Jack White has stepped in after country musician Charley Crockett kicked Satanic doo-wop duo Twin Temple off his current tour due to their occult imagery.
The former Metal Hammer cover stars, featuring husband-and-wife couple Zachary and Alexandra James, were due to support Crocket at shows in Troutdale, Oregon and Paso Robles, California in mid-July
But the Devil-loving duo claim to have been kicked off two shows due to Crockett’s opposition to their image and the content of such songs as Burn Your Bible and Let’s Have a Satanic Orgy.
“Today we were informed that Charley Crockett has decided to remove Twin Temple from his upcoming shows next week due to our Satanic imagery,” they write.
“Unfortunately, that means we will not be able to perform for you next week as planned. We are really disappointed as we were looking forward to getting back out and seeing you, and also what it meant as far as bringing different types of people and music lovers together.
“We are sorry to everyone who was planning to see us. We’re grateful for your support, not only of Twin Temple, but more importantly of artistic freedom.”
While Twin Temple may have offended Crockett, Jack White has no such issues. The former White Stripes frontman took to social media to offer the band the opportunity to open for him at an upcoming LA show.
White wrote: “Twin Temple, would you like to open my show in L.A. on September 29th at the Hollywood Palladium? Let me know. Get in front of me Satan!” he added, a nod to The White Stripes’ 2005 album Get Behind Me Satan.
Twin Temple responded to the offer on White’s Instagram, writing: “Unholy hell…. Sir Jack, you have no idea what this means to us. Lifelong fans- dead leaves on the dirty ground was one of the first songs I (Alex) ever learned on guitar. We were actually planning on coming to this show. It would be a most infernal pleasure to play the devils music with you.”
White also defended his decision to stand up for Twin Temple after one Instagram user questioned how it tallied with the singer’s supposed Catholic faith.
The user, calling himself ‘keeganisthebatman’, wrote: “I”m genuinely curious: as a practicing Catholic, how do you see promiting a band associated with Satanic imagery fitting in with your faith? It seems at odds with the values Catholicism teaches.”
Write clapped back: “I never claimed to be a practicing Catholic or christian, you assumed that. And I’m not scared of Satan or any bullshit imagery man made up to live in fear of.
“Commune with God on your own terms,” he continued, “and communicate with God and find your own path, not some path somebody made up to make you afraid and make money off of you.”
Meanwhile, Crockett has defended his decision to drop the band from his shows.
“I won’t conform and I’m not sorry,” he wrote on social media. “There are many things I’ve done in my life to apologize for but this ain’t one of them. I might wake up at 1pm on the back of that bus and find out that the opener ain’t working for me that night. Tough luck. Life is hard. This ain’t no temp agency.
He continued: “I don’t give a damn whether you think I’m right or wrong. They say love your struggle. I say love the strength the creator gave you to overcome your struggle. Dont believe in any kind of spiritual power? I’m sorry to hear that. God is the fabric that ties all life together.”
