Temple of the Dead Moth are an alternative country rock band founded by Edinburgh based musician Andrew John Cairns. First releasing his EP ‘Turmoil’ in 2012, Cairns made his return in 2015 with the full length album ‘Cauterize’. Completely self-recorded, the album debuted the country stylings now prevalent in Cairns' music. 'Cauterize' was later remixed and then mastered by Mos Generator’s Tony Reed and re-released in 2016.

 

Originally starting as a one-man band, Temple of the Dead Moth are now a coherent 5 piece – Andrew John Cairns on lead vocals and guitar, Isla Sinclair on supporting vocals and banjo, Nick Wilson on drums, Ron Nichols on bass, and Tim Gilbert on slide guitar. Self-described as “grungy alt-country”, the band’s live performances move in a Jekyll & Hyde-like way between the more intimate sets that Cairns plays as a one-man-band and the loud and punchy full band that add new layers to the music with the use of the banjo, slide guitar and musical saw.

 

While still regulars to Edinburgh, Temple of the Dead Moth have gone on to have tours of England and Germany, supported seminal British punk rock band Subhumans and American country-metal band WhiskeyDick, and have reached as far as Italian radio.

 

Two years on from ‘Cauterize’ a new album is in the works, again written and recorded by Cairns, and will feature previously unreleased crowd favourites ‘Our Shore’ and ‘Guttersong’.

 

 

 

Quotes:
“Temple of the Dead Moth has a remarkably unique and unusual approach to making music. His material is gruff, disquieting and abrasive yet somehow strangely melodic and compelling.”
Dave Simpson, Pure M Magazine

 

“If you get the chance to sample “Temple of the Dead Moth” live do so. It’s a visceral and cerebral merry-go-round of surreal imagery few performers possess the imagination to conjure up in the first place.”

Jim Laing, It Started In The Kitchen