The Temper Trap
Thursday 10 September
Forum Melbourne
The Temper Trap return to The Forum for a big homecoming celebration ten years on from their last full-length project. This time around the Melbourne band is back with their fourth album ‘Sungazer’ and judging by the first of two sold-out shows, they’ve returned with more confidence, energy and ambition than ever.
Opening the night, Lastlings offer a glimpse into their own new era. Gone is much of the electronic soundscape they’ve cultivated over the years, replaced by a sound driven by live guitar and drums. They play an entirely unreleased set, giving the crowd an early introduction to what comes next, including the infectious new track titled ‘Crush’. There’s a sense that the duo is deliberately leaving their past behind and starting fresh with a shift in their direction.
Their cover of Cigarettes After Sex’s ‘Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby’ slows things down beautifully, and they win over the audience by holding their full attention with all their new material.
The Temper Trap arrive with an impressive stage set up that illuminate with colourful LED lights to frame them perfectly. ‘Love Lost’ and ‘Fader’ immediately remind us why this band’s songs have always felt made for big spaces like this. The theatre erupts as Dougy Mandagi’s unmistakable voice cuts through the opening bars, while ‘Lucky Dimes’ and ‘Trembling Hands’ keep the momentum building.
This tour marks the return of a band celebrating their first new full-length record in a decade and they waste little time acknowledging that, premiering ‘Runaways’ live for the very first time anywhere.
The new material sits comfortably alongside the classics. ‘Fools’, ‘Lifeline’ and ‘These Arms’ bring the familiar emotional weight, while ‘Into The Wild’ opens things up before the title track, ‘Sungazer’, becomes one of the night’s more personal moments.
Mandagi speaks about becoming a father three years ago, explaining the significance of the album’s title and dedicating ‘Sungazer’ to his son. It’s a rare intimate pause in what is otherwise an explosive and anthemic performance.
An interlude from the new album follows, leading into ‘Science of Fear’ before the band strip things back further for the instrumental ‘Drum Song’. It’s a moment to breathe before the inevitable return to the songs everyone has been waiting for.
When they return for the encore, Mandagi reflects on the band’s years spent travelling the world, noting that there’s still “no crowd like a home crowd”. Looking out across the packed Forum, he takes it in with genuine disbelief. “Thank you so much for coming out, everybody. Packed house. Wow! After all these years!” he exclaims.
‘The Sea Is Calling’ carries another deeply personal story. Mandagi recounts how the song came from a period after he contracted typhoid, describing how coming through the experience changed his perspective on life and his surroundings. Somehow, from a genuinely difficult period came one of the band’s most affecting songs.
Then comes ‘Soldier On’, before the opening notes of ‘Sweet Disposition’ trigger one of the biggest reactions of the night. It remains the song that has defined The Temper Trap for so many, but here it feels less like a nostalgia trip and more like a reminder of just how enduring the band’s music has become.
For the final song, ‘Giving Up Air’, they go out at full force. It’s a huge, euphoric finish to a night that manages to balance the weight of the past with the excitement of what comes next.
After a decade away from a full-length release, The Temper Trap are very much embracing their new chapter and time away has allowed them to really harness a revitalised sound that’s some of their best music to date.
Words by Michael Prebeg
Photos by Monique Pizzica
