It’s unnerving for me to listen to males sing (or even talk, for that matter) who can reach higher octaves than me. Fact of the matter is, though, my voice won’t allow me to do what a lot of great singers can do. And Dougy, the vivacious frontman of Temper Trap, is the perfect example of that. In the words of Wayne Campbell, “he wailed.”
If you’ve never experienced a Temper Trap live show, I urge you to rectify the situation immediately. You know when you’ve become so infatuated with an album or a band, and then watch the songs performed live, and say “Holy shit, I didn’t think it was possible – they’re so much better live than on record”? That’s Temper Trap in a nutshell. These guys were born to be on stage. And if their ridiculously catchy tunes weren’t enough to send the crowd into a frenzy, then their above-par lighting show was sure to do the trick. With effects that could almost counterbalance the intensity of a Muse light show (YouTube it if you don’t already know what I mean), the audience was transfixed from beginning, right through to the very end.
Performing songs from both their debut and sophomore records, the Melbourne born and bred five-piece incorporated new tracks from their latest self-titled record, The Temper Trap – slotting them nicely between familiar anthems like Down River and Love Lost. It was no big deal that newer tracks were more unfamiliar than older ones; the crowd danced, swayed, screamed and jumped. Each crowd member seemed to be either lost in a trance or energised by every single beat.
Each and every song was a performance in itself, culminating in one majorly successful welcome home tour. Hell, if the fact that their latest offering debuted at number one in their home country didn’t make them feel warm and fuzzy inside, then the two sold-out shows in the band’s hometown definitely would have.
With the setlist including lesser known and equally as exciting tracks, it was the band’s most popular hits such as Fader, Science Of Fear and Conditions that sent the crowd into controlled mayhem. But it wasn’t until the very last riff began – that of Sweet Disposition – that every mind present at The Forum Theatre that night was lost. Phones, cameras and hands were raised to the ceiling, all capturing the magical atmosphere that was created.
That night made me proud to be a Melburnian.
BY SIMONE ZIADA
LOVED: Everything.
HATED: Nothing.
DRANK: Cider
