Talking Shop: The Temper Trap

By Mark Savage
BBC News entertainment reporter

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Watch the video for The Temper Trap's Love Lost

It is fair to say The Temper Trap have had a good couple of months.

The Melbourne quartet were playing 250-seat venues last October, having received positive reviews for their debut album, Conditions.

Then TV shows and advertisers picked up on their single Sweet Disposition - a chiming, escalating, falsetto ballad - and used it to soundtrack everything from sports montages to Coke commercials.

It propelled their album back up the charts and saw them book a tour which culminated in three sold-out nights at London's 2,000-capacity Shepherd's Bush Empire last month.

Speaking to the BBC before the final of those shows, the band discussed their rapid ascent, smelly tour buses and plans for a new album.

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The first time we came across you was when you popped up on our Sound of 2009 list.

Dougie Mandagi [vocals]: How do you do it? How do you do it!

Lorenzo Sillitto: You had a really good year that year. You had Florence and the Machine, La Roux, Lady Gaga, us… Pretty much everyone has made it.

The band's album was recorded with Arctic Monkeys producer Jim Abbiss

What's the last year been like for you?

Dougie: It's been amazing, man. We can't complain. We've gone to see the world, and got paid to do it - in our luxurious bus.

How luxurious is it?

Lorenzo: Well, the last one smelt of urine - but we got rid of that!

Dougie: We just made a phone call and a new one turned up the next day...

Lorenzo: But it's been amazing, it's surpassed our expectations. We came in here thinking we'd have to start again from square one and play to 40 people the way we did in Melbourne.

Dougie: And it's probably thanks to you guys. I never realised how many people go online and check out the BBC polls, but the minute we came to London, we were really well received.

The step up from your last tour to this one has been pretty big.

Lorenzo: The last six months have been kind of a blur. Especially having done seven weeks in America, where we were playing practically every single night. But, yeah, when you stop to think about it, it's mind-blowing.

Dougie Mandagi was raised in Indonesia, Hawaii and Australia

Are you still learning how to control the bigger crowds?

Dougie: I definitely feel the pressure to do something different, or to give people value for their money. But, as far as the size of the crowd goes, without wanting to sound arrogant, we have played to bigger crowds than the ones on this tour.

But we have had moments where we were like: 'Oh no, I do not know what to do with this crowd - people are going to hurt themselves.'

Do you study what other bands do?

Dougie: Sure, yeah.

Lorenzo: Even with smaller bands. We were playing with this band called The Kissaway Trail and they had a really good presence on stage, even though they haven't been able to play to the sort of crowds we've been able to play to. But you have to be individual, too.

Your music is big and anthemic - does it sound better in larger venues?

Dougie: It is a fine line between it being just right and too loud. Sometimes when you're in small venues it's a bit too much for the sound system to deal with.

Lorenzo: Bigger venues allow you to do the really quiet things, and then break loose for those crescendos - and you know the room's going to be able to handle it without breaking up and turning into an absolute wash.

You've been playing a new track, Rabbit Hole, on the tour. Does this mean you've started the second album?

Dougie: There are definitely ideas going around, and we're utilising our soundchecks to work on new material so, yeah, we're working on it.

How does that compare to how the writing process for Conditions?

Lorenzo: Completely different. We used to have a small space, probably the size of this room, and we rehearsed four times a week. It's very different now when we're on the road and trying to do it in as small a space of time as we possibly can.

The Temper Trap have relocated to London to capitalise on their success

Which part of the day do you look forward to more?

Lorenzo: Em, it depends on how we play. If we play well, then I enjoy the 60 minutes of the show. I love playing live.

Dougie: It's all about the interaction with the crowd. I enjoy writing but not as much as I like playing live!

You're going to turn into Bono, aren't you?

Dougie: Yes!

Do you get fed up with people comparing you to U2?

Dougie: You know what? I'm not a U2 hater. People expect me to grumble about it - but U2 have sold millions of records.

When I watched you play on Wednesday, it seemed that the audience really went crazy for Sweet Disposition. Is it the same every night?

Lorenzo: Actually, it starts when we play Love Lost, but it kind of goes like that [gestures into the sky] when that song kicks in.

Dougie: For a song that's not a single, Love Lost seems to be getting an amazing reaction.

It's about to be a single though.

Lorenzo: Have you seen the video?

Yes - it's quite unusual [see above]. Do you make a cameo anywhere?

Lorenzo: I think it would ruin it if we put our ugly faces in it.

It's such a British setting. Is there anywhere like that in Australia?

Lorenzo: No!

Dougie: But it just looks like our backyard in Hackney now.

Lorenzo: I love the fact that it looks so bleak. It's grey and miserable and these poor kids are running with mud all over them.

The Temper Trap's album, Conditions, and single, Love Lost, are out now on Infectious Records.