The Temper Trap biography
The Temper Trap is an Australian indie rock band which formed in 2005. The core members are Dougy Mandagi on vocals and guitar, Jonathon Aherne on bass guitar and vocals, Toby Dundas on drums and programming and Lorenzo Sillitto on guitar, keyboards and vocals. They are supplemented on tours with Joseph Greer on keyboards and guitar. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album Conditions in June 2009 to favourable reviews and commercial success; it peaked at No. 9 on the ARIA Albums Chart and into the top 30 on the UK Albums Chart. Its lead single, "Sweet Disposition", peaked in the top 10 on the Belgian, Irish and UK Singles Charts and reached No. 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 in November, The Temper Trap won 'Best Group' for their album Conditions and 'Most Popular Australian Single' for "Sweet Disposition".
History
The Temper Trap formed as an indie pop band in 2005. Indonesian-born Dougy Mandagi was a busker in Melbourne in 1999 when he met Jonathon Aherne - Aherne wanted to learn to play guitar. Six years later, Mandagi met Toby Dundas while both worked in a clothing store. In 2005, they decided to form a band with Mandagi on vocals and guitars and Dundas on drums. Mandagi contacted Aherne and convinced him to join on bass guitar. The group was named The Temper Trap after their first choice, Temper Temper, was rejected due to its use by a United States band. The Temper Trap rehearsed with a variety of second guitarists before Dundas recommended his former Geelong Grammar schoolmate, Lorenzo Sillitto on lead guitar. The group performed at St Jerome's Laneway Festival in March 2006.
The group signed to Michael Gudinski's label Liberation Music, which released their debut extended play, The Temper Trap, in November 2006. It was produced by Scott Horscroft (The Sleepy Jackson, Silverchair). According to planetclare of FasterLouder in her review of a gig, Dundas sometimes abandons the drums and plays guitar, while Mandagi's voice "hits a note and then transcends it, slicing the sound barrier and leaving you with your mouth open and your eyes wide", Aherne regularly moved around the stage and Sillitto provided "guitar solos, subtlety drove the melody from the side of stage". After finishing their Australian tour they performed at the V Festival at the Sydney (March 2007) and Gold Coast (April) venues.
In late 2008, The Temper Trap started recording their debut album, Conditions, in Melbourne with engineering by Kalju Tonuma. They travelled to the UK and attracted the attention of the local music industry after playing at the Musexpo in London in October. By January 2009, the band signed to Infectious Records for European releases. The BBC chose The Temper Trap in its top 15 Sound of 2009 list. In March, the band finished recording Conditions in London with UK music producer Jim Abbiss. Mandagi said his key influences when recording it had included Radiohead, Prince, Massive Attack and U2. In May, after performing at South by Southwest in March, they signed to Glassnote Records for US releases. The album was released in Australia on 19 June, and debuted at No. 9 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart. It was released in the UK in August. The band had returned to London in early May to "spend a bit of time on the continent and try and build a fan base over here", according to Sillitto. He says "it was always our dream to at least come over here and give it a good crack early on".
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