Audio, 29 September 2009
If you have not heard of The Temper Trap you soon will. The four-piece have enjoyed extensive airplay on Radio 1 and also feature on the soundtrack of indie-love story ‘500 Days of Summer’.
The buzz with The Temper Trap is that they are destined for bigger things. If producer Jim Abbiss can work the same magic as he did with Artic Monkeys, this may be the last time you’ll see these Aussie rockers at such an intimate venue. As the last date in their UK tour, it seemed they were determined to make it count, with a packed crowd who all seemed to fall under the Traps spell.
Stage presence is something the band certainly has. Dougy Mandagi is a confident front man and clearly loves being in the spotlight. He enjoys chatting back to the good-natured shouts from the audience – even when one of the fans shouts inexplicably ”more lyrics!”. Lyrically however, they will not set the world alight. It is not their words that define them, but the climactic build of songs like ‘Rest’ that make the music so emotive.
The vocal chords of Mandagi are the distinctive edge to the bands sound, but all the band members are involved in backing vocals and prove that they too have the ability for high notes. Although the lead singer’s falsetto voice is the signature of The Temper Trap, there is an understated beauty to some of the lower pitched songs such as the haunting ‘Soldier On’, which has a warm, rounded quality to it. Bass player Jonathon Aherne dances around and looks like he is aching for the day they are playing bigger venues so he can really let rip.
The crowd went crazy when some of the bands better-known songs such as ‘Love Lost’ and ‘Sweet Disposition’ were played. The band successfully had the audience clapping along to upbeat track ‘Down River’ with some closing their eyes and swaying to the music. They clearly already have quite a following with sold out venues across the UK and a tour the US starting later this month.
Musically the band is tight and it is obvious they love what they are doing, but without the searing vocals from Mandagi, The Temper Trap would probably be a fairly average band. It’s not that they aren’t talented or accomplished in their art, but their sound is nothing that hasn’t been heard before. However, they have the tools and the following to be the next mega band; The Temper Trap are definitely moving up in the world.
thetempertrap.net
Written by Emma O’Brennan-Pizer
Photography by Grace Langley
