A rocking visit from Down Under
Entertainment company Live Nation BEC-Tero has done it again. They’ve brought another indie giant for their Soundbox live-music series. The Temper Trap, an underrated Australian indie-rock band people may know as “that band that provided the soundtrack for 500 Days Of Summer”, graced the stage of GMM Live House last Thursday to a full house of adoring fans.
As audiences waited with anticipation in the dark concert hall, screams and hoots were heard as four shadows trotted onto stage and resumed their positions. “Sawasdee krub!” yelled lead singer Dougy Mandagi in what sounded like fluent Thai. The audience screamed with shock and happiness as the band kicked off their first song. The moment was sealed as an inside joke among attendees that Mandagi is definitely Thai.
Made up of lead singer and guitarist Dougy Mandagi — who is actually Indonesian — guitarist and keyboardist Joseph Greer, bassist Jonathon Aherne and drummer Toby Dundas, The Temper Trap played a short but sweet set with songs mostly from their latest album Thick As Thieves (2016).
They started off with the upbeat title track to warm up the crowd, then followed with their 2009 megahits Love Lost and Fader — a surprising line-up, as hit songs usually go last in a concert. Audiences went crazy anyway, dancing and singing along as Mandagi hypnotised the crowd with his pitch-perfect vocals.
Playing a number of fast tunes, the band took a break to say hi to the audience and fix some technical difficulties. It was their first time in Thailand, and, as Mandagi describes it, it’s “a mix of excitement and shitting our pants going somewhere for the first time”.
The band didn’t need to worry, however, as audiences were laser-focused on their performance. Even with the pretty stage lights, barely any phones were up in the air as attendees were hypnotised by Mandagi’s high-pitched and powerful voice. This goose-bump-inducing voice, which some critics have described as angelic, completely captivated the crowd. He and the band, which provided perfect backing vocals, sounded exactly like their recordings.
After the sixth song, the atmosphere became heavier and stage lights got more intense. The band performed slower songs like Rabbit Hole, So Much Sky, Ordinary World and Summer’s Almost Gone, revealing the fatal flaw of the show: the group playing their hit songs first, followed by mostly new and slower songs audiences couldn’t sing or dance to. If it wasn’t for Mandigi’s alluring vocals, the second half would have gotten repetitive very quickly.
Still, the show ended on a high note. Leaving the audience high and dry after 14 songs, the band came back for three encores.
“You guys have surpassed our expectations! So thank you!” yelled Mandigi. They ended with their indie anthem Sweet Disposition, the audience clapping, jumping and dancing to the most anticipated song of the night. Promising to return to Bangkok, the show truly ended with a sweet disposition.