Temper Trap Nervous About Premiering New Songs at SXSW

Despite having a handful of previous SXSW appearances on their resume, Temper Trap are incredibly nervous about their first gig at the annual music festival, which is slated for today (March 15.) The anxiousness stems from the fact that they are planning to premiere new tunes from their forthcoming, currently title-less album. Consider it a coming out party for new songs, which is nerve-wracking for any band, no matter how seasoned.

"It will be the official debut," drummer Toby Dundas told Spinner. What better way to road test the songs than at a live festival, right?

He continued, "We're all excited and nervous about South by. It's kind of a high-pressure situation with so much media and so many other great bands there. You really want to play a great show. And having all of this new material, that's quite different as well. It's going to be a nervous time." The band was stressing about being properly prepared and practiced when it came to the new songs. It turns out they were, which increased their comfort level with premiering the songs.

Despite the nervousness that is hanging over their heads, which should quickly dissipate once they connect with their instruments and with the crowd, the group wants to play new songs simply because they are tired of performing catalog material and tunes from the 2009-released 'Conditions,' simply because they're been doing it for so long.

Temper Trap plan to play 'London's Burning (Repeater),' which has already circulated online and centers on the riots that erupted in England last year. "The thing about South by, with the shorter sets, you kind of want to pick songs that are maybe a bit more upbeat and kind of bigger sounding," Dundas said about curating a SXSW set list. "Maybe the more slow, contemplative ones are better kept until people have had a chance to hear the album and take those songs in over a few months. So, for now, we've got a good mix of more up-tempo and a bit more epic numbers from the new album, and then we'll play five or six songs from the old album as well."