Live Review: The Temper Trap @ Hindley Street Music Hall 16/09/26

A full decade after their last LP, The Temper Trap are back on the road, taking their new album Sungazer across the country.

Made up of Dougi Mandagi on vocals and guitar, Jonathan Aherne on bass, Toby Dundas covering the drums and Joseph Greer on keyboards and guitar, the indie-rock band was formed back in 2005.

While their break was lengthy, Adelaide’s show saw hundreds of eager fans ready to welcome back The Temper Trap as if they'd never left. On a cool Wednesday night in Adelaide, the doors to Hindley Street Music Hall swung open at 7pm, letting in a steady stream of fans unbothered by the mid-week gig. By 8pm, local act Sunsick Daisy took the stage for a whirlwind half-hour set, warming up the room with a tight set. Their blend of indie rock set the tone nicely, as late punters packed into the lower half of the Music Hall. 

The lights again dropped after only a half-hour wait, plunging the venue into a deep red glow as The Temper Trap's name flashed across the screen. The opening chords of 'Love Lost' rippled beneath applause as the members of The Temper Trap strode onstage to an enthusiastic crowd already clapping along.

"It's been a while, hey," frontman Dougy Mandagi grinned before the band launched into 2010 single 'Love Lost'. They barely paused for a breath before moving straight into fan favourite 'Fader'. The Temper Trap's sound has always carried an expansive quality, but live it became fuller, more exciting, and immensely dynamic. 

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Navigating through songs off the new album, the crowd was swept into a seamless run of 'Lucky Dimes', 'Runaways' and 'Into The Wild'. Suddenly, the lights dropped and the members slipped offstage, forcing the crowd into a hush. A long minute later, Mandagi reappeared to play 2012's 'The Sea Is Calling' and 2009's 'Soldier On'. Settling on a stool with just his guitar, a single spotlight illuminated above him while soft white lights swirled across the ceiling. The moment felt intimate, as the stripped-back pair of throwbacks they pulled from two different eras of the band's history resonated with the crowd. 

However, the melancholic energy soon switched, as the room erupted in cheers when the instantly recognisable opening to' Sweet Disposition' rang out across the room. With the show happening to land on the 18th anniversary of when the song was released, an added burst of nostalgia made the performance feel even more special. With fans singing word-for-word, Mandagi strode across the stage, pointing the mic at corners of the room with a beaming smile on his face. The unmistakable energy of the crowd carried into the final song of the night, 'Giving Up Air'.

"Until next time," Mandagi called out before the final chorus, tossing the line out with a grin as the crowd responded with cheers of encouragement. 

With the setlist covering the inevitable throwback highlights of Sweet Disposition and Fader, the band also dived into new tracks pulled straight from Sungazer. The contrast between nostalgic favourites and fresh material felt like a simultaneous acknowledgement of where The Temper Trap has been, but also where they're going. This iconic Australian act has come back together, with a renewed sense of purpose, bringing fans from 2009 with them into this new era of the band.