Live Review: Imagine Dragons, The Temper Trap

Perth Arena was filled with a crowd of over 10,000 fans eager for the all-ages show to begin.

The night started with The Temper Trap, who played a tight and stripped-back 45-minute set featuring tracks from across their discography. Dougy Mandagi's soaring vocals took precedence over the musical elements with pinpoint precision and angelic melodies. Highlights included Trembling Hands and Love Lost before the soaring crescendo of crowd favourite Sweet Disposition, drawing a perfect end to their set and warming up the crowd for the main act.

After a short intermission, the house lights dimmed and the stage fired to life with an ominous white glow emanating as a dystopian post-war American infomercial flashed up on the screens. This pondered the origin of life, offering a tongue-in-cheek play on the name of this tour and the band's third album: Evolve. As the tension built, with a synth humming an interstellar melody, Imagine Dragons appeared on stage, each bathed in a spotlight, as the rainbow glow from their cover of thei latest album faded in to mark the start of the show.

I Don't Know Why set the bar high right off the bat, with Dan Reynolds excitedly making use of the whole stage. He egged on the crowd and put on a show for the cameras, leaping in the air as a confetti cannon exploded in a deluge of blue streamers and the song came to a close. This immediately flowed into the drumbeat for an epic six-minute version of Believer. They even slipped a quick acoustic singalong session to Bob Marley's Three Little Birds ("Don't worry about a thing...") into the middle of this song before turning the volume back up to 11 and finishing their own track with a rapturous climax.

As the drums fell quiet, Reynolds dropped into a quiet monologue and addressed the crowd directly, thanking everyone for being there before giving a touching nod to the importance of mental health ("This is a place of safety for everyone and for those who don't feel accepted"). It was an unexpectedly raw and humbling moment so early in the set. Reynolds wrapped up this monologue with, "Let tonight be a night in the clouds," as the snare and kick drum fired up for It's Time. One of the brightest songs from their debut album, Night Visions, the chorus was supported by a hypnotic array of strobe lights and smoke that got the crowd good and buzzed.

Next up was a cover song of Alphaville's Forever Young, an emotional Reynolds taking the reins over subdued bass and drums. Stunning visuals commanded the stage for the more epic sections of their set, but for these more intimate moments simple spotlights and minimal visual cues drew focus to Reynolds' powerful voice. Gold, Whatever It Takes and I'll Make It Up To You followed, the last featuring a face-melting guitar solo from long-standing member Wayne Sermon. Finally, Mouth Of The River broke off into an interlude to close the first part of the night.

The second act brought more hits from across their discography starting with On Top Of The World, complete with a plethora of balloons dropping from the ceiling and a dazzling light show. The band moved onto a smaller stage to perform acoustic versions of Next To Me, Bleeding Out and I Bet My life with a string quartet - showcasing a softer, warmer side to Reynolds' vocals.

After the acoustic interlude, the night's climax began back on the main stage with some of their biggest songs to date. Thunder led into Walking The Wire - with a surprisingly well-suited outro of The Fall from second album Smoke And Mirrors. Reynolds addressed the crowd for the last time, a bassline still buzzing in the background. This momentum built before exploding into a thundering crescendo of Radioactive, their breakout international single, Reynolds pounding a six-foot bass drum so hard that it broke off its mount and fell onto the floor.

The band's passion was evident start to finish. It was an incredibly well-rounded show that captured the power and theatrics of these American rockers. There was not a dull moment nor dry eye in sight.