Reviewed on Wednesday May 1
To say the last twelve months have been kind to this group would be an understatement. Last year, having completed a stadium tour with Coldplay, cleaned up at the ARIAs and booked dates at Lollapalooza in Chile and Brazil, The Temper Trap’s triumphant homecoming promised to deliver.
Support came from theatrical and captivating indie darlings Alpine. Singers Phoebe Baker and Lou James are a yin and yang of voices and outfits on stage, harmonising beautifully on dreamy tracks like ‘Hands’ and ‘Villages’. As the room filled and the band built towards closer ‘Gasoline’, it was clear from the crowd’s appreciation that their loyal fanbase is growing.
Half older fans and half squealing young girls greeted The Temper Trap with a huge roar and a blaze of flashing lights. Anticipation peaked as frontman Dougy Mandagi unleashed his huge vocals on ‘Love Lost’ and ‘Fader’, wearing an equally loud leopard print shirt. The band ripped through a representative selection, covering all their bases, from heart-wrenching renditions of ‘Down River’ and B-side ‘Everybody Leaves In the End’ mid-show, to generous portions of Conditions and highlights from the latest self-titled album.
‘Science of Fear’ brought things back up to pace, with Mandagi jumping into the crowd in the excitement. As their set drew to an end, faces still beamed and mouths still moved to a solid version of ‘Drum Song’ complete with the water on the drums trick. ‘Trembling Hands’ and the inevitable closer ‘Sweet Disposition’ finished the set with spine-tingling greatness and another crowd surf from Mandagi, proving that delayed climax is not just a Tantric philosophy. ‘This is how we do it, that’s rock and roll,’ joked frontman Mandagi, and not even a broken guitar string could fault their return to Sydney, with a great set list and collective stellar performance.
BY CARLA PAVEZ
