Milena Paprok

The atmosphere in Le National this past Saturday was buzzing with anticipation as a crowd of teenagers and adults awaited the performance of the Australian-based indie rock quartet, the Temper Trap. After what seemed like an unreasonably long wait, the crowd became restless and began chanting for the band to take the stage.

Opening up with the fast-paced song, “Rest,” lead singer Dougy Mandagi managed to capture the impatient crowd (or at least the giddy girls who couldn’t stop shouting his name). The setlist was nicely balanced, allowing fans to dance one moment to the ‘80s pop hit “Fader” and then quickly slow down the tempo with ballads like “Fools.” The show’s turning point came with the song “Down River,” where the crowd lost control, dancing and belting out the chorus almost louder than Mandagi himself.

Other highlights included the cute clap-along conducted to “Love Lost” and the song people were dying to hear, “Sweet Disposition.”  Overall, the band didn’t disappoint, and the impressive lighting effects made each song all the more memorable.  As the set came to a close the audience was clearly eager to hear more. When the guys left the stage the crowd erupted into yet another chant, this time stomping their feet so hard the whole theatre seemed to shake. The encore rounded out the show’s beginning with a slow acoustic song, and the band finished on a high note with “Science of Fear.”