The Temper Trap have long been known as one of the best live acts on the Australian music scene and the band have recently launched back into the spotlight this year, releasing new music for the first time in nine years with a full album forthcoming. To celebrate, the band booked a series of intimate shows on Australia’s East Coast, with Liberty Hall being the venue of choice in Sydney. Long home to intimate artist gigs for some major players, the venue takes a little getting used to, especially from its mezzanine level but the fantastic acoustics mean that it is a great venue for live music. 

The band played a short 80-minute set with little chat or fanfare, instead focussing squarely on their music. Starting with the ethereal anthem “Love Lost”, the band had the crowd on their side from the outset as the power of frontman Dougy Mandagi’s voice resonated through the venue. 

The band was extremely tight throughout the set, showing off extremely high-class musicianship. This was especially evident on some of the more complex songs in their discography like “Trembling Hands” which was performed exceptionally well, with the entire band feeling completely in-sync as the audience sang along. 

The band also gave the audience a preview of some of their new work, which reflected somewhat of a sonic shift. “Lucky Dimes” had a much gritter, rockier feel than the band’s earlier work while “These Arms” and “Into the Wild” had a more ethereal and electronic feel to them. The grittier work felt more compelling, but it will be interesting to hear the full album to ascertain just how much of a shift there has truly been. 

Towards the end of the main set, the band finally stopped to (briefly) chat to the audience, thanking them for their support over the past decade. 

“This is the start of hopefully a fruitful new tour for us,” he said. “We’re excited to finally have some new shit to play for you guys.”

The band closed out the main set with some old favourites in the bustling “Science of Fear” and rhythmic ballad “Drum Song”, before returning to the stage for a much-appreciated encore. It was then time for the song that everyone had been waiting for. 

As the band launched into “Sweet Disposition”, the atmosphere in the room was hungry and anticipatory as the opening chords echoed through the room. In the verses, Mandagi could barely be heard as the crowd sang every lyric for him. In the pre-chorus, he decided that it would be best just to let the audience sing and sing they did with a fervour that well exceeded the bounds of the 1000 strong venue. When the chorus dropped, it was pure pandemonium, with an all-encompassing feeling of ecstasy encasing the walls of the venue. There is no doubt that the track is the epitome of the perfect pop song, with everything required to create the most wonderous live experience and the band knew it and absolutely lived up to the expectations surrounding the song. 

The night concluded with “Giving Up Air”, another of the band’s newest singles. This one was very much in keeping with their older work and as a bubbly pop song, was a great closer as it had the audience dancing and celebrating the night of music.

This was the quintessential Aussie band gig: no fuss, a passionate crowd, great songs and even better musicianship. The Temper Trap really are one of Australia’s gems and this was a concert that showcased them in all of their glory. While their long-awaited album certainly has some expectations to live up to, this gig certainly went a long way towards showing that The Temper Trap are well and truly back. 

 Rating: ★★★★★

The Temper Trap – Liberty Hall – 26^th October 2025

All photo credits: Mikki Gomez