The Temperance Movement have returned after nearly half a decade in limbo, and last night’s sold-out show at the Paris Alhambra theater was proof of how much they were missed. Reunited in their near-original lineup, the band finally delivers on all of their promises.
Launched in the early 2010s, The Temperance Movement were once hailed as the next great British rock band, their sound a swaggering cocktail of grit, soul, and blues-drenched bravado. But then as often, life did its thing and the band quietly faded. Now older, more weathered, and perhaps a touch wiser, they’re hitting the road with something to prove. And in Paris, they absolutely did.
From the moment they stepped onstage, the Alhambra crowd welcomed them like returning heroes: non-stop singing, dancing, fists in the air... You could feel the love in the room, and it seemed to genuinely take the band by surprise. There were moments when frontman Phil Campbell just stood there, grinning in disbelief, soaking it all in.
Campbell remains a force of nature, his whisky-soaked vocals evoking the ghost of Steve Marriott or early Rod Stewart. Flanked by guitarists Luke Potashnik and Paul Sayer—who traded off hard-rocking riffs and bluesy, expressive solos with telepathic ease—the band locked into a groove that felt both loose and razor-sharp. The rhythm section of Simon Lea (drums) and Nick Fyffe (bass) was unshakable, driving the songs with precision while keeping the soul intact.
The set leaned heavily on their self-titled debut—an album that, more than a decade on, still stands as one of the great English rock debuts of the past 25 years, easily mentioned in the same breath as Up the Bracket or Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not Hearing such beloved songs as “Only Friend,” “Ain’t No Telling” and “Midnight Black” again was pretty moving for everyone. But the later albums also have their share of killer tunes: "Caught In the Middle," "Get Yourself Free," "Another Spiral" or "Magnify" were all welcomed with open arms. The band even treated us to a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Rooted in six decades of British rock and rhythm & blues—from The Yardbirds, Them, The Faces and Free to The Inmates, Dr. Feelgood and Nine Below Zero, all the way to The Heavy, The Strypes and The Answer—The Temperance Movement channel that lineage through a modern lens, adding an alt-rock punch without ever losing their soul. It’s classic rock that doesn’t feel like cosplay—it's lived-in, authentic, and urgent. Punk, even.
This welcome reunion is a triumphant return, a rebirth and if this show was any indication, The Temperance Movement are just getting started again.
