Twin Temple, Midnight Cowgirls

Beer City Music Hall, Oklahoma City, OK

September 16, 2026

Review and Gallery by Ally Arens

Fresh on the heels of a smidge of controversy by way of being removed from touring with country artist Charley Crockett due to their “Satanic imagery”, alternative rock band Twin Temple are in the midst of their Doomed Lovers tour in support of their newest album of the same name, due to be released on October 9. With a mixture of headlining shows and dates supporting Danzig and Jack White, the doo-wop duo brought their jazzily evil tunes to a sold-out headliner at Oklahoma City’s Beer City Music Hall on September 16, and The Encore Nights was along for the wild ride.

Kicking the night off with some rebel outlaw attitude was the Midnight Cowgirls, a western rock group founded by bassist Jennie Vee. The troupe brought a super-fun energy to the stage with tracks such as latest single “(Ain’t My First) Rodeo”, “Hillbilly Slip”, and closed with a heartfelt ode to the late Dolly Parton with a cover of her hit “9 to 5.”, and even if you, like me, are not generally a country music fan, I highly recommend at least checking them out, as their live energy definitely won me over!

Shortly after 9 p.m., it was time for the Satanic ritual…I mean, concert,…to begin. As Twin Temple, made up of duo Alexandra and Zachary James, emerged onto the stage, Alex first held up a skull while Zach doused the front row in (un)holy water. This was followed by the pair wielding swords, before the opening notes of “The Devil (Didn’t Make Me Do It)” echoed through the venue, followed by “I Am a Witch” and “Sex Magick.” Other setlist highlights included recent single “Haunt Me,” “ Burn Your Bible” (which was especially cathartic to hear in a Bible Belt state…), and “Satan’s a Woman.” 

While some may be understandably turned away by the band’s imagery, I would implore those people to focus instead on appreciating the creativity that allows such a band to flourish – to act subversive in the face of censorship and to offer a welcoming environment to those who may have been ostracized by others. For a band to take their influence from the earliest days of rock and roll and put a modernized spin on it, one that would have been even more radical in the days of the artists their sound hearkens back to, is truly a sight to behold and is one of the things I’ve come to love the most about Twin Temple. They put on an extremely fun live show, and are unafraid to be unabashedly themselves in their performances and through their music. 

The Doomed Lovers tour resumes on September 22 in Tucson, AZ, before concluding in Sacramento, CA on October 8, the eve of Doomed Lovers’ release. All upcoming tour dates, as well as preorders for Doomed Lovers, can be found on the band’s website.