2005–2007: Formation and The Temper Trap EP The Temper Trap formed as an
indie pop band in 2005. was a
busker in
Melbourne, Australia, in 1999 when he met Aherne, who wanted to learn to play guitar. Six years later, Mandagi met Dundas while the pair worked in a clothing store. In 2005, the three friends decided to form a band, with Mandagi on vocals and guitars, and Dundas on drums, while Aherne was later convinced to join on bass guitar by Mandagi. The group was named "The Temper Trap" after Temper Temper, the trio's first choice, was rejected due to its use by a United States (US) band. The Temper Trap rehearsed with a variety of second guitarists before Dundas recommended his former
Geelong Grammar schoolmate, Sillitto, on lead guitar. 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".
2012–2015: The Temper Trap In March 2012 the band performed a short run of sold-out shows in North America. They also completed extensive tours in 2012 in the UK, North America and Australia, as well as numerous festival appearances. On 13 April 2012, they released the official video for the single, "Need Your Love", directed by Dugan O'Neal (O'Neal released the video on his personal
Vimeo channel in the previous week). It features a
Karate Kid-like mini-film, with short appearances by the band members as the general public. Shortly after its release, a behind-the-scenes video followed. The Temper Trap released their
self-titled second album on 18 May (Australia/NZ/Germany), 21 May (UK/Europe) and 5 June (US/Canada/Mexico) 2012. On 7 March, they released a new song titled "Rabbit Hole". The first single, "Need Your Love". was released on 23 March 2012. On 1 June, the video for "Trembling Hands" was released online. The Tom Haines-directed video tells the tale of a young trapeze artist discovering herself through the emotions and risks involved with her discipline. Dougy Mandagi is the only member of the band to appear in the video, which shot on location in Cuba. "Trembling Hands" was officially released as a single in May 2012, which was followed by a remix EP in July. The remix EP features mixes by
Benny Benassi,
Chet Faker and Beni. On 6 August 2012, the Temper Trap played a live streaming concert for YouTube Presents before a select group of fans in New York City, USA. The concert consisted of six songs: three from the album
Conditions and three from the self-titled album. They played as one of the opening acts for
Coldplay during the Australia/New Zealand leg of their
Mylo Xyloto Tour in November and December 2012. On 6 July 2013, they supported
The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park in Sydney, Australia, alongside American musician
Gary Clark Jr. In November 2012, The Temper Trap won the Best Rock Album award for their eponymous second album and the Best Group award at the 2012 ARIA Awards. In January 2013, "Trembling Hands" was voted into the number 22 position as part of
Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown. A June 2013 media article revealed that the band were continuing to work on their third studio album. In October 2013, an official statement confirmed that lead guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto parted ways with the band. Since then the band have continued to play live while working on their third album with Damian Taylor.
2016–2018: Thick as Thieves to hiatus The title track from the band's third studio album,
Thick as Thieves. was released as its lead single in February and peaked at number 92 in Australia. On 11 April 2016, the band released the second single, "
Fall Together", the same day the album was officially announced on their Facebook page. The album was released on 10 June 2016, marking their first release in four years. In May 2018, The Temper Trap supported American rock band
Imagine Dragons on the Australian and New Zealand legs of their
Evolve World Tour. This included performances in
Perth,
Melbourne,
Brisbane,
Sydney,
Auckland, and
Wellington. The group went on hiatus in 2018. ==Members==