Live

The Temper Trap, Wolf Gang

Alisha Ahmed 15/07/2009

Are you wondering where all the buzz about The Temper Trap comes from? Well, they are the first band signed by Korda Marshall for the grand re-opening of Infectious Records.

Moreover, knowing that Korda's abilites and taste has so far brought us bands such as Garbage, The Darkness and Muse in the past (enough to have his label to be acquired by Warner back in 2003) builds just enough expectation for this to go full circle, and present to us the next big thing. Hence all the hopes and expectations about The Temper Trap. Their debut album Conditions hit their native Australia on June 15, just in time for the band's relocation to London, which will see the album released there later on in August.

An album that got showcased in its near entirety at a sold-out ICA, where Temper Trap proved how their catchy guitar riffs and melodic tunes have no problem in being adapted for a live edition that left all the audience on the constant edge of a happy frenzy. Lead singer Dougy has a vocal ability with so much character and variety that it allows him to perfectly cover all the different moods involved - from soft and fragile, such as in Sweet Disposition, to a bit of falsetto thrown into every song, becoming a specific trait in The Temper Trap style.

So do they live up to the standards they have set so far? Well, they surely have the potential to become the next big thing, but they also remind me how music is no longer (has it ever been?) just about the aural. This is evident in their lack of regard to image. Even seeing them on stage it's like seeing musicians from different bands, coming from the most eclectic styles, put together on the same stage just by chance. The thing is, any other band lacking visuals this much would never have been considered to be booked for the stuff they're set for (they're hitting the Summer Sonic festival in Japan next month, amongst other things) so if they've been allowed to get this far regardless of anything else than their music, this should help you guess how outstanding their sound quality really is.