Temptress

Name, where are you from?
I’m Vlad and I grew up in South London.
I’m Jess and I’m from North London.

Describe your style in three words?
Bouncy, Soulful, Bold.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
We both went to a Flying Lotus gig in Brixton Academy, supported by Jay Electronica. It was brilliantly surreal, so much went wrong it’s a surprising one to be a favourite but was just so memorable. First MF Doom was meant to play but just didn’t show up, then Jay Electronica came on and 10 mins in invited everyone on stage until it was so overrun Flying Lotus came on stage to tell him to get the people off the stage. The most memorable part though was Fly Lo’s set which had the most crazy trippy light show which, combined with ‘You’re Dead’, made this dystopian, hyperreal atmosphere that we found incredibly inspiring. One of our friends even got so spooked by it they had to leave.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
Aretha Franklin because we love her and she’s the queen of soul as well as Burial just because it would be amazing to see what would happen.

Which Subcultures have influenced you?
We both were really into the London indie scene around 2007/2009 listening to Bombay Bicycle Club, Lightspeed Champion, Good Shoes, Mystery Jets, Maccabees etc. It was a kind of coming of age moment, the first gigs we were old to go to, and there was a real scene with district style both in fashion and sound. We even both went to some of the exact same shows but didn’t know each other at the time.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
We would love to spend an hour with Maya Angelou because her works are so powerful and would be inspiring to speak to her.

Of all the venues you’ve been to, which is your favourite?
It’s a tricky one but it’s probably Pickle Factory just because we played our first headline show there, and it was completely rammed which was so exhilarating to come out to for the first time. That combined with the fact it’s one of the few venues where the whole building is really designed to sound acoustically great so is dreamy to play and listen to music.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Our friends Max, Iiris and Richie have just started a new project called ‘Night Tapes’. They’re all super talented and we love what they’ve put out so far, they’re definitely worth checking out!

London duo Temptress latest release 'Paradise' was released on Friday 18th October 2019. The band mix '90s R&B sensibilities with their signature modern pop complete with production that fizzes with positivity. With a multidisciplinary approach, the band direct their own music video for the track. The video is a light-hearted visual feast set against the urban landscape of their hometown - a love letter to London.