putting on hold the band's gigging schedule. By summer 2009, Swain had returned to rehearsals and the band resumed gigging, notably getting through two heats to reach the final of Luton's Castle Tavern Battle of the Bands (the final was won by fellow metal band Our Divide).
Contact:
You can contact us by sending a message through MySpace or Facebook, or by emailing us direcly at theband@templesburning.co.uk.