CONCERT REVIEW: No love lost for Australian rock band The Temper Trap
by Rachel Oh
Australian rock quartet The Temper Trap returned to our shores after a six-year hiatus from Singapore to deliver their signature anthemic sounds that we know and love.
The band was fresh off the Wonderland music festival in the Philippines and had just started the first leg of their Asia tour with their solo gig here at The Coliseum last Friday (10 March), packing a crowd of more than a thousand.
The Temper Trap’s last visit to Singapore was in 2011 as the headlining act for the inaugural St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, where the band played alongside indie giants Foals and Beach House. At the time, they were still riding high on international acclaim following the release of their debut album’s lead single Sweet Disposition.
The Temper Trap kicked off their show with the gritty, thumping beat of Thick as Thieves, which is the opening track for their third and latest studio album of the same name. Released last June, the album reverts to the guitar-based style found in their first album Conditions, but with punchier and more buoyant tempo.
The crowd seemed entranced during the band’s seamless transition into crowd favourite Love Lost, as frontman Dougy Mandagi enraptured the audience with his falsetto vocals that glided over jangling guitars.
“It’s great to be back in Singapore to see you guys,” Mandagi enthused between songs, before cheekily adding, “And your food.”
The band’s mixture of passionate synth-pop and spirited basslines kept the crowd swaying throughout the night to anthems both old and new, such as Fader, Trembling Hands, and Science of Fear. In a visceral performance, Mandagi switched his guitar for the drum set during Drum Song, and churned out a dynamic tempo that further elevated drummer Toby Dundas’ frenetic beats.
The atmospheric pull of the much-anticipated Sweet Disposition brought the night to a close, with a slow-build introduction consisting of guitar riffs that ascended into the song’s haunting and powerful climax. Bassist Jonathon Aherne’s supporting vocals blended effortlessly with Mandagi’s riveting falsetto in a demonstration of the single’s immense success.
It was clearly yet another memorable show by The Temper Trap. The crowd was exuberant in each familiar note, they yelled almost every lyric back to the stage, and completely “lost” themselves when Mandagi reached out to clasp their hands.
It was clear that fans had sensed a loss when the band took a hiatus. But they sure are glad to have found them again.
Setlist:
Thick as Thieves
Love Lost
Fall Together
Fader
Burn
Trembling Hands
Rabbit Hole
So Much Sky
Ordinary World
Summer’s Almost Gone
Science of Fear
Resurrection
Alive
Drum Song
Soldier On
What If I’m Wrong
Sweet Disposition
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