Temper Trap and Tempesst warm up the Manchester Academy 2

By Desh Kapur, Rock At Night Manchester Correspondent

Venue: Manchester Academy 2–December 3, 2016–TEMPER TRAP – Tempesst

Even on a cold and blustery evening I was excited to be back at the Manchester Academy 2 again, and this time it was to see the mercurial Melbourne Indie rockers
Temper Trap, supported by the London based band Tempesst, led by two other Aussies, the Banjanin twins.

Although they have been quiet for a while now, I was still amped to be seeing Temper Trap live, especially after the brilliant ‘Sweet Disposition’ and the accompanying album ‘Conditions’.

Tempesst started the evening off and the twins Toma and Andy looked the part dressed in their black suits, launching into a set filled with highlights that included ‘Tidal Wave’, ‘Broke Down Blues’ and ‘Too Slow’. With their lush tones and smooth vocal styling,they mixed an 80’s vibe with a bit of soul and pop and I do feel that 2017 is going to be a very interesting year for these boys.

And then to the main event Temper Trap. The room was full of applause and anticipation in equal measure and I for one soaked it up. Now I am not adverse to ambient lighting given a certain time and place, say a cosy living room, a nice mellow musical backdrop….a glass of wine, comfortable chair and the perfect company, but this was neither the place or time.What were the band thinking!? The lighting was terrible and I felt so let down. The music was vocally brilliant and the band were beautifully tight , yet I couldn’t get past this obvious misdemeanor. Were they trying for mood?

Had there been an electrical fault, or had the lighting guy had a sudden attack and left the building? Effortlessly they sang through 3 albums and the crowd played their part in trying to reach the vocal heights of the brilliant ‘Sweet Disposition’, some more successfully than others I might add, and musically Temper Trap surpassed all I could have wished for, yet….yet! A gig is a visual experience too and in this thought I do beg that the next time I hopefully see Temper Trap they have someone ready and waiting to
turn on the lights!