Live Review: The Temper Trap

The loud chatter inside Forum Theatre subsides with the lights as The Temper Trap casually walk on stage. They open with the title track from their new album Thick As Thieves, which boasts a catchy bass line as played by Jonathon Aherne. Unlike bassists who usually have their instruments hanging down by their knees, Aherne has his bass propped up high against his chest. Any ordinary musician would've made this look awkward and gawky, but props to Aherne for absolutely rocking it. Known for his stage presence, he chucks in a few dance moves as he thumps out his bass line.

Frontman Doug Mandagi's voice is flawless and doesn't quiver once — unless it's intentional vibrato at the tail-end of notes. This is a remarkable achievement, considering most of the band's melodies extend outside the range of a typical male rock vocalist, but Mandagi's got this one in the bag. His voice stays pure and unshaken, even as he belts out the climbing intro of Trembling Hands (an awesome start to one of the crowd favourites). Heavily reverbed, Mandagi's vocals also capture the sonic dimension embedded into recordings. Meanwhile, the rest of the band provide backing vocals to complement his efforts. Guitarist Joseph Greer and drummer Toby Dundas combine their voices to replicate the ghostly timbre of Mandagi's falsetto in a variety of harmonies and echoes.

The band tease us with a few new songs, hot off their new record, which is scheduled to drop in June. "We don't know which one of these songs will be the hit on the new album," Mandagi announces. 'You'll have to help us out — cheer for whichever song you like best!' Then they dive into songs So Much Sky, Fall Together and Burn. The crowd favours So Much Sky, its choruses embellished with catchy chants and big stadium guitar riffs. Although this seems like the climactic point in the show, the vibe soon doubles as the muted pickings of Sweet Disposition begin to play. A moment we've all been waiting for, Mandagi sits out a few choruses to hear us fill the theatre with, "A moment of love/A dream, a laugh/A kiss, a cry/Our rights/Our wrongs..." It would've been perfect for them to end on this song, but we scream for an encore and they return on stage for a few more.