TIM HUGHES talks to Truck and Wilderness stars The Temper Trap about their new-found love of the English summer music festival

THEY’VE played everywhere from Sydney Opera House and Hollywood to London’s Somerset House. But for their next gig, indie-rockers The Temper Trap admit they are well out of their comfort zone.

This weekend this mellow bunch of spacy Australians swap the metropolitan trappings of the world’s great cities for something altogether more homely – a farm in Steventon.

The band headline Saturday night’s proceedings at Truck Festival , part of a packed summer of touring which next month sees them return to the county for a set at Wilderness.

And, while they can’t wait to get out into the sticks, they admit they are not really the outdoor types.

“We are all city slickers,” says drummer Toby Dundas.

“I’m not really into camping. But festivals are nice given the right setting. There’s something about the atmosphere at a festival; it’s almost like a congregation; there’s an energy you don’t get at regular gigs.”

Much has happened since the nascent Temper Trap met, eight years ago while working in a Melbourne clothes shop. Since then the band – Toby, singer Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, Lorenzo Sillitto and Joseph Greer – have seen their reputation grow faster and brighter than an outback sunrise.

Describing their music as “guitar rock with a soul vocal and electronic elements,” their debut album Conditions was a cult hit, while their song Sweet Disposition was a Number Six hit in the UK, and was used in adverts for everyone from Coca Cola and Center Parks to Chrysler and Sky Sports.

“That song is definitely our calling card,” says Toby. “And every time we play it we get a good reaction from the audience. That keeps the song fresh.”

And having the song picked up by the advertising industry has proved invaluable, he says. “People are discovering new music through ads, TV shows and movies. It’s a new channel for introducing new bands and we were keen to do it when the opportunity came up.

“The advertisers din’t need our help as much as we needed theirs. They are advertising us; millions of people see ads like that and you can’t say ‘no’ to that when you are an up-and-coming band.

And it works, he says.

“We were booked to do an American tour and ticket sales were going steady.Then the Coke ad came out and we saw a big spike in ticket sales. There are so many good bands out there, punters need a reason to take the plunge.”

And how does he sum up the song’s appeal? “I can’t say. It has a connection with people but I can’t tell you why. If I knew that we’d be able to churn them out willy-nilly. It’s an X factor.”

Toby is disarmingly honest, in that way that seems to come naturally to Aussies. He admits he never expected this level of success.

“Jonathan is the optimist of the group,” he says. “He had it all mapped out since our first rehearsal. But it has been an amazing eight years. We’ve done so much cool stuff. It’s been a dream come true. In fact it went beyond my wildest dreams about four years ago.”

And the best moment: “Playing the Sydney Opera House,” he sighs. “We used to drive past it on our way to little dives where we’d be playing to 50 people. I never thought we’d make it. That wasn’t even on the radar when we started out.”

Their summer of festival-going follows the release of second album Temper Trap – the follow up to their 2009 debut, and single Trembling Hands.

“We are looking forward to Truck. And Wilderness is going to be a highlight of the summer.

And despite being more at home in the city, he says he can’t wait to get into the festival spirit by donning fancy dress. “We’ve got an extensive costume box at our disposal so I’ll certainly be looking into that,” he says. “I might even come as Rolf Harris – if I’ve still got the wobble board.”

So, does he have any survival tips for fans heading to Truck and Wilderness?

“Get a Camelbak of pure Jack Daniels,” he says with an evil laugh.

“Just let yourself go. You don’t need to pack anything – jut a good attitude and make lots of friends. But if you do want to take things, start with good wellies and a waterproof tent. Because you may think your tent is waterproof,” he says, speaking from painful experience, “But you don’t want to discover the hard way that it isn’t, when the rain is coming in sideways and you are floating away along the path!”

  • Truck Festival takes place this weekend, and Wilderness, at Cornbury Park, Charlbury, from August 10-12. Other bands playing Wilderness include Rodrigo y Gabriela, Wilco, Stornoway and Spiritualized.
  • For details go to wildernessfestival.com
  •  PLUS - for your chance to win £1,000 worth of tickets to Wilderness, read today's Oxford Mail (Thursday, July 19)